---
title: "Mianzi Meaning: 面子 (miànzi) Means “face”"
description: "面子 (miànzi) means “face; reputation; prestige”. Hear its tones, see what 面 and 子 each mean and a real sentence that uses it."
canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/mianzi"
published: "2026-10-21"
updated: "2026-11-06"
author: "Mandarin The Wild"
---

[What does it mean in Chinese?](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning)

# What does 面子 mean?

猫头鹰māotóuyīngowl

面子 miànzi

## face; reputation; prestige

## It can also mean

- outer side; surface

## Its characters

1. 面 miàn face
2. 子 zi (suffix) noun suffix (as in 桌子)

## In a sentence

她设法保住面子。 She managed to keep up appearances.

他们抢的，其实是“**面子**”。

From [什么是“面子”？ · What is face (mianzi) in Chinese culture?](https://mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-is-face-mianzi-in-chinese-culture#library-word-103-105)

[More about 面子](https://mandarinthewild.com/words/%E9%9D%A2%E5%AD%90)

## More words with 面 or 子

- [包子 bāozi](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/baozi)
- [背面 bèimiàn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/beimian)
- [被子 bèizi](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/beizi)
- [本子 běnzi](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/benzi)
- [表面 biǎomiàn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/biaomian)
- [鼻子 bízi](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/bizi)
- [脖子 bózi](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/bozi)
- [侧面 cèmiàn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/cemian)
- [层面 céngmiàn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/cengmian)
- [场面 chǎngmiàn](https://mandarinthewild.com/meaning/changmian)

## Keep 面子 for Review

A free account keeps it, and Review brings it back just before you’d forget it.

## Look up another word

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[How it compares with The Chairman’s Bao](https://mandarinthewild.com/compare/the-chairmans-bao)