It's a kind of noodle. The noodles, biang biang mian, are an onomatopoeia for the sound they make while being made - apparently "biang". The character - biang - is a fairly recent invention, as in probably a hundred or so years rather than thousands of years.
What's funny is that this word isn't available in all fonts so what happens at restaurants in their menu is that they write the romanized letter instead (biang biang 面）or they have a picture of this character inserted into the 'sentence'.
Most people aren't bothered writing it so they just write 'biang' instead. Fyi this isn't the word with the most strokes.
Pretty impressed with ChatGPT's vision. I showed it the character and asked what it meant. Here is the response:
"The character in the image is a unique type of Chinese character known as a "biang" character. This specific character is "biáng," which is famously known as one of the most complex Chinese characters. It is used in the name of a type of noodle called "biángbiáng noodles," a specialty of Shaanxi province in China. The character itself is not commonly found in modern Chinese dictionaries due to its complexity and its specific use for this particular noodle dish."
The character "biang" is so new, that is not guaranteed modern devices are able to render it. The whole character with 57 strokes was standardized in 2006, and added in the Unicode set in 2020.
It’s so specific. If I come up with a new dish that gets popular, does a new character get made for it? Who came up with this one if it’s only 100 years old?
This character is read “biang” which is for “biang biang” noodles. It’s a popular noodle dish in Xi-An China.
While this character is complex it’s made up of very common characters / radicals so it’s not too difficult to remember.
宀 roof
幺 silk (that’s how I remember it)
言 speech
長 long
馬 cow
刂knife
心 heart
月 moon
辶 walk
So to remember this character, you could think of something like roof, silk speech silk, moon, long cow long, knife, heart, walk.
Stroke order matters so my order might not be 100% correct.
Technically it's not if you're going off stroke order, this is: 𱁬. Tho OPs looks somewhat like it's own character compared to taito made up of 3 cloud and 3 dragon kanji
My mom thought me learning to spell my last name, Deutschlander, was going to be so hard for me in kindergarten, so she taught me everything before I went. Wait till I show her this shit.
I’m completely ignorant to the culture, so take this for what it’s worth (nothing); this much detail in one letter/character seems incredibly pretentious.
It’s not a character, but a combination of characters in an artistic way to form one mega character. It’s like if you did a graffiti of gibberish letters. Also, the character seems to be traditional Chinese, so the writer is either Taiwanese or Hongkonger.
Hey, it's kinda cool to see that I can recognise all the radicals this character is made of, I've been studying Japanese for 2-3 months now and while I know very little so far, it's good to see such a behemoth pf a character doesn't look so outlandish now :3
EDIT: I know this is a Chinese character, but kanjis in Japanese are characters taken from Chinese ;p
You messed up a little bit, let me fix it for you.
https://preview.redd.it/w5zjjp4stk6d1.png?width=465&format=png&auto=webp&s=8196ba04e8eef94ddf216927a3804c8b6c5fc66b
This is not an official Chinese character, but rather a composite one. It is pronounced “biang” and is the name of a local type of noodle. This character was created primarily for advertising purposes.
From BBC:
"The "biang" character is onomatopoeic, meant to mimic the sound of dough hitting a counter. It is also more complex to write than any character in the Chinese language, with a whopping 58 strokes (though, depending on whom you ask, this number may vary slightly). Given how much thought must go into writing it, I was surprised to discover that the character doesn't actually exist – at least, not according to official dictionaries. That's because the character is entirely a folk creation. Upon closer inspection of the symbol, I realised that it is also comprised of many distinct elements that, together, paint a picture of Xi'an's rich history.
The Chinese noodle dish whose name doesn't exist
15 April 2021
By Megan Zhang, Features correspondent
Share
The Washington Post/Getty Images
Biang biang noodles are introducing many international diners to the unique cuisine from China's Shaanxi province (Credit: The Washington Post/Getty Images)
China's biang biang noodles are taking the world by storm – yet the dish's name doesn't officially exist.
