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两面三刀

liǎng miàn sān dāo

two-faced; double-dealing

Character by character

两liǎng
two
面miàn
faces
三sān
three
刀dāo
knives

Example

他当面一套,背后一套,真是两面三刀。
He says one thing to your face and another behind your back — so two-faced.

Tone: negative (criticism).

Usage and origin

Friendly to your face, scheming behind your back.

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