honest speech and severe countenance
It is a Chinese idiom, and its pinyin is zh í y á nzh è ngs è, which means upright speech and serious appearance. It comes from the biography of Guoyuan in the annals of the Three Kingdoms.
The origin of Idioms
According to the biography of Guoyuan in the annals of the Three Kingdoms, Wei annals, it is said that "every time there is a discussion in the public court, it is often straightforward and selfless."
Idiom usage
As a predicate, attribute, adverbial; used in dealing with affairs. To be honest and upright is not to flatter. The 22nd chapter of romance of the Three Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong in Ming Dynasty
honest speech and severe countenance
the splendor of the occasion surpassed anything heretofore seen - shèng kuàng kōng qián
be in the centre of the axle -- hold an important official post - dāng zhóu chǔ zhōng