lá mặt
Definition
- Noun:
- The outer leaf: The decorative leaf used to wrap the outside of a traditional cake, such as a sticky rice cake, primarily for an attractive appearance.
- Figurative: False front / deceptive facade: A hypocritical or deceitful outward appearance that conceals one's true nature or intentions.
Usage Examples
- Noun (literal):
- Bánh chưng được gói bằng lá dong, lá mặt phải thật đẹp. (Sticky rice cake is wrapped with dong leaves; the outer leaf must be very beautiful.)
- Noun (figurative):
- Đừng tin vào lá mặt của hắn, bên trong toàn là mưu mô. (Don't trust his false front; inside, it's all schemes.)
- Con người lá mặt lá trái khó lường. (A person with a deceptive facade is unpredictable.)
Advanced Usage
- The term is often used in contrast with "lá trái" (the inner leaf), creating the idiom "lá mặt lá trái" to describe two-facedness or duplicity.
Variants and Related Words
- Lá trái (n): The inner leaf. Figuratively, one's true, hidden self or private face.
- Lá dong (n): Dong leaf, a common type of leaf used as "lá mặt" for wrapping traditional cakes.
Synonyms
- Facade: A deceptive outward appearance.
- Pretense: An attempt to make something false appear true.
- False front: A misleading exterior.
Related Idioms
- Lá mặt lá trái: To be two-faced; to show one favorable face to the world while hiding another, truer nature.
- Anh ta sống kiểu lá mặt lá trái, chẳng ai tin được. (He lives a two-faced life; no one can trust him.)
- Ăn ở lá mặt: To live hypocritically; to behave in a deceitful manner.
- Kẻ ăn ở lá mặt sớm muộn cũng bị lộ. (Those who live hypocritically will eventually be exposed.)