驳了言大人的面子事小
“slighting Lord Yan would be a minor matter—”
THE DIALOGUE REEL
若是不去
“If you don't go,”
驳了言大人的 面子 事小
“slighting Lord Yan would be a minor matter—”
只怕七祖母那边 会得罪言大人 难以自处
“I'm more worried that this will make Seventh Grandmother offend Lord Yan and end up in an awkward position.”
“Don't just worry about his bruised ego; the real danger is how it ruins our elder's standing.”
In traditional Chinese officialdom, public deference is vital; snubbing a senior official causes far-reaching political fallout for an entire household.
LEARNING CHUNKS & PARTICLES
to refuse someone's request publicly or disregard someone's face/pride
Used to describe rejecting a senior or powerful person's invitation or suggestion in a way that insults them.
a minor matter / of secondary concern
Typically paired with a subsequent clause introduced by '事大' or '只怕' to emphasize relative stakes.
VOCABULARY & EXPRESSIONS
Parallel Spoken Cinema Scenes (语义近邻切片)
“I won't embarrass you this time.”
“Lord Yan obviously looks down on the Li family”
“surely Lord Yan wouldn't stoop to arguing with me.”
“won't that be like undermining the chairman's authority?”
“Let's not worry about saving face right now.”
“Lord Yan, you're welcome. It's what I should do.”