面条(miàn tiáo) - noodles in Mandarin

面条 (miàntiáo) is "noodles", from 面 (miàn), "flour, wheat", and by extension "noodles", and 条 (tiáo), "strip", a measure word turned noun that describes the long, thin shape. Put together, 面条 (miàntiáo) is literally "flour strips".

It is the everyday staple across northern China, where wheat rather than rice historically dominated farming, and it turns up in countless regional dishes: 牛肉面 (niúròumiàn), "beef noodles", 炸酱面 (zhájiàngmiàn), "noodles with soybean paste", and simple 汤面 (tāngmiàn), "noodle soup".

The character 面 (miàn) on its own is a busy one: it also means "face" and "side, surface" depending on context, so 面条 (miàntiáo) keeping the second character 条 (tiáo) attached is what pins the meaning down to noodles specifically.