<p>To understand the differences properly, you need to know what is 面 and what is 边. 面 is a <strong>face</strong> whereas 边 is an <strong>edge</strong>. An edge is like a line guiding you the <em>direction</em>. A face is what is facing you giving you a sense of <em>position</em>.</p>

<ul>
<li><p>前/后面 is used to describe the position of something within your visual range. Whereas, 前/后边 is more appropriately used to describe
something beyond visual range when giving directions.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>镜子前面 (in front of the mirror) vs 车站前边 (beyond that bus stop in front)</p>
</blockquote></li>
<li><p>外/里面 is used to describe location of an object in relation to another object. 外/里边 is used strictly
for giving directions.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>书包里面 (inside the school bag) vs 巷子里边 (in that alley)</p>
</blockquote></li>
<li><p>左/右面 is used mainly to point to the left or right face of an
object. 左/右边 is used to describe left or right side directions.</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>墙的左面 (on the left face of that wall) vs 车道左边 (left side of the
  roadway)</p>
</blockquote></li>
</ul>

<p>In summary, when you are giving directions, use 边; when you are describing positions, use 面.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-17T07:09:44.880Z
Partly disagree. For 前面/後面 vs. 前邊/後邊, both 《现代汉语词典》(5th ed.) and 《中華民國教育部重編國語辭典修訂本》 consider 前面/後面 respectively **equal** to 前邊/後邊; and I don't see much difference between them in daily use. For 外面/裡面 vs. 外邊/裡邊, setting aside the special meaning of 外邊, they are also considered the same by the two dictionaries. For 左面/右面, I agree with the case 墙的左面, but it's a special case that 左面 here means the "left face" but not "on the left side".
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-17T09:22:21.807Z
@Stan, based on my own experience, I have never heard anyone say 镜子前边. Neither have I heard of 书包里边. As such, I disagree that they are equal regardless of what is prescribed in 《现代汉语词典》. Although there are cases where the usage of 面 overlap with 边, we should learn to distinguish them for the sake of clarity.
杨以轩
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-17T09:47:18.850Z
The problem is, both 镜子前边 and 书包里边 sound valid to me, and I did have heard it (and even occasionally I would use it :p) user58955's comment in OP's post said `it's a regional thing... Northerns use 边 more and southerns 面`, I think it is quite possible (as I've stayed in northern China for several years), though I didn't see any statistical analysis for this issue.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-17T10:51:15.753Z
@Stan, in cases where there is overlap, I agree there could be some regional preference. But, I don't see how 镜子前边 is proper Chinese. You may like to provide your own answer if you are adamant about it :)
杨以轩
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-17T14:58:36.110Z
There seemed to be some misunderstanding ... I totally agreed with your explanations of the single characters 面 and 边. My point was 前面 is not exactly equal to 前+面, and 前边 is not exactly equal to 前+边 either. Hmm, in exact match via Google, "镜子前边" vs. "镜子前面" hit 49,900 vs. 585,000 here, not bad for the previous one. Well you would say many Chinese people use it in a wrong way, but I think the inference like `前+面 => 前面` doesn't have to be always correct either.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-17T03:39:47.313Z
2014-04-25T03:13:09.990Z
2014-04-25T03:13:09.990Z
杨以轩
<p>I'm Chinese and basically both are same to me. We don't really differentiate them :).</p>

<ul>
<li>外面 - normal to say in Mandarin</li>
<li>外边 - normal to say in Cantonese.</li>
</ul>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-17T09:42:40.713Z
2014-02-18T02:28:53.903Z
2014-02-18T02:28:53.903Z
tsohtan
<p>外面( <em>literally</em> out-<strong>surface</strong>)=外边=out-<strong>side</strong> </p>

<p>Speaking of etymology, 边 is a 1-D concept, while 面 is a 2-D concept. The sides of a rectangle is addressed as 长边（长）、短边（宽）, while 面 is its area.</p>

<p>Habitually, ~边 is more oral while ~面 is more literal. But as far as I know, people in southern regions do not really distinguish them.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-17T07:40:23.817Z
2014-02-17T07:40:23.817Z
Joseph S WU
<p>as a native speaker, i would almost always use 前面，後面，上面，下面，裡面，外面, but 左邊 and 右邊 for simple positioning. no why, they just sound right to my taiwanese ears and i guess you can use 邊 for all of them and it would sound more mainland-ish. even more general is 旁邊 (next to), which has no discernible direction. e.g. 我坐在他旁邊, 超市在加油站旁邊</p>

<p>as a side note, for 前後左右上下 ＋ 面/邊, there's no concept of inside or outside, so something like 火車前面 can mean both "at the front of the train (inside)" or "in front of the train (outside and about to be hit!)". in practice it never really causes too much confusion because you can tell from context. e.g. 駕駛座在火車前面 or 有東西擋在火車前面。</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-03-20T03:53:32.400Z
2014-03-20T03:53:32.400Z
user3399723
<p>Think of a polyhedron, where faces being 面，edges being 边. You will get the idea.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-07-31T21:12:18.457Z
Could you give some examples showing the different usage?
Daniel Walker
CC BY-SA 4.0
2018-10-28T12:52:07.330Z
2018-10-28T12:52:07.330Z
John Z. Li
<p>I'm having a little trouble with learning directions and positions. It seems that most often the word bian is being used to indicate a position: front side 前邊, back side 後邊, etc.</p>

