面如土色 face like earth
Explanation
形容人因恐惧、惊慌或其他原因而脸色变得灰白。
Describes someone whose face turns grayish-white due to fear, panic, or other reasons.
Origin Story
话说南宋年间，有个叫俞良的秀才，千里迢迢赶到杭州参加科举考试。结果，他名落孙山，囊空如洗，只好在西湖边徘徊，准备以死明志。这时，他写了一首《鹊桥仙》，正准备投湖自尽，却被一位好心的老伯救下。巧合的是，当今皇上曾梦见一位才华横溢的秀才，面相与俞良十分相似，于是派人四处寻找。当官差找到客栈，询问是否有位名叫俞良的秀才时，客栈老板孙婆吓得面如土色，连忙点头称是。俞良因此被皇上召见，并被封为高官。从此，俞良的经历被后人传颂，而孙婆那面如土色的情景，也成了一个生动的注脚，寓意着面对突如其来的变故，人们常会惊慌失措，脸色煞白。
During the Southern Song Dynasty, a scholar named Yu Liang traveled a long distance to Hangzhou to take the imperial examination. However, he failed and was penniless, so he wandered by the West Lake, preparing to end his life. At this time, he wrote a poem, preparing to drown himself, but was rescued by a kind old man. Coincidentally, the current emperor had dreamed of a talented scholar whose appearance was very similar to Yu Liang, and sent people to search for him. When the officer arrived at the inn and asked if there was a scholar named Yu Liang, the innkeeper, Mrs. Sun, turned pale with fright and quickly nodded in agreement. Yu Liang was then summoned by the emperor and appointed a high-ranking official. From then on, Yu Liang's story was passed down by later generations, and Mrs. Sun's pale face became a vivid footnote, implying that people often panic and turn pale in the face of sudden changes.
Usage
用于描写人极度恐惧或惊慌时的脸色。
Used to describe the facial expression of a person experiencing extreme fear or panic.
Examples
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听到这个消息，他吓得面如土色。
ting dao zhe ge xiaoxi, ta xia de mian ru tu se
He turned ashen at the news.
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他因过度劳累，脸色变得面如土色。
ta yin guo du lao lei, lian se bian de mian ru tu se
He was pale with fatigue.
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考试失败后，他面如土色地走出了考场。
kaoshi shibai hou, ta mian ru tu se de zou chu le kaochang
He left the examination room ashen-faced after failing the exam.