迎面而来 (yíng miàn ér lái) — to come directly toward one's face; to approach head-on (of wind, vehicles, people); to confront or meet face-to-face (in a collision or encounter)

Definition

A vivid, slightly literary image meaning something approaches 'right at your face' — wind, vehicles, smells, or people coming directly toward you head-on.

verb
to come directly toward one's faceto approach head-on (of wind, vehicles, people)to confront or meet face-to-face (in a collision or encounter)

Examples

  • 迎面而来，。
    Yí zhèn lěng fēng yíng miàn ér lái, wǒ bù jīn dǎ le ge hán zhàn.
    A cold wind came right in my face, and I couldn't help shivering.
  • ，迎面而来。
    Tā gāng chū mén, yí liàng zì xíng chē jiù yíng miàn ér lái.
    As soon as he stepped out, a bicycle came heading straight toward him.
  • ，迎面而来。
    Wǒ men yán zhe xiǎo lù zǒu, huā xiāng yíng miàn ér lái.
    We walked along the path, and the fragrance of flowers wafted toward us.

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
辶Written in full as辵chuò
Sound part声符shēngfú
卬
卬áng迎yíng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

迎 is made of 辶 (written fully as 辵) for the meaning and 卬 for the sound.

Open 迎 →

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 →

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