Meaning of 里面
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- inside
- interior
- also pr. [li3 mian5]
- variant of 裡面|里面[li3 mian4]
How to use 里面
里面 usually comes after a noun to say something is inside it, often with 在 (zài) before the noun. It can also stand alone as a place word, like "inside". Example: 书在包里面。 (Shū zài bāo lǐmiàn.) The book is in the bag.
里 (lǐ) means inside, and 面 (miàn) means side or surface. Put them together and you get the inside side of something: 里面 (lǐmiàn), the interior.
Common mistake: Learners often put 里面 before the noun, as in English "inside the box". In Chinese it goes after: 盒子里面 (hézi lǐmiàn), not 里面盒子. Also note that 面 is often said in the neutral tone, lǐmian, in everyday speech.
里面 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.
里 lǐ · lining · 7 strokes
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面 miàn · face · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 里面.
Questions about 里面
What does 里面 mean?
里面 (lǐmiàn) means "inside; interior" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 里面?
里面 is made of 2 characters: 里 (7 strokes), 面 (9 strokes). That is 16 strokes in total.
Is 里面 an HSK word?
Yes. 里面 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 里面 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 里面 is written 裡面.
What is the difference between 里 and 里面?
Both can mean inside after a noun, as in 家里 (jiā li) or 家里面 (jiā lǐmiàn). 里 alone is shorter and very common in fixed phrases. 里面 can also stand alone, as in 里面很热 (lǐmiàn hěn rè), "it is hot inside", but 里 usually cannot.
What is the opposite of 里面?
The opposite is 外面 (wàimiàn), meaning outside. For example, 外面下雨了 (wàimiàn xià yǔ le) means "it is raining outside".