面如灰土

miànrúhuītǔ
ashen-faced (idiom)

CEDICT

脸色像泥土一样。形容惊恐到了极点。《聊斋志异．卷五．西湖主》：「既而斜日西转，眺望方殷，女子坌息急奔而入，曰：『殆矣！多言者洩其事于王妃；妃展巾抵地，大骂狂伧，祸不远矣！』生大惊，面如灰土，长跽请教。」也作「面如土色」、「面色如土」。

重編國語辭典

Entry Composition

=1 面 miàn
  1. face
  2. side
  3. surface
  4. aspect
  5. top
  6. classifier for objects with flat surfaces such as drums, mirrors, flags etc
=1 面 miàn variant of 面 miàn
=1 面 miàn
  1. flour
  2. noodles
  3. (of food) soft (not crunchy)
  4. (slang) (of a person) ineffectual
  5. spineless
2 如 rú
  1. as
  2. as if
  3. such as
3 灰土 huītǔ
  1. dust
  2. (soil taxonomy) spodosol

Related entries

面如土色 miànrútǔsè ashen-faced (idiom)
面无人色 miànwúrénsè ashen-faced
面色如土 miànsèrútǔ ashen-faced (idiom)