Chinese Conversation · Level 20
90 words
Chinese word
午餐
Pronunciation
Pinyinwǔ cān
Meaning
- nounlunch
Example
他每天中午吃午餐。tā měi tiān zhōng wǔ chī wǔ cān
He has lunch at noon every day.
More examples
我们明天一起吃午餐吧。wǒ men míng tiān yì qǐ chī wǔ cān ba
Let's have lunch together tomorrow.
Core concept
A meal at noon, when the morning gives way to the afternoon.
Common phrases
吃午餐chī wǔ cān
have lunch
一起吃午餐yì qǐ chī wǔ cān
have lunch together
带午餐dài wǔ cān
bring lunch
Similar words
午饭wǔ fàn: An everyday lunch eaten at home or at work.
中饭zhōng fàn: A colloquial term for the meal eaten at noon.
Definition in Chinese
在中午吃的一顿饭。zài zhōng wǔ chī de yí dùn fàn
Word origin
午 (wǔ, "noon") + 餐 (cān, "meal") forms a compound for the meal eaten at noon.
Usage tips
- Chinese can count a meal with 顿 (dùn, "meal-counting measure word"), so one lunch is 一顿午餐 (yí dùn wǔcān, "one lunch") when the meal itself is being counted.