北面

Mandarin

simpl. and trad.
北面

Pronunciation

• IPA: [ pei˨˩miɛn˥˩ ]

Etymology 1

北 (north) + 面 (side)

Noun

北面 (traditional and simplified, Pinyin běimiàn)

1. (Elementary Mandarin) north; north side

Etymology 2

According to ancient convention, the most important person in a room would be seated on the north side facing south. All subordinates would therefore be facing north, in deference to the most important person (such as the emperor).

Verb

北面 (traditional and simplified, Pinyin běimiàn)

1. (archaic) to face north (in deference to the emperor or one's superior)

References

• "北面" (in Mandarin), Guoyu Cidian On-line Mandarin Dictionary (國語辭典). URL accessed on 2008-01-08.
• 2000, Jingmin (ed.) Shao, HSK Dictionary (HSK汉语水平考试词典) (in Mandarin/English), Shanghai: Huadong Teachers College Publishers, ISBN 7561720785: