面条儿

• Pinyin: miàn tiáor
• Hanzi breakdown: 面 = flour/surface; 条 = 木 (wood) + 攵 (phonetic), meaning strip or strand; 儿 = colloquial suffix

Meaning

Noodles. A general term for all types of noodles, one of the most important staple foods in Chinese cuisine.

Covers all varieties of noodles — hand-pulled, knife-cut, thin, thick, soup-based, or stir-fried. The 儿 suffix is typical of northern Mandarin. In some regions, 面条 without 儿 is used instead.

Examples

1. 我想吃一碗面条儿。 I want to eat a bowl of noodles.
2. 妈妈做的面条儿最好吃。 The noodles mom makes are the best.
3. 这家店的面条儿很有名。 This restaurant's noodles are very famous.

Usage Guide

Context: food, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你想吃什么面条儿？(What kind of noodles do you want?)
• 来一碗牛肉面条儿。(I'll have a bowl of beef noodles.)

Don't Say

• 我要两个面条儿。(Wrong measure word — say 两碗面条儿 using 碗 (bowl) as the measure word, not 个)

Origin & History

A compound of 面 (flour/wheat) and 条 (strip/strand) with the colloquial suffix 儿. Literally 'flour strips' — strips made from wheat dough.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal