Chinese word

熟食

Pronunciation

Pinyinshú shí

Meaning

  • nounprepared food

Example

我想买点熟食回家吃。wǒ xiǎng mái diǎn shú shí huí jiā chī

I want to buy some prepared food to eat at home.

Illustration for 熟食 (prepared food)

More examples

她常常在早市买熟食当早餐。tā cháng cháng zài zǎo shì mǎi shú shí dāng zǎo cān

She often buys prepared food at the morning market for breakfast.

Core concept

Food prepared past the raw stage and ready to become a meal, whether hot or cold.

Common phrases

  • 带熟食回家dài shú shí huí jiā

    take prepared food home

  • 超市买熟食chāo shì mǎi shú shí

    buy prepared food at the supermarket

  • 熟食摊shú shí tān

    prepared-food stall

Similar words

热菜rè cài: A cooked dish served hot as part of a meal.
凉菜liáng cài: A cold or room-temperature dish, such as an appetizer or salad.
盒饭hé fàn: A takeaway meal in a box or container with rice and dishes together.
速食sù shí: Food or a meal that can be prepared, served, and eaten quickly.

Definition in Chinese

指已烹调或加工完成、可直接食用的食品，通常在超市熟食区、熟食店或摊点出售，既包括热菜也包括冷菜。zhǐ yǐ pēng tiáo huò jiā gōng wán chéng kě zhí jiē shí yòng de shí pǐn tōng cháng zài chāo shì shú shí qū shú shí diàn huò tān diǎn chū shòu jì bāo kuò rè cài yě bāo kuò lěng cài

Word origin

熟食 (shúshí, "prepared food") pairs 熟 (shú, "cooked") with 食 (shí, "food") to focus on food after preparation rather than raw ingredients.

Usage tips

  • On a shop sign, 熟食区 (shúshí qū, "prepared-food section") can include chilled dishes as well as hot dishes, so the label describes readiness rather than serving temperature.

Other meanings

  • ready-to-eat foodnoun

Opposites

  • 生鲜shēng xiānfresh foodnoun

Related words

  • 熟食摊shú shí tānprepared-food stallnoun

Word lists with this word