HSK Guide

部首 40roof; a building, a dwelling

mián (second tone, rising)

roof; a building, a dwelling

部首 403 画2 汉字

Where the shape comes from

A house seen from the front: the dot is the ridge pole, the wide hook the roof and the two walls falling away on either side. It never stands alone — it sits on top of characters that name what happens indoors: 家, 字, 安, 客.