光面 (guāng miàn) — plain noodles (in broth, without meat or vegetables)

Definition

光面 (guāngmiàn) is just plain noodles in broth, served without any toppings or meat. The word 光 here means 'bare/plain' — focus on the dish itself, not the broth or noodles in general.

noun
plain noodles (in broth, without meat or vegetables)
Measure word · 碗

Examples

  • 光面。
    Jīn tiān zhōng wǔ wǒ zhī diǎn le yì wǎn guāng miàn.
    I only ordered a bowl of plain noodles for lunch today.
  • 光面。
    Zhè jiā diàn de guāng miàn tāng tóu hěn xiān.
    The broth of the plain noodles at this shop is very savory.
  • ，。
    Tā xǐ huan chī guāng miàn, jiā yì diǎn là yóu.
    He likes to eat plain noodles with a little chili oil added.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

光guāngplain
面miànnoodles

光 (plain) with 面 (noodles) gives noodles without toppings.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 火火huǒfire
  • 卩卩jiékneeling person

The shape 光 places 火 (fire) above 卩 (a kneeling person), showing fire over the head and the shining of light.

Open 光 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

面 originally drew a man’s face, with one eye exaggerated; the horizontal stroke was added later.

Open 面 →

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