面壁

Chinese

		face; side; surface face; side; surface; aspect; top	wall; rampart
simp. and trad. (面壁)		面	壁
Literally: “to face the wall”.

Etymology

Bodhidharma, the Buddhist monk credited with transmitting Chan (Zen) Buddhism to China, was said to have practised wall-gazing for nine years near the Shaolin Monastery.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): miànbì

  (Zhuyin): ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄅㄧˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): min⁶ bik¹

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: miànbì
    • Zhuyin: ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄅㄧˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: miànbì
    • Wade–Giles: mien⁴-pi⁴
    • Yale: myàn-bì
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: miannbih
    • Palladius: мяньби (mjanʹbi)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ pi⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: min⁶ bik¹
    • Yale: mihn bīk
    • Cantonese Pinyin: min⁶ bik⁷
    • Guangdong Romanization: min⁶ big¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /miːn²² pɪk̚⁵/

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• Middle Chinese: mjienH pek

Rime
Character	面	壁
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)	幫 (1)
Final (韻)	仙 (77)	錫 (127)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	IV
Fanqie	彌箭切	北激切
Baxter	mjienH	pek
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/miᴇnH/	/pek̚/
Pan Wuyun	/miɛnH/	/pek̚/
Shao Rongfen	/mjænH/	/pɛk̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/mianH/	/pɛjk̚/
Li Rong	/miɛnH/	/pek̚/
Wang Li	/mĭɛnH/	/piek̚/
Bernard Karlgren	/mi̯ɛnH/	/piek̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	miàn	bi
Expected Cantonese Reflex	min6	bik1

Verb

面壁

1. (Buddhism) to sit facing the wall in meditation
2. (figurative, especially Buddhism) to study or work with undivided attention
3. (in general) to face the wall (especially as a punishment); to stand facing the wall (to self-reflect)