<p>But then I see stuff that uses mian for position: 外面有人吗?</p>

<p>So I'm a little confused as to when I should use bian and when I should use mian. Can you help me come to an understanding of the two?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-17T00:09:06.377Z
前边/后边/外边 is slightly more formal than 前面/后面/外面.
user58955
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-17T01:45:26.253Z
@user58955 Disagree. I see 前面/后面 in formal documents more often. As some evidence, according to the search results on the [official website of the central government of PRC](http://www.gov.cn/), 前面 hits 23/181/329897 and 前边 hits 1(mismatched)/6/12639 respectively on posts of *Department of State Bulletins* / *laws* / *government websites*.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-17T01:58:15.213Z
to Kevin: I think it is not necessary to distinguish between `前面/後面/外面` and `前邊/後邊/外邊` -- just remember `左邊/右邊` is much more often used than `左面/右面`.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-17T02:41:10.543Z
Thanks Stan. If you answer the question I'll mark it as the accepted answer.
Kevin Thompson
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-17T09:04:28.533Z
@Stan point taken. On second thoughts, I think it's a regional thing... Northerns use 边 more and southerns 面. I made the mistake because I've almost never used 前边 in my life...

btw, PRC's official documents are bad examples -- they are often way too colloquial, sometimes intolerable to me. Should look up ROC's official documents...
user58955
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-17T09:34:52.297Z
@user58955: Done. The same conclusion :) By referring to [中華民國總統府網站](http://www.president.gov.tw/), `前面` hits 31/197 and `前邊` hits 0/1 respectively in the on-site search results of `總統府公報`/`總統府新聞稿`.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-18T11:50:58.913Z
Though `邊` and `面` can be used interchangeably in most cases, you NEVER use `左面/右面`. @Stan
neevek
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-18T13:01:08.177Z
@neevek Hmm, that's exactly what I thought before I googled it. After seeing so many native speakers use 左面 and 右面, I had just changed my statement to "just remember 左邊/右邊 is much more often used than 左面/右面".
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-18T16:27:45.580Z
@Stan, I think you meant *After seeing so many native speakers use 左邊 and 右邊*.
neevek
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-18T16:29:07.087Z
@neevek no, I mean 左面 and 右面.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-18T16:31:52.727Z
@Stan, well, I am a native speaker. I **never** use 左面 and 右面, but it is quite natural to say 前面 and 后面, and rarely say 前边 or 后边.
neevek
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-22T11:12:12.027Z
seems like this question is mixing traditional and simplified Chinese? 外 is simplified, 後邊 traditional?
Niklas Berglund
CC BY-SA 3.0
2014-02-22T20:12:57.383Z
Yes I realized later (in my confusion) that I was mixing traditional and simplified characters.
Kevin Thompson
<word-choice><mandarin><synonyms>
Confusion about bian 邊 and miàn 面
# Confusion about bian 邊 and miàn 面

(Asked by: username_0 on 2014-02-16)

I'm having a little trouble with learning directions and positions. It seems that most often the word bian is being used to indicate a position: front side 前邊, back side 後邊, etc.

But then I see stuff that uses mian for position: 外面有人吗?

So I'm a little confused as to when I should use bian and when I should use mian. Can you help me come to an understanding of the two?

**Tags:** word-choice, mandarin, synonyms

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: 前边/后边/外边 is slightly more formal than 前面/后面/外面.  
> **username_2**: @username_1 Disagree. I see 前面/后面 in formal documents more often. As some evidence, according to the search results on the [official website of the central government of PRC](http://www.gov.cn/), 前面 hits 23/181/329897 and 前边 hits 1(mismatched)/6/12639 respectively on posts of *Department of State Bulletins* / *laws* / *government websites*.  
> **username_2**: to username_0: I think it is not necessary to distinguish between `前面/後面/外面` and `前邊/後邊/外邊` -- just remember `左邊/右邊` is much more often used than `左面/右面`.  
> **username_0**: Thanks username_2. If you answer the question I'll mark it as the accepted answer.  
> **username_1**: @username_2 point taken. On second thoughts, I think it's a regional thing... Northerns use 边 more and southerns 面. I made the mistake because I've almost never used 前边 in my life...  btw, PRC's official documents are bad examples -- they are often way too colloquial, sometimes intolerable to me. Should look up ROC's official documents...  
> **username_2**: @username_1: Done. The same conclusion :) By referring to [中華民國總統府網站](http://www.president.gov.tw/), `前面` hits 31/197 and `前邊` hits 0/1 respectively in the on-site search results of `總統府公報`/`總統府新聞稿`.  
> **username_3**: Though `邊` and `面` can be used interchangeably in most cases, you NEVER use `左面/右面`. @username_2  
> **username_2**: @username_3 Hmm, that's exactly what I thought before I googled it. After seeing so many native speakers use 左面 and 右面, I had just changed my statement to "just remember 左邊/右邊 is much more often used than 左面/右面".  
> **username_3**: @username_2, I think you meant *After seeing so many native speakers use 左邊 and 右邊*.  
> **username_2**: @username_3 no, I mean 左面 and 右面.  
> **username_3**: @username_2, well, I am a native speaker. I **never** use 左面 and 右面, but it is quite natural to say 前面 and 后面, and rarely say 前边 or 后边.  
> **username_4**: seems like this question is mixing traditional and simplified Chinese? 外 is simplified, 後邊 traditional?  
> **username_0**: Yes I realized later (in my confusion) that I was mixing traditional and simplified characters.  

