give face

Etymology:

• First used in the late 19th century as a direct English translation of the Cantonese expression 畀面 bei2 min2 (literally "give face", with colloquial cantonese 畀 and 面 instead of the standard written form 給 and 臉 for "give" and "face" respectively. Note: It is now quite common for Mandarin-speakers to say 給面子 as a variation of 畀面, keeping the cantonese 面 instead of converting it to 臉 when they first borrowed it.