Chinese word

单点

Pronunciation

Pinyindān diǎn

Meaning

  • verborder a la carte

Example

我们今天就单点吧，不要套餐。wǒ men jīn tiān jiù dān diǎn ba bú yào tào cān

Let's just order a la carte today, not a set meal.

Illustration for 单点 (order a la carte)

More examples

请问这道菜可以单点吗？qǐng wèn zhè dào cài ké yǐ dān diǎn ma

Can this dish be ordered a la carte?

Core concept

Leaving a fixed meal bundle and selecting individual dishes from the menu.

Common phrases

  • 单点菜dān diǎn cài

    order dishes a la carte

  • 单点主食dān diǎn zhǔ shí

    order staple foods a la carte

Similar words

点菜diǎn cài: Choose dishes from a menu and order them at a restaurant.
点餐diǎn cān: Order food or a meal at a restaurant.
点单diǎn dān: Select specific items on a menu or order form and place an order.

Definition in Chinese

在餐馆里不点套餐而单独点菜或单点菜品的行为；作动词时表示以单品方式点餐。zài cān guǎn lǐ bù diǎn tào cān ér dān dú diǎn cài huò dān diǎn cài pǐn de xíng wéi zuò dòng cí shí biǎo shì yǐ dān pǐn fāng shì diǎn cān

Word origin

单 (dān, "single") contributes the idea of separate choice, and 点 (diǎn, "order") contributes the restaurant action, so the compound means ordering dishes separately.

Usage tips

  • In everyday restaurant talk, the word presents the ordering format as a choice, which makes it useful when a group is deciding between a set meal and separate selections.

Other meanings

  • a la cartenoun
  • individual itemnoun

Related words

  • 单点菜单dān diǎn cài dāna la carte menunoun

Word lists with this word