素面朝天

Chinese
face without makeup; unadorned face to have an audience with the emperor
simp. and trad.
(素面朝天)		 素面 朝天
Literally: “plain face facing the sky/emperor”.

Etymology

Originally used in reference to Lady of the State Guo (虢國夫人), the sister (or cousin) of Yang Guifei (the renowned beautiful consort of the Emperor Xuanzong of Tang). Per the Unofficial Biography of Yang Guifei (《楊太真外傳》) by Le Shi:

虢國不施妝粉，自炫美艷，常素面朝天。 [Classical Chinese, trad.][▼ expand/hide]
虢国不施妆粉，自炫美艳，常素面朝天。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]
From: Le Shi, 《楊太真外傳》 (Unofficial Biography of Yang Guifei), 10th c. CE
Guóguó bù shī zhuāngfěn, zì xuàn měiyàn, cháng sùmiàncháotiān. [Pinyin]
Counting on her natural beauty, Lady of the State Guo does not wear make-up, and often presents herself to the emperor unadorned.

Pronunciation

Idiom

素面朝天

  1. (literary, historical) to present oneself to the emperor without any makeup
  2. (figuratively, of a woman) to wear no makeup; to show one's natural features; to present oneself just as one is
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