Chinese word

凉菜

Pronunciation

Pinyinliáng cài

Meaning

  • nouncold dish

Example

今晚宴会上有很多凉菜。jīn wǎn yàn huì shàng yǒu hěn duō liáng cài

There are many cold dishes at tonight's banquet.

Illustration for 凉菜 (cold dish)

More examples

夏天我常吃凉菜，觉得很清爽。xià tiān wǒ cháng chī liáng cài jué de hěn qīng shuǎng

In summer, I often eat cold dishes and find them refreshing.

Core concept

A savory dish served cool or cold, often placed on the table before the hot courses and shared as a starter or side.

Common phrases

  • 吃凉菜chī liáng cài

    eat cold dishes

  • 喜欢凉菜xǐ huān liáng cài

    like cold dishes

  • 凉菜拼盘liáng cài pīn pán

    cold dish platter

Similar words

冷菜lěng cài: A category of appetizers and small snacks served cold.
冷盘lěng pán: An assortment of cold dishes or snacks served together on one platter.
凉拌菜liáng bàn cài: A chilled dish of vegetables or other ingredients mixed together before serving.

Definition in Chinese

指以冷食或冷盘形式出现的菜品，包括凉拌蔬菜、冷切肉片等，常作为开胃的前菜或配菜。zhǐ yǐ lěng shí huò lěng pán xíng shì chū xiàn de cài pǐn bāo kuò liáng bàn shū cài lěng qiē ròu piàn děng cháng zuò wéi kāi wèi de qián cài huò pèi cài

Word origin

凉菜 (liángcài, "cold dish") combines 凉 (liáng, "cool or cold") with 菜 (cài, "dish or prepared food"), forming a name for dishes served without heat.

Usage tips

  • At a shared Chinese meal, 凉菜 (liángcài, "cold dish") may arrive before the main courses as part of the table's opening spread, so it often refers to a category of food rather than one fixed recipe.

Other meanings

  • appetizernoun

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word