愁眉苦脸 (chóu méi kǔ liǎn)

Character breakdown

• 愁 (chóu) · 13 strokes

  Phonosemantic compound. 心 represents the meaning and 秋 represents the sound.

• 眉 (méi) · 9 strokes

  Depicts hair above the eye (目).

• 苦 (kǔ) · 8 strokes

  Phonosemantic compound. 艹 represents the meaning and 古 represents the sound.

• 脸 (liǎn) · 11 strokes

  Phonosemantic compound. ⺼ represents the meaning and 佥 represents the sound. Simplified form of 臉.

Usage

他愁眉苦脸地坐在那里。

to look anxious (idiom); to look miserable

tā chóu méi kǔ liǎn dì zuò zài nà lǐ 。