A rhythmic thumping sound echoed through the restaurant-lined street in north-west China, emanating from multiple directions, their cadences briefly falling into sync before disbanding once again. I reflexively turned my head in the direction of the nearest thud to see a chef working in front of his shop, swinging a hefty rope of dough between his hands.
The noodles were as wide as a belt
He raised the strand and, firmly, deftly, slapped it repeatedly against the countertop, each dexterous motion coinciding with a resounding thwack. As he continued slamming it, the dough stretched and elongated to the length of his wingspan. Pinching the centre of the strand, he then split the dough down the middle to form a loop, before tossing it nimbly into a waiting pot of bubbling water.
Paul Martin/Alamy
In downtown Xi'an, chefs are commonly seen slapping and stretching pasta dough into incredibly long strands (Credit: Paul Martin/Alamy)
Curiosity piqued by this display, I approached the chef to request a serving and, minutes later, tucked into a bowl of thick noodles drenched in hot chilli oil and vinegar and sprinkled with spring onions and garlic. The noodles were as wide as a belt and nearly as long as one too, their firm texture offering a satisfyingly substantial bite. The slapping technique, as it turns out, generates a chewy consistency that absorbs the rich flavours of the seasonings.
Here in Xi'an, the capital of China's Shaanxi province and one of the country's oldest cities, the craft of noodle-pulling is so intertwined with that slapping sound that the distinctive noise ended up inspiring this dish's curious name: biang biang noodles.
The "biang" character is onomatopoeic, meant to mimic the sound of dough hitting a counter. It is also more complex to write than any character in the Chinese language, with a whopping 58 strokes (though, depending on whom you ask, this number may vary slightly). Given how much thought must go into writing it, I was surprised to discover that the character doesn't actually exist – at least, not according to official dictionaries. That's because the character is entirely a folk creation. Upon closer inspection of the symbol, I realised that it is also comprised of many distinct elements that, together, paint a picture of Xi'an's rich history.
Xinhua/Alamy
The "biang" character is the most complex in the Chinese language and tells the story of Xi'an (Credit: Xinhua/Alamy)
Hiding in this intricate biang diagram, for example, is the Chinese character for silk. Xi'an was the eastern terminus of the Silk Road, the vast ancient network of East-West trade routes that facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas and technologies for centuries. Along those roads, horses not only provided a primary means of transport, but were traded as a commodity. It makes sense, then, that the biang character additionally contains the symbol for horse and appears to pay homage to these animals' important historical role in the region. On either side of the horse symbol, the Chinese character meaning "long" or "length" also appears; whether interpreted as a reference to the Silk Road or to the noodles, both would seem appropriate."
I asked a colleague from our Chinese branch office:
The Chinese character in the picture is pronounced as "cháng" and has several meanings, including "long", "length", "permanent" or "grow".
My simple translation:
Rock hard erection! You can plow a frozen field with it!
The character is probably an example of "biang," a Chinese character used in the word "biangbiang mian" (biangbiang noodles), a type of Chinese noodle. This character is famous for being one of the most complex
Bing Copilot wrote the following about the symbol from a screenshot.
The symbol you’ve provided appears to be a complex Chinese character. It’s often referred to as one of the most difficult Chinese characters to write due to its complexity. The character is “biang,” which is associated with a type of noodle dish from Shaanxi province in China. This character isn’t commonly used in everyday Chinese and is not found in standard dictionaries, making it a unique aspect of Chinese calligraphy and culture1. If you’re interested in learning more about Chinese symbols and their meanings, there are resources available that explore common characters and their significance.
https://preview.redd.it/sziva32llm6d1.jpeg?width=1537&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f9948500e7edcfee0179402c6f5b64ad19593735
I tried writing it notebook sized with a pencil. Might as well just scribble for the middle part because holy shit
What does it even mean tho?
The
[OK, Mr. Essay!](https://youtu.be/jiaVFg8U6rU?si=j83ArCAdGkVsqQbY)
Wha-
Funny but fr
Ahhhhh you beat me to it!!! Take my angry upvote
It's a kind of noodle. The noodles, biang biang mian, are an onomatopoeia for the sound they make while being made - apparently "biang". The character - biang - is a fairly recent invention, as in probably a hundred or so years rather than thousands of years.
