平面 (píng miàn) — plane (flat surface); print media

Definition

平面 means a flat, two-dimensional surface — not 'flat land' (that's 平原). As a modifier, 平面媒体 means print media (newspapers, magazines).

noun

plane (flat surface)print media

Measure word · 个

平面。
Zhè ge tú xíng shì yí gè píng miàn.
This figure is a plane.
平面。
Tā zài píng miàn méi tǐ gōng sī gōng zuò.
He works at a print media company.
平面。
Qǐng bǎ huà fàng zài píng miàn shàng.
Please put the painting on a flat surface.

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.

平 (flat) and 面 (surface) combine to mean a flat surface.

Characters in this word

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

The origin is uncertain. One explanation combines 八 (division) and 亏 (exhaled air) to show smooth speech.

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.

Appears in