Chinese Conversation · Level 73
90 words
Chinese word
炸
Pronunciation
Pinyinzhá
Meaning
- verbfry
Example
我晚上想炸鸡翅。wǒ wǎn shàng xiǎng zhá jī chì
I want to fry chicken wings tonight.
More examples
路边小摊在热锅里炸鱼，顾客在排队。lù biān xiǎo tān zài rè guō lǐ zhá yú gù kè zài pái duì
The roadside stall is frying fish in a hot pan, and customers are lining up.
Core concept
A rapid, intense burst transforms its target, either giving food a crisp outer layer in hot oil or causing something to burst open.
Common phrases
炸鱼zhá yú
deep-fry fish
炸油条zhá yóu tiáo
deep-fry dough sticks
炸鸡腿zhá jī tuǐ
deep-fry chicken legs
Similar words
炒chǎo: Cook food quickly in a pan with a little oil while stirring it.
煎jiān: Cook food in a little oil on one or both sides until it is done.
煮zhǔ: Cook food in water or soup for a period of time until it is done.
烤kǎo: Cook food over direct heat or in an oven until the surface is browned.
Definition in Chinese
把食材放入热油中短时间加热，使外层变脆并熟透的烹饪动作或方法。bǎ shí cái fàng rù rè yóu zhōng duǎn shí jiān jiā rè shǐ wài céng biàn cuì bìng shú tòu de pēng rèn dòng zuò huò fāng fǎ
Word origin
炸 (zhà, "fry; bomb; explode") uses 火 (huǒ, "fire") to mark its heat-related sense and 乍 (zhà, "suddenly") to represent its pronunciation.
Usage tips
- On Chinese menus, a cooking label can come before the ingredient, so this short verb may describe how a dish is prepared rather than name the food itself.