Cornish

Adjective

bian

1. little, small

Mandarin

Romanization

bian (Zhuyin ㄅㄧㄢ˙)

1. Pinyin transcription of 邊, 边

bian

1. Nonstandard spelling of biān.
2. Nonstandard spelling of biǎn.
3. Nonstandard spelling of biàn.

Usage notes

• English transcriptions of Mandarin speech often fail to distinguish between the critical tonal differences employed in the Mandarin language, using words such as this one without the appropriate indication of tone.

Norman

Alternative forms

• bein (Jersey)
• byin (continental Normandy)

Etymology

From Old French bien, from Latin bene.

Adverb

bian ‎(comparative mux)

1. (Guernsey) well

Derived terms

• mercie bian ‎(“thank you very much”)