拂面 (fú miàn) — (verb-object) to brush past one's face (used of wind, breeze, etc.)

Definition

A literary verb-object phrase meaning a breeze or wind lightly brushes against one's face. Typically used to describe spring or mountain wind in descriptive writing.

verb
(verb-object) to brush past one's face (used of wind, breeze, etc.)

Examples

  • 拂面，。
    Chūn fēng fú miàn, sòng lái huā xiāng.
    The spring breeze brushes the face, carrying the scent of flowers.
  • ，。
    Chūn fēng fú le miàn, ràng rén gǎn dào shí fēn qiè yì.
    The spring breeze brushed the face, making one feel very comfortable.
  • ，拂面，。
    Zhàn zài shān dǐng, wēi fēng fú miàn, shì yě kāi kuò.
    Standing on the mountaintop, the gentle breeze strokes the face, and the view is wide.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

拂fúbrush
面miànface

Brushing and face combine to mean a breeze brushes past the face.

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
扌Written in full as手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
弗
弗fú拂fú
Same sound today

The left part 扌 is a hand, matching actions like flicking or whisking, while 弗 gives the sound.

Open 拂 →

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 →

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