face saving
Avoiding public shame
Face saving preserves dignity or reputation after a mistake, defeat, or embarrassing situation.
A face-saving gesture allows someone to back down without humiliation: The compromise offered him a face-saving way out of the standoff.
The concept is especially prominent in discussions of East Asian cultures, where avoiding public shame carries significant social weight.
- prideSatisfaction from one's achievements
- dignityInnate personal worth
- honorHigh regard, moral dignity
- public imagePerceived external persona
- reputationCollective opinion of someone
shame · excuse · polite fiction · deflection · ego · ego boost · apology · graceful · graceful exit · retreat · soft landing · back down · compromise · diplomatic · tactful · smooth over · awkward · backpedal
- negotiationbargaining, bargain, negotiate, mediation, compromise
- Asian customsbowing, chopsticks, tea ceremony, red envelopes, filial piety
- Negotiation Termsdeadlock, bargaining, negotiation, stalemate, compromise
- Asian valuesfilial piety, collectivism, group harmony, interdependence, respect for elders
- Asian languagesMandarin, Thai, Cantonese, Vietnamese, Hindi
- customscustoms, customs clearance, wedding custom, customs declaration, burial custom
face savinghumiliation
Loss of dignity
loss of face · public shaming · disgrace · self-incrimination · embarrassment
face savingbrutal honesty
Unsparing directness in speech
candor · unvarnished truth · coming clean · laying bare · vulnerability
face savinghumiliating
Causing painful embarrassment
embarrassing · shameful · disgraceful · self-deprecating · mortifying
face, saving, save, faces, faced, facing, facial, facially, deface