The word **拉面** (lāmiàn) is a transparent compound noun formed by combining the verb **拉** (lā), meaning "to pull" or "to stretch," with the noun **面** (miàn), meaning "noodles" or "wheat dough." It is a descriptive term that literally means "pulled noodles," directly referencing the distinctive hand-pulled technique used in its preparation, where dough is repeatedly stretched and folded to create long, elastic strands. This morphological process exemplifies a common pattern in Chinese where a verb-object semantic relationship is condensed into a single word to name an object or dish by its defining action.