出洋相
chū yáng xiàng · HSK 7
to make a fool of oneself
🤡 chu-YANG-shiang: you CHU out a YOUNG SHOW — and embarrass yourself
出 = go out, 洋相 = foreign appearance. Originally mocking someone who awkwardly imitated Western manners. Now it just means making a fool of yourself in public — your blunder goes OUT for all to see.
出 — foot 止 emerging from enclosure 凵
出 is a pictograph showing a foot or plant stepping out of a hollow or enclosure, depicting the act of going forth. The original sense of 'coming out' or 'emerging' has remained stable since oracle bone script. It now broadly means 'to exit, go out, or produce.'
洋 — water radical 氵 + sheep 羊
洋 combines the water radical 氵 (meaning) with 羊 'sheep' (phonetic, hinting at the sound yáng). Originally it referred to a vast body of water or ocean. Later it extended to mean 'foreign' or 'overseas,' since foreign things came across the ocean.