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HSK 2.0 Level 6+ HSK 3.0 Level 7–9+ 6 min read

看在X的面子上 for “For X’s Sake”

Use 看在X的面子上 to say you agree, forgive or help because of your respect for, or relationship with, someone.

Pattern

看在 + person + 的面子上，+ favor / forgiveness

看在X的面子上 means “out of respect for X” or “for X’s sake”: you do something because of who X is to you.

看在老同学的面子上，他答应帮我这个忙。

When to use 看在X的面子上 for “For X’s Sake”

面子 is “face,” the respect and standing a person has in other people’s eyes. 看在X的面子上 literally means “looking at X’s face,” and it explains why you agree to something: because of X, not because the request itself is so convincing.

看在你的面子上，这次我就原谅他了。

For your sake, I’ll forgive him this time.

看在奶奶的面子上，爸爸同意让我养一只小狗。

For Grandma’s sake, Dad agreed to let me keep a puppy.

看在大家这么努力的份上，老师今天少留了点作业。

Seeing how hard everyone had worked, the teacher gave a bit less homework today.

看在他是第一次的份上，老师没有批评他。

Considering it was his first time, the teacher didn’t criticize him.

Common traps

  • Keep 的 and 上: 看在你的面子上, not 看在你面子.
  • Use 面子 for a person; for a situation, use 份上 (看在他是第一次的份上).
  • It explains a favor or forgiveness, so don’t use it for a simple purpose; use 为了 instead.

Targeted drill

Practice this exact pattern before moving on.

你就帮帮他吧，看在我的 上

Please just help him, for my sake
Fill in the missing piece, then press Enter

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