米粉
bee hoon is the Chinese phrase written as 米粉.
Is it said differently in some regions?
bee hoon is the Hokkien or Teochew transliteration of 米粉 and is commonly used in Southeast Asian regions such as Singapore and Malaysia.
Did you know?
- While 米粉 refers to rice vermicelli, in modern Chinese internet slang, it is a phonetic pun for 'Xiaomi fans', the followers of the technology brand 'Xiaomi'.
- In traditional Chinese culture, long noodles like 米粉 are often served during birthdays to symbolize a long and healthy life.
- The word 粉 in 米粉 also means 'powder' or 'flour', meaning the phrase literally describes the noodle as 'rice powder'.
Examples in context
- 鱼片米粉fish slice bee hoon
- 炒米粉stir-fried bee hoon
- 我刚才吃了炒米粉。Wǒ gāngcái chīle chǎo mǐfěn.I just ate fried bee hoon.
- 这碗米粉很好吃。Zhè wǎn mǐfěn hěn hǎochī.This bowl of bee hoon is delicious.
- 你想吃米粉还是面条？Nǐ xiǎng chī mǐfěn háishì miàntiáo?Do you want to eat bee hoon or noodles?
Example conversation
A couple is deciding what to eat for lunch at a hawker center.
- 雨婷 Yuting伟，你想吃什么？Wěi, nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?Wei, what do you want to eat?
- 伟 Wei我想吃那里的米粉。Wǒ xiǎng chī nàlǐ de mǐfěn.I want to eat the bee hoon there.
- 雨婷 Yuting好啊，那我们去买吧。Hǎo a, nà wǒmen qù mǎi ba.Okay, let's go buy it then.
- 伟 Wei我也想点一份汤米粉。Wǒ yě xiǎng diǎn yī fèn tāng mǐfěn.I also want to order a soup bee hoon.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 米粉, CC BY-SA 4.0.
