Chinese word

菠菜

Pronunciation

Pinyinbō cài

Meaning

  • nounspinach

Example

这道汤里有菠菜吗？zhè dào tāng lǐ yǒu bō cài ma

Is there spinach in this soup?

Illustration for 菠菜 (spinach)

More examples

我今天买了菠菜，打算炒着吃。wǒ jīn tiān mǎi le bō cài dǎ suàn chǎo zhe chī

I bought spinach today and plan to stir-fry and eat it.

Core concept

A dark-green leafy vegetable whose tender leaves become soft after brief cooking.

Common phrases

  • 买菠菜mǎi bō cài

    buy spinach

  • 吃菠菜chī bō cài

    eat spinach

  • 炒菠菜chǎo bō cài

    stir-fry spinach

Similar words

青菜qīng cài: Green leafy vegetables commonly eaten as part of everyday meals.
小白菜xiǎo bái cài: Small leafy vegetables with tender leaves and stems, often cooked in hot pots or stir-fries.
生菜shēng cài: Tender lettuce-like leafy vegetables usually eaten fresh.

Definition in Chinese

一种可食用的叶菜，叶片呈深绿色，常用于汤、炒菜或凉拌，食用前常焯水或短时间翻炒。yì zhǒng kě shí yòng de yè cài yè piàn chéng shēn lǜ sè cháng yòng yú tāng chǎo cài huò liáng bàn shí yòng qián cháng chāo shuǐ huò duǎn shí jiān fān chǎo

Word origin

菠菜 (bōcài, "spinach") entered Chinese as a borrowed plant name, while 菜 (cài, "vegetable") identifies it as an edible plant.

Usage tips

  • Unlike English, which usually treats spinach as an uncountable food noun, Chinese commonly uses 一把菠菜 (yì bǎ bōcài, "a bunch of spinach") for a quantity bought or prepared.

Related words

  • 菠菜汤bō cài tāngspinach soupnoun
  • 菠菜叶bō cài yèspinach leafnoun

Word lists with this word