Chinese word

吃

Pronunciation

Pinyinchī

Meaning

  • verbeat

Example

我很想吃那个蛋糕。wǒ hěn xiǎng chī nà ge dàn gāo

I really want to eat that cake.

Illustration for 吃 (eat)

More examples

我们一起吃饭吧。wǒ men yì qǐ chī fàn ba

Let's eat together.

Core concept

A meal becomes part of the body through the mouth, whether it is a small bite or a full serving.

Common phrases

  • 吃饭chī fàn

    eat a meal

  • 吃早饭chī zǎo fàn

    eat breakfast

Similar words

吃饭chī fàn: Having a meal by eating food, usually at a regular mealtime.
喝hē: Taking a liquid into the mouth and swallowing it.
吃掉chī diào: Eating something until none of it remains.

Definition in Chinese

用口将食物或饮料放进嘴里并咀嚼或吞下，通常指日常进餐或食用。yòng kǒu jiāng shí wù huò yǐn liào fàng jìn zuí lǐ bìng jǔ jué huò tūn xià tōng cháng zhǐ rì cháng jìn cān huò shí yòng

Word origin

In 吃 (chī, "eat"), 口 (kǒu, "mouth") points to an action done with the mouth, and 乞 (qǐ, "beg") provides a sound cue rather than the meaning.

Usage tips

  • For English-speaking learners, this verb covers both taking a bite and having a meal, so meal size does not require a different basic verb in Chinese.

Related words

Word lists with this word