Chinese word

上菜

Pronunciation

Pinyinshàng cài

Meaning

  • verbserve

Example

服务员正在给我们上菜。fú wù yuán zhèng zài gěi wǒ men shàng cài

The waiter is serving us food.

Illustration for 上菜 (serve)

More examples

宴会开始前，服务员先上菜。yàn huì kāi shǐ qián fú wù yuán xiān shàng cài

Before the banquet begins, the waiter serves the dishes first.

Core concept

Food crosses the boundary from preparation to presentation, arriving where diners can eat it.

Common phrases

  • 先上菜xiān shàng cài

    serve the dishes first

  • 上菜完毕shàng cài wán bì

    all the dishes have been served

Similar words

上桌shàng zhuō: Be placed on the dining table, marking a dish's arrival ready to eat.
送上sòng shàng: Bring something to a person and offer it for them to receive.
递上dì shàng: Hand something directly to a person by passing it from hand to hand.

Definition in Chinese

把做好的饭菜端到客人面前或摆上餐桌的行为。bǎ zuò hǎo de fàn cài duān dào kè rén miàn qián huò bǎi shàng cān zhuō de xíng wéi

Word origin

上 (shàng, "up/on") suggests placing something into position, while 菜 (cài, "dish/food") supplies the object being placed before the diners.

Usage tips

  • The word is useful for checking a meal's progress because it describes the delivery of dishes, not the cooking or taking of an order.

Other meanings

  • bring outverb
  • wait onverb

Word lists with this word