面向 meaning in English
to face; to turn towards; geared towards; catering for; -oriented; (Tw) aspect; facet
Meaning of 面向
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to face; to turn towards; geared towards; catering for; -oriented
- (Tw) aspect; facet
How to use 面向
面向 is used both for physical direction and, more often in formal writing, for who something is designed for. You will see it in phrases like 面向学生 (aimed at students) or 面向未来 (facing the future). Example: 这本书面向初学者。(Zhè běn shū miànxiàng chūxuézhě.) This book is geared towards beginners.
面 (miàn) is the face and 向 (xiàng) means toward, so 面向 is literally turning your face toward something. Picture a shop whose front face points at a certain group of customers.
Common mistake: Learners often use 面向 for a simple everyday "face" where 对着 (duìzhe) or 朝 (cháo) sounds more natural, as in 他朝窗户站着 (He stood facing the window). Also do not mix up 向 (xiàng) with 问 (wèn) or 同 (tóng), which look similar.
面向 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.
面 miàn · face · 9 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
- 9
向 xiàng · towards · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 面向.
| 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 |
| 方向 | fāngxiàng | direction; orientation |
| 方面 | fāngmiàn | respect; aspect |
| 对面 | duìmiàn | opposite; across (the street etc); directly in front of one; up ahead |
| 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 |
| 后面 | hòumiàn | the back; the rear; the last bit; behind; near the end; at the back |
Questions about 面向
What does 面向 mean?
面向 (miànxiàng) means "to face; to turn towards; geared towards; catering for; -oriented; (Tw) aspect; facet" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 面向?
面向 is made of 2 characters: 面 (9 strokes), 向 (6 strokes). That is 15 strokes in total.
Is 面向 an HSK word?
Yes. 面向 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 面向 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 面向 is written 面嚮.
What is the difference between 面向 and 面对?
面对 (miànduì) means to confront or deal with something, often a problem, as in 面对困难 (face difficulties). 面向 is about orientation or target audience, as in 面向市场 (market-oriented).
Why does 面向 mean aspect in Taiwan?
In Taiwan, 面向 is also used as a noun meaning a facet or dimension of an issue, similar to 方面 (fāngmiàn) in mainland usage. For example, 这个问题有很多面向 means this issue has many aspects.