察言观色 in English cha2 yan2 guan1 se4 Meaning

Meanings

  • to weigh up somebody's words and observe their facial expression (idiomatic expression)
  • to discern what somebody thinks from his body language

Simplified Characters

察 言 观 色

Traditional Characters

察 言 觀 色

Pinyin

cha2 yan2 guan1 se4

Literal

Literal explanation, with pronunciation and meaning of each character.

察cha2short name for Chahar Province 察哈爾|察哈尔[Cha2 ha1 er3] 言yan2words 观guan1surname Guan 色se4color