Chinese word

熟

Pronunciation

Pinyinshú

Meaning

  • adjectiveripe

Example

水果熟了。shuí guǒ shú le

The fruit is ripe.

Illustration for 熟 (ripe)

More examples

面条熟了吗？miàn tiáo shú le ma

Are the noodles cooked?

Core concept

Heat or time carries food to the point where it is ready to eat.

Common phrases

  • 苹果熟了píng guǒ shú le

    ripe

  • 肉熟了ròu shú le

    cooked

Similar words

成熟chéng shú: Having reached full growth or development with a stable result.

Definition in Chinese

表示经过加热或经过时间而使物体达到充分成熟或可食用的状态，侧重于内部变化已完成的判断。biǎo shì jīng guò jiā rè huò jīng guò shí jiān ér shǐ wù tǐ dá dào chōng fèn chéng shú huò kě shí yòng de zhuàng tài cè zhòng yú nèi bù biàn huà yǐ wán chéng de pàn duàn

Word origin

熟 (shú, "ripe") grew from the idea of food changed by heat, then extended to food changed by time until it reached its proper state.

Usage tips

  • English usually uses "ripe" for fruit but "cooked" or "done" for heated food, while this Chinese adjective covers both uses.

Other meanings

  • be doneverb
  • be cookedverb

Opposites

Word lists with this word