一面 (yìmiàn) is a more formal than 一边, but is used in the same way to express two simultaneous actions. It is used in the following way:
Structure
Examples
- 他 喜欢 一面 吃 东西 ， 一面 看 电影 。 He likes to eat and watch movies at the same time.
- 我 告诉 你 多少 次 了，别 一面 躺 在 床上 一面 吃 零食！弄得 床上 都 是 碎屑! I told you so many times, don't eat while laying on the bed. The "clean" bed now has crumbs all over it!
- 他们 一 家人 一面 赏月 一面 吃 月饼。 They enjoy the moon and eat mooncakes together as a family.
- 你 会 一面 拍头 一面 揉 肚子 吗？ Can you pat your head and rub your belly at the same time?
一面 cannot be shortened in the way while 一边 can:
- 我 面 工作 面 学习。
- 我 边 工作 边 学习。 I work and study at the same time.
一面 can also be used to express two aspects of a situation, which are not necessarily being enacted simultaneously. This is the same as the structure: "一方面...一方面..." or the English "on the one hand...one the other hand"
- 政府 一面 要 控制 通货膨胀， 一面 也 要 保证 一定 的 经济 增长 速度。 On one hand, the government is going to control inflation, but on the other hand, it's definitely going to protect economic growth.
See also
Sources and further reading
Books
- Chinese Grammar - Broken down into 100 items - Basic and Intermediate Levels (汉语语法百项讲练 - 初中级) (pp. 323-5)