北面

Chinese

		north	face; side; surface face; side; surface; aspect; top
trad. (北面)		北	面
simp. #(北面)		北	面

Etymology

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).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): běimiàn

  (Zhuyin): ㄅㄟˇ ㄇㄧㄢˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): bak¹ min⁶
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): pet-mien
• Eastern Min (BUC): báe̤k-miêng
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): pak-bīn
• Wu (Wugniu)
  • (Northern): ⁷poq-mi

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: běimiàn
    • Zhuyin: ㄅㄟˇ ㄇㄧㄢˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: běimiàn
    • Wade–Giles: pei³-mien⁴
    • Yale: běi-myàn
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: beeimiann
    • Palladius: бэймянь (bɛjmjanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /peɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ mi̯ɛn⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: bak¹ min⁶
    • Yale: bāk mihn
    • Cantonese Pinyin: bak⁷ min⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: beg¹ min⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pɐk̚⁵ miːn²²/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: pet-mien
    • Hakka Romanization System: bed` mien
    • Hagfa Pinyim: bed⁵ mian⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /pet̚² mi̯en⁵⁵/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: báe̤k-miêng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /pøyʔ²⁴⁻⁵⁵ miɛŋ²⁴²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pak-bīn
    • Tâi-lô: pak-bīn
    • Phofsit Daibuun: pakbin
    • IPA (Xiamen): /pak̚³²⁻⁴ bin²²/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /pak̚⁵⁻²⁴ bin⁴¹/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /pak̚³²⁻⁵ bin²²/
    • IPA (Taipei): /pak̚³²⁻⁴ bin³³/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /pak̚³²⁻⁴ bin³³/
• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁷poq-mi
    • MiniDict: poh^入 mi
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ⁴poq-mi
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /poʔ³³ mi⁴⁴/

Noun

北面

1. north; north side
2. (literary) official in feudal court

Synonyms

• (north): 北邊／北边 (běibiān); (Hakka) 北片; (Jin) 北半切; (Hokkien, Teochew) 北爿, 北勢／北势, 北頭／北头 (běitóu); (Wu, dated) 北壗／北𡋤

Coordinate terms

• (north):
  • 東面／东面 (dōngmiàn)
  • 南面 (nánmiàn)
  • 西面 (xīmiàn)

Verb

北面

1. (literary) to face north (in deference to the emperor or one's superior)
2. (literary, of an apprentice) to follow a master