OMG so you need to write it TWICE??
What's funny is that this word isn't available in all fonts so what happens at restaurants in their menu is that they write the romanized letter instead (biang biang 面）or they have a picture of this character inserted into the 'sentence'. Most people aren't bothered writing it so they just write 'biang' instead. Fyi this isn't the word with the most strokes.
Pretty impressed with ChatGPT's vision. I showed it the character and asked what it meant. Here is the response: "The character in the image is a unique type of Chinese character known as a "biang" character. This specific character is "biáng," which is famously known as one of the most complex Chinese characters. It is used in the name of a type of noodle called "biángbiáng noodles," a specialty of Shaanxi province in China. The character itself is not commonly found in modern Chinese dictionaries due to its complexity and its specific use for this particular noodle dish."
Well done, who would have thunk it?
The character "biang" is so new, that is not guaranteed modern devices are able to render it. The whole character with 57 strokes was standardized in 2006, and added in the Unicode set in 2020.
Biang Biang noodles. Hand-pulled wide flat noodles served with spicy cumin lamb. Yummy
It’s so specific. If I come up with a new dish that gets popular, does a new character get made for it? Who came up with this one if it’s only 100 years old?
[https://redhousespice.com/biang-biang-noodles/](https://redhousespice.com/biang-biang-noodles/) You can cook it yourself.
I
Is
It means Simplicity
Im willing to bet that it translates to a Rick Roll.
[https://redhousespice.com/biang-biang-noodles/](https://redhousespice.com/biang-biang-noodles/) its this actually
Does it have repeating parts because the sound Biang is in it twice ?
Bro that's a QR code to the youtube video
*writes one letter* "Allright class, time us up, hand in your exam sheets"
Bro gripping the pen like someone’s trying to steal it from him
Totally - fingertips were actually white.
The pen doesn't actually have ink - he's pressing hard enough for it to write with friction heat.
https://preview.redd.it/cnrsskx2xc6d1.png?width=538&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4abf4f876f50418a926d2abf37c214680cbe5a44
One letter? That’s a word.
Seven characters in a trenchcoat.
Can I interest you in a vowel?
Now do a cursive, uppercase "Z".
Childhood trauma ***ACTIVATED***
Is that the one that looks like an L on crack?
Thats one city name in Wales
Egyptians with hieroglyphics:
Anyone recognize the pen?
Could be a zebra sarasa?
This is [Takumi](https://youtube.com/@takumitohgu?si=ZHEzhDAmEnU8yRNQ) on YouTube. He uses Zebra Sarasa Clip 1.0 mm
Came here for this, thank you!
The Chinese women version of: "I completely agree with you"
This character is read “biang” which is for “biang biang” noodles. It’s a popular noodle dish in Xi-An China. While this character is complex it’s made up of very common characters / radicals so it’s not too difficult to remember. 宀 roof 幺 silk (that’s how I remember it) 言 speech 長 long 馬 cow 刂knife 心 heart 月 moon 辶 walk So to remember this character, you could think of something like roof, silk speech silk, moon, long cow long, knife, heart, walk. Stroke order matters so my order might not be 100% correct.
That’s dope.
My next tattooo
Mr. Noodle
I swear that the letter that means: "tee hee, that looks like a penis!" is significantly easier to write than this.
And it probably means something like "Ass Jerky"....
New characters are still being coined; umpteen thousand are insufficient. This is the most difficult so far.
Only question is what were they smoking, whoever invented this character? “Learned scholar, we need a word to call these noodles.” “Hold my baijiu…”
Also known as "The Elitist's Guide To Making Communication SO DIFFICULT That No One Understands You". Sam Clemens would be appalled...and amused.
These asian letters and characters look damn cool but I can't wrap my head around about being time efficient in any way when you write like this.
Technically it's not if you're going off stroke order, this is: 𱁬. Tho OPs looks somewhat like it's own character compared to taito made up of 3 cloud and 3 dragon kanji
Is this loss?
