Chinese Idiom: 半面之交 (Ban Mian Zhi Jiao)
English Translation: Half-face acquaintance
pīn yīn: bàn miàn zhī jiāo
Idiom Meaning: This idiom describes a very limited interaction or acquaintance with someone, typically only having seen them briefly or met once.
Historical Source: “Book of the Later Han” (《后汉书》), specifically from the “Biography of Ying Feng” (《应奉传》).
Idiom Story:
Ying Feng (应奉, Pinyin: Yīng Fèng) was a notable scholar from Nandun, Runan (present-day southwestern Xiangcheng, Henan) during the Eastern Han Dynasty. He was renowned for his extraordinary intelligence and impressive memory. As a young man, he excelled in his studies, and his work, “Gan Sao” (《感骚》), consisting of thirty essays, was highly influential.
Ying Feng’s achievements were largely attributed to his diligence in study and his remarkable memory. He could recall anything he had read, seen, or experienced with great accuracy. For instance, once while accompanying a governor on an inspection tour of various counties, Ying Feng was able to recount every detail of the journey, including the names and appearances of everyone he encountered, to the amazement of those present.
In another notable instance, when Ying Feng was twenty years old, he visited Pengcheng (modern-day Xuzhou, Jiangsu) to see an official named Yuan He (袁贺, Pinyin: Yuán Hè). Yuan He was not at home, and the doors were tightly shut. As Ying Feng was about to leave, a carter from Yuan He’s household opened a small gap in the door to glance at him and then closed it again. Many years later, Ying Feng encountered the same carter on the street and immediately recognized him, greeting him warmly. The carter was astonished and, after Ying Feng’s explanation, realized that they had met briefly decades earlier.
This story illustrates the idiom “半面之交” – describing how even a brief or limited encounter can lead to recognition and recall, thanks to exceptional memory.
