Radical 一

9 strokes

麵

thumb tack (40a) + enclosed 囗 (24a) + eye 目 (93) = face 面

This character has two completely separate meanings: “face” or “surface”; and “flour” or “noodles”. the traditional form only applies to the second meaning.

To write the character, notice that the “eye” touches the box of “enclosed” and so the stroke-order changes accordingly.

见面 (214) jiànmiàn to meet 方面 (291) fāngmiàn side, aspect

[外面 (71) wàimiàn the outside]

[前面 (90) qiánmiàn the front]

[对面 (154) duìmiàn the opposite side]

[地面 (54) dìmiàn the earth’s surface]

(The children had been throwing flour at each other and some went in the girl’s eye) they used a thumb tack to secure the bandages enclosing the eye, which made her face look very odd! / The two dwarves grumbled to each other, “These children are a right menace,” as they cleaned up the mess.