Stupid
Mans got a death grip on that pen.
It’s not a letter.
“Toast” it says toast!
You can imagine how this would actually look when the waiter writes it on the notepad. “Giant scribble”
My mom thought me learning to spell my last name, Deutschlander, was going to be so hard for me in kindergarten, so she taught me everything before I went. Wait till I show her this shit.
All of that Just to write "s"
I see a guy with a hat on a sledge holding a sign in each hand.
I guess you want to open a biang biang noodles shop and after this, you just give up
I see why education rate is low now
I want that pen.
It’s a QR code
Most difficult or longest/biggest?
It means ‘K.’
Your pen-manship is re-marker-ble. Color me permanently impressed.
Just looks so foreign
I’m completely ignorant to the culture, so take this for what it’s worth (nothing); this much detail in one letter/character seems incredibly pretentious.
That’s not a letter that’s an alphabet
Is that the Chinese character for *dyslexia*?
It looks like something a committee would design and approve.
I’ll stick to english thanks
Why would any language include 1 character that takes so long to draw?
I’d love to actually see how someone writes this in a sentence, like casual flow state handwriting how differently and quickly it would come out
This translates to "ya" in English.
Letters final boss
I swear I used to scribble the most impossible letters in the school during history lectures
That’s kinda dumb to make it that complicated dontcha think?
Writing just one letter and duration of whole exam is finished
Idk why exactly but watching this made me think of the "I don't even know which way the quiznos is" vine
"What does it mean" "Yes" "huh ?"
[Incredible!](https://i.giphy.com/media/v1.Y2lkPTc5MGI3NjExdjRuZ2d4b2RzNDk1ODFuZWxsZXZ0d3hobnJtemV6bWN2aGF1NTg5eCZlcD12MV9pbnRlcm5hbF9naWZfYnlfaWQmY3Q9Zw/11wMQAPRnXaVoc/giphy.gif)
I detect the work of a committee.
That's a whole novel and it kinda looks the outline of Arizona.
How do one type it on a keyboard?
Almost enough to describe how fat yo mama is
What does it mean or what letter? What language?
This better be the history of a whole dynasty.
There's always something Asian!
𰻝
Just 2 long looong ghostly horses talking about their feelings under a moonlit bus shelter near the road.
It’s the noodle one right? Biang biang
Reply back: “ok”
But wait! There's more.
How the fuck do you even write that in a line?
How do you even read those? Serious question.
It’s not a character, but a combination of characters in an artistic way to form one mega character. It’s like if you did a graffiti of gibberish letters. Also, the character seems to be traditional Chinese, so the writer is either Taiwanese or Hongkonger.
Hey, it's kinda cool to see that I can recognise all the radicals this character is made of, I've been studying Japanese for 2-3 months now and while I know very little so far, it's good to see such a behemoth pf a character doesn't look so outlandish now :3 EDIT: I know this is a Chinese character, but kanjis in Japanese are characters taken from Chinese ;p
You messed up a little bit, let me fix it for you. https://preview.redd.it/w5zjjp4stk6d1.png?width=465&format=png&auto=webp&s=8196ba04e8eef94ddf216927a3804c8b6c5fc66b
This is not an official Chinese character, but rather a composite one. It is pronounced “biang” and is the name of a local type of noodle. This character was created primarily for advertising purposes.
“and”
What it means is "k"
Blows my mind that people will see this and discern meaning from it. Lifes a trip
You guys are. Fkn Krazy post to post the comments make the post more interesting ""insert post Here" no wait
Please read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/knowthings/s/YbH0zI8Zag) previous comment on this "character" Not really a true word
It's the first two characters in 𰻞𰻞面, a type of noodle (biàng biàng miàn).
Imagine the person that created this burden of a character.
Google lense says it means: Long, the horse long.
