Meaning of 表面
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- surface
- face
- outside
- appearance
How to use 表面
表面 is used for the literal surface of an object and also for how things look on the outside compared with what is really true. It often appears as 表面上 (biǎomiàn shang), meaning on the surface or seemingly. Example: 他表面上很高兴。(Tā biǎomiàn shang hěn gāoxìng.) He looks happy on the surface.
表 (biǎo) means the outside or what is shown, as in 表示 (biǎoshì) to show, and 面 (miàn) means face or side, as in 见面 (jiànmiàn). Put them together and you get the face that is shown on the outside: the surface.
Common mistake: Learners often mix up 表面 with 方面 (fāngmiàn) because both end in 面, but 方面 means aspect or respect, as in 在这方面 (in this respect), not surface. Also keep 表 in the third tone, biǎo, not biāo.
表面 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
表 biǎo · exterior surface · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
面 miàn · face · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
Related words
Words that share a character with 表面.
| 见面 | jiànmiàn | to meet; to see each other |
| 面包 | miànbāo | bread |
| 面条儿 | miàntiáor | erhua variant of 麵條|面条[mian4 tiao2] |
| 面前 | miànqián | in front of; facing |
| 方面 | fāngmiàn | respect; aspect |
| 表示 | biǎoshì | (of sb) to express; to state; to show; (of sth) to indicate; to signify; to show |
| 对面 | duìmiàn | opposite; across (the street etc); directly in front of one; up ahead |
| 手表 | shǒubiǎo | wristwatch |
| 方便面 | fāngbiànmiàn | instant noodles |
| 里面 | lǐmiàn | inside; interior |
| 外面 | wàimiàn | outside (also pr. [wai4 mian5] for this sense); surface |
| 上面 | shàngmiàn | on top of; above-mentioned |
Questions about 表面
What does 表面 mean?
表面 (biǎomiàn) means "surface; face" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 表面?
表面 is made of 2 characters: 表 (8 strokes), 面 (9 strokes). That is 17 strokes in total.
Is 表面 an HSK word?
Yes. 表面 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 表面 and 外面?
外面 (wàimiàn) means outside as a place, like outdoors or outside a room. 表面 means the outer layer of something or the outward appearance, for example 桌子的表面 (the surface of the table).
Can 表面 be negative, like saying something is superficial?
Yes. Phrases like 只看表面 (zhǐ kàn biǎomiàn), to only look at the surface, suggest judging something superficially. Context often implies the reality is different from how it looks.