Pinyin:
sī pò liǎn
Meaning:
比喻感情彻底破裂，不再考虑双方情面。
the veneer of mutual respect being torn off; have no consideration for each other's feelings
Character breakdown and explanation:
撕：tear; rip
破：be broken; be damaged
脸：face
Literally, “撕破脸” means to tear apart someone's face; other than the literal meaning, “脸” also indicates reputation. When people are in a good relationship, they will give face (or have consideration) for other people; however, if the “face” is torn, it's an indication that the relationship is fractured. The subjects of this expression mostly describe the two sides of a broken relationship.
Example sentences:
他们两个人虽然小矛盾不断，但还没撕破脸。
Tāmen liǎng gè rén suīrán xiǎo máodùn bú duàn, dàn hái méi sī pò liǎn.
Although they've had their skirmishes, they've never been antagonistic toward each other.
谈判眼看着失败了，他决定和对方撕破脸，坚决要对方赔偿损失。
Tánpàn yǎnkàn zhe shībài le, tā juédìng hé duìfāng sī pò liǎn, jiānjué yào duìfāng péicháng sǔnshī.
The negotiation is about to fail, so he decides to shed all pretences of cordiality and demands payment from the other party.
