opposite; across; the other side
HSK level
对面 is written with 14 strokes (对: 5, 面: 9). The animation replays automatically.
对面 (duìmiàn) is a locational noun meaning 'the opposite side,' 'across (from),' or 'directly in front / facing.'
It combines 对 ('facing / opposite') and 面 ('side / face'), and describes what lies right across a street, table, room, or from a person. It is neutral in register and extremely common when giving directions or locations: 银行在对面 ('the bank is across the street'), 我家对面 ('opposite my home').
Two differences from English: 对面 is a noun, so 'across the street' is 街对面 or 马路对面, with the reference point coming first, unlike English word order; and the phrase 面对面 (miànduìmiàn, 'face to face') reduplicates the idea for in-person interaction. When something is directly ahead of you it is 对面; when it is merely 'in front' it may instead be 前面 (qiánmiàn), which does not require facing.
Character by character
Memory hook: 对 (facing) + 面 (side) — the side that faces you: the opposite side.
超市就在马路对面。
Chāoshì jiù zài mǎlù duìmiàn.
The supermarket is right across the road.
spoken
他坐在我对面。
Tā zuò zài wǒ duìmiàn.
He's sitting opposite me.
neutral
对面那栋楼是医院。
Duìmiàn nà dòng lóu shì yīyuàn.
That building across the way is a hospital.
neutral
我们面对面谈一谈吧。
Wǒmen miànduìmiàn tán yi tán ba.
Let's talk face to face.
spoken
对过 is a colloquial, regional word for 'across the way / opposite,' common in northern speech. 对面 is the standard, universally understood term. Both mean the facing side.
Acquire it by listening
Fluentide turns real news into Chinese listening at your exact level, so words like 对面 show up again and again in natural sentences — with pinyin and translation every time. No flashcards. Free to start.