---

## 5 answers

### Answer by username_5 on 2014-02-17. Score: 18

To understand the differences properly, you need to know what is 面 and what is 边. 面 is a **face** whereas 边 is an **edge**. An edge is like a line guiding you the *direction*. A face is what is facing you giving you a sense of *position*.

* 前/后面 is used to describe the position of something within your visual range. Whereas, 前/后边 is more appropriately used to describe
  something beyond visual range when giving directions.

  > 镜子前面 (in front of the mirror) vs 车站前边 (beyond that bus stop in front)
* 外/里面 is used to describe location of an object in relation to another object. 外/里边 is used strictly
  for giving directions.

  > 书包里面 (inside the school bag) vs 巷子里边 (in that alley)
* 左/右面 is used mainly to point to the left or right face of an
  object. 左/右边 is used to describe left or right side directions.

  > 墙的左面 (on the left face of that wall) vs 车道左边 (left side of the
  > roadway)

In summary, when you are giving directions, use 边; when you are describing positions, use 面.

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: Partly disagree. For 前面/後面 vs. 前邊/後邊, both 《现代汉语词典》(5th ed.) and 《中華民國教育部重編國語辭典修訂本》 consider 前面/後面 respectively **equal** to 前邊/後邊; and I don't see much difference between them in daily use. For 外面/裡面 vs. 外邊/裡邊, setting aside the special meaning of 外邊, they are also considered the same by the two dictionaries. For 左面/右面, I agree with the case 墙的左面, but it's a special case that 左面 here means the "left face" but not "on the left side".  
> **username_5**: @username_2, based on my own experience, I have never heard anyone say 镜子前边. Neither have I heard of 书包里边. As such, I disagree that they are equal regardless of what is prescribed in 《现代汉语词典》. Although there are cases where the usage of 面 overlap with 边, we should learn to distinguish them for the sake of clarity.  
> **username_2**: The problem is, both 镜子前边 and 书包里边 sound valid to me, and I did have heard it (and even occasionally I would use it :p) username_1's comment in OP's post said `it's a regional thing... Northerns use 边 more and southerns 面`, I think it is quite possible (as I've stayed in northern China for several years), though I didn't see any statistical analysis for this issue.  
> **username_5**: @username_2, in cases where there is overlap, I agree there could be some regional preference. But, I don't see how 镜子前边 is proper Chinese. You may like to provide your own answer if you are adamant about it :)  
> **username_2**: There seemed to be some misunderstanding ... I totally agreed with your explanations of the single characters 面 and 边. My point was 前面 is not exactly equal to 前+面, and 前边 is not exactly equal to 前+边 either. Hmm, in exact match via Google, "镜子前边" vs. "镜子前面" hit 49,900 vs. 585,000 here, not bad for the previous one. Well you would say many Chinese people use it in a wrong way, but I think the inference like `前+面 => 前面` doesn't have to be always correct either.  

---

### Answer by username_6 on 2014-02-17. Score: 5

I'm Chinese and basically both are same to me. We don't really differentiate them :).

* 外面 - normal to say in Mandarin
* 外边 - normal to say in Cantonese.


---

### Answer by username_7 on 2014-02-17. Score: 4

外面( *literally* out-**surface**)=外边=out-**side**

Speaking of etymology, 边 is a 1-D concept, while 面 is a 2-D concept. The sides of a rectangle is addressed as 长边（长）、短边（宽）, while 面 is its area.

Habitually, ~边 is more oral while ~面 is more literal. But as far as I know, people in southern regions do not really distinguish them.


---

### Answer by username_8 on 2014-03-20. Score: 1

as a native speaker, i would almost always use 前面，後面，上面，下面，裡面，外面, but 左邊 and 右邊 for simple positioning. no why, they just sound right to my taiwanese ears and i guess you can use 邊 for all of them and it would sound more mainland-ish. even more general is 旁邊 (next to), which has no discernible direction. e.g. 我坐在他旁邊, 超市在加油站旁邊

as a side note, for 前後左右上下 ＋ 面/邊, there's no concept of inside or outside, so something like 火車前面 can mean both "at the front of the train (inside)" or "in front of the train (outside and about to be hit!)". in practice it never really causes too much confusion because you can tell from context. e.g. 駕駛座在火車前面 or 有東西擋在火車前面。


---

### Answer by username_9 on 2018-10-28. Score: 0

Think of a polyhedron, where faces being 面，edges being 边. You will get the idea.

> **Comments:**
> **username_10**: Could you give some examples showing the different usage?  

---

