Perhaps people fleeing the fighting found it difficult to lug sacks of rice with them, so instead they ground the rice to a pulp and flattened it into strips, which were then boiled and dried, resulting in an easily transportable food that could be stored for long periods.
傳說中國長江流域一帶自五胡亂華時代即有米粉，可能起因於當時戰亂逃亡的人家不方便攜帶細碎的白米，就將米碾磨成漿，再壓製成線條狀，煮熟、風乾後，就成為既輕便又可長久貯存的食品。