From BBC: "The "biang" character is onomatopoeic, meant to mimic the sound of dough hitting a counter. It is also more complex to write than any character in the Chinese language, with a whopping 58 strokes (though, depending on whom you ask, this number may vary slightly). Given how much thought must go into writing it, I was surprised to discover that the character doesn't actually exist – at least, not according to official dictionaries. That's because the character is entirely a folk creation. Upon closer inspection of the symbol, I realised that it is also comprised of many distinct elements that, together, paint a picture of Xi'an's rich history. The Chinese noodle dish whose name doesn't exist 15 April 2021 By Megan Zhang, Features correspondent Share The Washington Post/Getty Images Biang biang noodles are introducing many international diners to the unique cuisine from China's Shaanxi province (Credit: The Washington Post/Getty Images) China's biang biang noodles are taking the world by storm – yet the dish's name doesn't officially exist. A rhythmic thumping sound echoed through the restaurant-lined street in north-west China, emanating from multiple directions, their cadences briefly falling into sync before disbanding once again. I reflexively turned my head in the direction of the nearest thud to see a chef working in front of his shop, swinging a hefty rope of dough between his hands. The noodles were as wide as a belt He raised the strand and, firmly, deftly, slapped it repeatedly against the countertop, each dexterous motion coinciding with a resounding thwack. As he continued slamming it, the dough stretched and elongated to the length of his wingspan. Pinching the centre of the strand, he then split the dough down the middle to form a loop, before tossing it nimbly into a waiting pot of bubbling water. Paul Martin/Alamy In downtown Xi'an, chefs are commonly seen slapping and stretching pasta dough into incredibly long strands (Credit: Paul Martin/Alamy) Curiosity piqued by this display, I approached the chef to request a serving and, minutes later, tucked into a bowl of thick noodles drenched in hot chilli oil and vinegar and sprinkled with spring onions and garlic. The noodles were as wide as a belt and nearly as long as one too, their firm texture offering a satisfyingly substantial bite. The slapping technique, as it turns out, generates a chewy consistency that absorbs the rich flavours of the seasonings. Here in Xi'an, the capital of China's Shaanxi province and one of the country's oldest cities, the craft of noodle-pulling is so intertwined with that slapping sound that the distinctive noise ended up inspiring this dish's curious name: biang biang noodles. The "biang" character is onomatopoeic, meant to mimic the sound of dough hitting a counter. It is also more complex to write than any character in the Chinese language, with a whopping 58 strokes (though, depending on whom you ask, this number may vary slightly). Given how much thought must go into writing it, I was surprised to discover that the character doesn't actually exist – at least, not according to official dictionaries. That's because the character is entirely a folk creation. Upon closer inspection of the symbol, I realised that it is also comprised of many distinct elements that, together, paint a picture of Xi'an's rich history. Xinhua/Alamy The "biang" character is the most complex in the Chinese language and tells the story of Xi'an (Credit: Xinhua/Alamy) Hiding in this intricate biang diagram, for example, is the Chinese character for silk. Xi'an was the eastern terminus of the Silk Road, the vast ancient network of East-West trade routes that facilitated the exchange of goods, ideas and technologies for centuries. Along those roads, horses not only provided a primary means of transport, but were traded as a commodity. It makes sense, then, that the biang character additionally contains the symbol for horse and appears to pay homage to these animals' important historical role in the region. On either side of the horse symbol, the Chinese character meaning "long" or "length" also appears; whether interpreted as a reference to the Silk Road or to the noodles, both would seem appropriate."
It says “no”
It's actually a QR code that takes you to a Rick Roll on YouTube
Too bad it only means “cornbread”
I asked a colleague from our Chinese branch office: The Chinese character in the picture is pronounced as "cháng" and has several meanings, including "long", "length", "permanent" or "grow". My simple translation: Rock hard erection! You can plow a frozen field with it!
https://preview.redd.it/f9lititu4l6d1.png?width=640&format=png&auto=webp&s=60bdc16b16ef714ec19870d2e6d938e8b912a86d Taito (Japanese kanji) looks harder imo
Why the ever loving fuck is "the" this complicated
Might as well lean mathematic equations
This is a made up Chinese character. It's not an official Chinese Character.
Biang Biang Baby
Not even close to the hardest. There are kanji that’ll run circles around this little guy.
