Chinese word

粥

Pronunciation

Pinyinzhōu

Meaning

  • nounporridge

Example

她生病了，只能吃清淡的粥。tā shēng bìng le zhǐ néng chī qīng dàn de zhōu

She is ill and can only eat bland porridge.

Illustration for 粥 (porridge)

More examples

早餐他只吃了一碗温热的粥。zǎo cān tā zhǐ chī le yì wǎn wēn rè de zhōu

At breakfast, he ate only a bowl of warm porridge.

Core concept

Rice transformed by long cooking into a loose, spoonable food with plenty of liquid.

Common phrases

  • 吃粥chī zhōu

    eat porridge

  • 喝粥hē zhōu

    drink porridge

  • 一碗粥yì wǎn zhōu

    a bowl of porridge

Similar words

稀饭xī fàn: A runny rice porridge with soft grains, made by boiling rice in a large amount of water.
汤tāng: A mainly liquid dish made by cooking ingredients in water or stock and served as soup.
饭fàn: Rice cooked for a meal and eaten as a staple food, including one serving of rice.

Definition in Chinese

把米用大量水煮成稀薄、米粒软烂且含较多汤汁的食物，便于消化，常见于早餐或病后食谱。bǎ mǐ yòng dà liàng shuǐ zhǔ chéng xī bó mǐ lì ruǎn làn qiě hán jiào duō tāng zhī de shí wù biàn yú xiāo huà cháng jiàn yú zǎo cān huò bìng hòu shí pǔ

Word origin

粥 (zhōu, "porridge") is an old Chinese word for grains cooked in water, and its written form includes 米 (mǐ, "rice") as a useful meaning clue.

Usage tips

  • 粥 (zhōu, "rice porridge") can be savory or sweet in Chinese meals, so the ingredients or menu description often show which kind is being served.

Related words

  • 八宝粥bā bǎo zhōueight-treasure porridgenoun
  • 皮蛋瘦肉粥pí dàn shòu ròu zhōupreserved egg and lean pork porridgenoun
  • 粥店zhōu diànporridge shopnoun

Word lists with this word