Chinese word

炒

Pronunciation

Pinyinchǎo

Meaning

  • verbstir-fry

Example

妈妈教我怎么炒菜。mā mā jiào wǒ zěn me chǎo cài

Mom taught me how to stir-fry vegetables.

Illustration for 炒 (stir-fry)

More examples

我用油快炒青菜，这样颜色更鲜艳。wǒ yòng yóu kuài chǎo qīng cài zhè yàng yán sè gèng xiān yàn

I quickly stir-fry greens in oil, which makes their color brighter.

Core concept

Rapid turning over strong heat transforms food quickly, and the same brisk image extends to colloquial removal from a job.

Common phrases

  • 炒青菜chǎo qīng cài

    stir-fry greens

  • 炒肉chǎo ròu

    stir-fry meat

  • 炒虾chǎo xiā

    stir-fry shrimp

Similar words

煎jiān: Gently cooking food in a small amount of oil, usually on one or both sides, until done.
炸zhà: Frying food while it is fully covered by a large amount of hot oil, giving it a crisp outside.
煮zhǔ: Putting food into water, broth, or another liquid and heating it until cooked.
烤kǎo: Using a direct flame or an oven to heat food until its outside is browned and its inside is cooked.

Definition in Chinese

用油在锅里用火快速加热并不断翻动食材，使其熟并带有焦香；口语中有时引申为使人失去工作。yòng yóu zài guō lǐ yòng huǒ kuài sù jiā rè bìng bú duàn fān dòng shí cái shǐ qí shú bìng dài yǒu jiāo xiāng kóu yǔ zhōng yǒu shí yǐn shēn wèi shǐ rén shī qù gōng zuò

Word origin

炒 (chǎo, "stir-fry") combines 火 (huǒ, "fire") + 少 (shǎo, "few"): 火 supplies the cooking sense and 少 supplies the sound; the colloquial job sense comes from 炒鱿鱼 (chǎo yóuyú, "fry squid").

Usage tips

  • In daily conversation, the cooking use is the normal one, while the workplace use belongs to informal context and is not inferred from the verb alone.

Other meanings

  • fireverb

Opposites

Related words

  • 炒鱿鱼chǎo yóu yúfire someoneverb
  • 炒作chǎo zuòhype upverb
  • 炒锅chǎo guōwoknoun

Word lists with this word