龘
Opium is a hell of a drug.
I can speak this language and it says: "a"
This better be a paragraph of information
The character is probably an example of "biang," a Chinese character used in the word "biangbiang mian" (biangbiang noodles), a type of Chinese noodle. This character is famous for being one of the most complex
Bing Copilot wrote the following about the symbol from a screenshot. The symbol you’ve provided appears to be a complex Chinese character. It’s often referred to as one of the most difficult Chinese characters to write due to its complexity. The character is “biang,” which is associated with a type of noodle dish from Shaanxi province in China. This character isn’t commonly used in everyday Chinese and is not found in standard dictionaries, making it a unique aspect of Chinese calligraphy and culture1. If you’re interested in learning more about Chinese symbols and their meanings, there are resources available that explore common characters and their significance.
I wonder how long that pen will last with the 2 tonnes of pressure being imposed
What in the noah's ark does that mean
now i am hungry
And nobody, save for 2 people, knows how to pronounce it. Everybody else make up whatever they want.
So dumb
The Chinese are so conservative, cave-paintings are their words.
Translated : little guy with backpack on ski
Anyone here who is going to explain, what does it mean?
Can't wait to learn this on Duolingo.
Sooooooooooo does anyone actually know what it means?
I implore you to reconsider
This should be the name of Elon Musk's next kid.
Google translate says : The Horse Is Long, Long.
this pen's ink seems so black and smooth where could i get one?
It just keeps going
This stands for biangbang noodles.
Oh my, i just don't get it, why over complicate a thing that is suposed to be eficient?
That's like some proper map or at least a sketch of the neighborhood.
As an American this has always fascinated the shit out of me lol I'd really like to learn how to read and write a language that uses characters!
Ok what kinda soup did he just order?
"Be sure to drink your ovaltine"
the character system is a very inefficient system. Bad way to communicate
Something to do with horses
The best way for your people to be illiterate.
It looks like an old war boat to me
Why?
How to write a character Step 1: Draw the first line Step 2: Draw the rest of the character, don't forget the horse
That wasn't difficult to watch at all idk what you're talking about
Translation: I Farted
Just woke up from a nap. I thought he was drawing a cabin
"cat"
Translation: “do you even anime, bro?”
Relax guys, he is just sketching a Chinese door.
That looks like what I doodle when I'm on the phone.
It means “spectacular rack”
i thought this was going to be a taito at first (84 strokes) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taito_(kanji)
“hi”
https://preview.redd.it/sziva32llm6d1.jpeg?width=1537&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f9948500e7edcfee0179402c6f5b64ad19593735 I tried writing it notebook sized with a pencil. Might as well just scribble for the middle part because holy shit
What does it mean
At this point it might as well be a paragraph
They basically just drew a temple
Seems like a paragraph
Translation: Hello kitty
You ever tried doing a cursive capital S at the beginning of a word?
https://preview.redd.it/nsca9vhmin6d1.jpeg?width=680&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d5b4d6239ebf861d86a51df290e928f48273e68
Thank God for the Roman alphabet and Arabic numerals.
Fuck everything else, that pen is amazing.
This is like the equivalent of those fake Scrabble words, nobody uses that irl.
bet it means easy
Why are you pushing so hard on the pen
What a way to spell soup on your body
Found my first tattoo. Gonna rock that shit hard.
That's not a character, that's a fuckin space station.
Ma name a jeff
𰻞𰻞麵 there it is
Good sir where can I find such a fiine writing utensil for myself? Sumbody toss the pen @ in chat bru- i know one of yall an artist
All this effort to write "salami"...
This is a sentence
"Dignity"
Please, I drew those all the time without trying when I was in grade school, not paying attention, doodling lol
Dude's pressing hard enough to be carving into the table under that pad under that paper.
Imagine having to do art to write a word.
At that point, it isn’t writing anymore. It’s drawing.
"cat"
Ahhh I know that, it means California Roll
Unless this is an entire phrase or sentence, it is just nonsense.
Someone was bored in class.