面朝黄土背朝天
miàn​cháo​huáng​tǔ​bèi​cháo​tiān

face to the earth, back to the sky

  1. 面 miàn verb
    to face
    to face; to confront; to overlook; to meet
  2. 朝 cháo preposition
    toward
    facing; toward; in the direction of
  3. 黄土 黃土 huáng​tǔ
    loess
    yellow sandy soil typical of north China; a fine, yellowish-brown mixture of sand and clay
  4. 背 bèi noun
    back
    the back of a person or animal
  5. 朝天 cháo​tiān
    to look upward
    to face upward; to look skyward