平米 (píng mǐ) — square meter (unit of area)

Definition

A spoken, shortened form of 平方米, used as a classifier-like noun meaning 'square meter'. It pairs with a number to express area (e.g. 八十平米), where English would use 'square meters' as the unit after a number.

classifier
square meter (unit of area)

Examples

  • 平米。
    Zhè tào fáng zi yǒu bā shí píng mǐ.
    This apartment is eighty square meters.
  • 平米。
    Měi píng mǐ de jià gé shì liǎng wàn kuài.
    The price per square meter is twenty thousand yuan.
  • 平米。
    Zhè ge bàn gōng shì de miàn jī shì wǔ shí píng mǐ.
    The area of this office is fifty square meters.

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.

平píngsquare
米mǐmeter

平 stands for square and 米 for meter, so a square meter.

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.

Open 平 →

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

米 is a picture of rice kernels without husk, with the horizontal stroke as a bamboo sieve. It is unrelated to similar-looking grain characters.

Open 米 →

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