Chinese word

午饭

Pronunciation

Pinyinwǔ fàn

Meaning

  • nounlunch

Example

我们中午一起吃午饭吧。wǒ men zhōng wǔ yì qǐ chī wǔ fàn ba

Let's have lunch together at noon.

Illustration for 午饭 (lunch)

More examples

他每天中午都吃午饭。tā měi tiān zhōng wǔ dōu chī wǔ fàn

He has lunch every day at noon.

Core concept

The food-centered pause that restores energy between the morning and the afternoon.

Common phrases

  • 吃午饭chī wǔ fàn

    have lunch

  • 一起吃午饭yì qǐ chī wǔ fàn

    have lunch together

  • 午饭时间wǔ fàn shí jiān

    lunchtime

Similar words

饭fàn: Food prepared and eaten as a meal, considered as a whole.

Definition in Chinese

中午的一餐，通常在午间时间吃，包括主食和菜肴，用来补充体力以继续下午的活动。zhōng wǔ de yì cān tōng cháng zài wǔ jiān shí jiān chī bāo kuò zhǔ shí hé cài yáo yòng lái bǔ chōng tǐ lì yǐ jì xù xià wǔ de huó dòng

Word origin

午 (wǔ, "midday") + 饭 (fàn, "food or cooked rice") makes the word's meaning transparent by joining a time with a meal.

Usage tips

  • Because 午饭 (wǔfàn, "lunch") is a noun for a meal, a sentence about eating normally adds 吃 (chī, "eat") rather than using the meal word alone as a verb.

Opposites

Word lists with this word