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扑面而来 (pū miàn ér lái) — to hit one in the face (of a smell, heat, etc.); to assault the senses; to be overwhelming and direct

Definition

A vivid phrase meaning a sensation (smell, heat, wind) hits you directly in the face. Unlike 引人注目 or 醒目, it describes an experience that overwhelms the senses, not just something visually noticeable.

phrase
to hit one in the face (of a smell, heat, etc.)to assault the sensesto be overwhelming and direct

Examples

  • ，扑面而来。
    Yí jìn mén, yì gǔ huā xiāng pū miàn ér lái.
    As soon as I entered, a wave of floral scent hit me in the face.
  • 扑面而来，。
    Rè làng pū miàn ér lái, ràng rén zhī xiǎng dài zài kōng tiáo fáng lǐ.
    The heat wave hits you in the face, making you just want to stay in an air-conditioned room.
  • 扑面而来，。
    Guǎng gào lǐ de xìn xī pū miàn ér lái, xiǎng bú zhù yì dōu nán.
    The information in the advertisement assaults the senses — it's hard not to notice.

Origin

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
卜
卜bǔ扑pū
Same sound today

扑 uses 手 (hand) for meaning and 卜 (bǔ) for sound.

Open 扑 →

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 →

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

The shape of 而 is a picture of a beard.

Open 而 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 來; 来 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 來 shows a wheat plant: a central ear, upward leaves, and downward stem and roots. The simplified 来 is a later shorthand.

Open 来 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9

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