米粉
mǐfěn
The English phrase "mei fun" refers to thin noodles made from rice flour in Chinese, specifically expressed as 米粉 (mǐfěn).
米粉 is used to describe thin noodles that are produced from rice flour.
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of 米 (mǐ), meaning 'rice' and 粉 (fěn), meaning 'powder' or 'flour'.
How do you pronounce it?
mǐfěn
Did you know?
- The word for 'powder' or 'flour' in 米粉 is also the root for the modern Chinese word for a celebrity fan, 粉丝, which is a phonetic loanword from the English 'fans'.
- In many parts of Southeast Asia, 米粉 is known as 'bee hoon', which is a transcription from the Hokkien dialect rather than Mandarin.
- While 米粉 translates to 'rice noodles', in some southern regions of China, the phrase is used as a shorthand for a complete breakfast dish served in a bowl of broth.
Examples in context
- 来一份米粉。I would like a portion of Mei Fun.
- 这里的米粉很好吃。Zhèlǐ de mǐfěn hěn hǎochī.The rice noodles here are delicious.
- 请给我一碗米粉。Qǐng gěi wǒ yī wǎn mǐfěn.Please give me a bowl of rice noodles.
Example conversation
A couple is deciding what to eat for lunch at a food stall.
- 俊杰 Junjie雨婷，你想吃什么？Yǔtíng, nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?Yuting, what do you want to eat?
- 雨婷 Yuting我想吃米粉。Wǒ xiǎng chī mǐfěn.I want to eat rice noodles.
- 俊杰 Junjie那我也点一份米粉。Nà wǒ yě diǎn yī fèn mǐfěn.Then I will also order a portion of rice noodles.
- 雨婷 Yuting太好了。Tài hǎole.That's great.
