面食 (miàn shí) — wheat-based foods (such as noodles, dumplings, steamed buns)

Definition

noun
wheat-based foods (such as noodles, dumplings, steamed buns)

Examples

  • 面食。
    Běi fāng rén hěn xǐ huan chī miàn shí.
    Northerners really like eating wheat-based foods.
  • 面食。
    Zhè jiā diàn de miàn shí zhǒng lèi hěn duō.
    This restaurant has a wide variety of wheat-based foods.
  • 面食。
    Wǒ mā ma huì zuò gè zhǒng miàn shí.
    My mom can make all kinds of wheat-based foods.

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.

面miànwheat
食shífood

面 (wheat) specifies the kind of 食 (food).

Characters in this word

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 →

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

  • 亼亼jímouth
  • 皀皀jía bowl of rice on a stand

The form behind 食 shows 亼, a mouth, together with 皀, a bowl of rice on a stand. In modern 食, the bowl part has changed shape.

Open 食 →

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