面壁

Chinese

		face; side; surface face; side; surface; aspect; top	wall; rampart
simp. and trad. (面壁)		面	壁
Literally: “to face the wall”.

Etymology

Bodhidharma, the Buddhist monk credited with transmitting Chan (Zen) Buddhism to China, was said to have practised wall-gazing for nine years near the Shaolin Monastery.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): miànbì

(Zhuyin): ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄅㄧˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): min⁶ bik¹

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: miànbì
  - Zhuyin: ㄇㄧㄢˋ ㄅㄧˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: miànbì
  - Wade–Giles: mien⁴-pi⁴
  - Yale: myàn-bì
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: miannbih
  - Palladius: мяньби (mjanʹbi)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /mi̯ɛn⁵¹⁻⁵³ pi⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: min⁶ bik¹
  - Yale: mihn bīk
  - Cantonese Pinyin: min⁶ bik⁷
  - Guangdong Romanization: min⁶ big¹
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /miːn²² pɪk̚⁵/

Middle Chinese: mjienH pek

Rime
Character	面	壁
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)	幫 (1)
Final (韻)	仙 (77)	錫 (127)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Checked (Ø)
Openness (開合)	Open	Open
Division (等)	III	IV
Fanqie	彌箭切	北激切
Baxter	mjienH	pek
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/miᴇn^H/	/pek̚/
Pan Wuyun	/miɛn^H/	/pek̚/
Shao Rongfen	/mjæn^H/	/pɛk̚/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/mian^H/	/pɛjk̚/
Li Rong	/miɛn^H/	/pek̚/
Wang Li	/mĭɛn^H/	/piek̚/
Bernhard Karlgren	/mi̯ɛn^H/	/piek̚/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	miàn	bi
Expected Cantonese Reflex	min⁶	bik¹

Verb

面壁

(Buddhism) to sit facing the wall in meditation
(figurative, especially Buddhism) to study or work with undivided attention
(in general) to face the wall (especially as a punishment); to stand facing the wall (to self-reflect)

Derived terms