面

麪/麵
miàn
丆 + 囬
HSK 3.0Level 2

Definitions

miàn (noun) face; surface; side
miàn (noun) flour; noodles

Etymology

Depicts the outline of a face, with an eye (目) in the middle. In simplified Chinese 面 is also used to mean "noodles", while in traditional Chinese this meaning is written with a separate character 麵.

About

Originally a pictograph, 面 depicts the outline of a face with an eye (目) in the middle. Its original meaning is 'face', which then extended to the surface, top layer, or flat side of any physical object. The character also developed abstract senses such as geometric planes, directions, and particular aspects of a situation, and it serves as a measure word for flat objects like mirrors or flags. In simplified Chinese, 面 also means 'noodles', while traditional Chinese writes this meaning with the separate character 麵.

Example Sentences Hide

我爱吃面条。

Wǒ ài chī miàntiáo.

I love eating noodles.

我们明天见面吧。

Wǒmen míngtiān jiànmiàn ba.

Let's meet tomorrow.

他学习很认真，方面都很好。

Tā xuéxí hěn rènzhēn, fāngmiàn dōu hěn hǎo.

He studies very hard and is good in all aspects.

面对困难，不要害怕。

Miàn duì kùnnán, bú yào hàipà.

Don't be afraid when facing difficulties.

这个房间的采光面很大。

Zhège fángjiān de cǎiguāng miàn hěn dà.

This room has a very large area for natural light.

请你全面考虑这个问题。

Qǐng nǐ quánmiàn kǎolǜ zhège wèntí.

Please consider this problem comprehensively.

他在社会上有一定的面子。

Tā zài shèhuì shàng yǒu yīdìng de miànzi.

He has a certain amount of prestige in society.

这本书从哲学层面进行了分析。

Zhè běn shū cóng zhéxué céngmiàn jìnxíngle fēnxī.

This book provides an analysis from a philosophical level.

Related Characters

Composed characters:

缅 湎 靥 腼 靦 麵 䩄 偭 勔 圙 愐 糆 緬 蝒

Component: 丆

石 寡 靣

Component: 囬

蜖 逥

Example Words

上面 下面 前面 外面 后面 方面 桌面 界面 画面 里面 见面 铁面 面前 面对 面包 一面 世面 假面 侧面 全面 冷面 出面 反面 地面