Chinese word

零食

Pronunciation

Pinyinlíng shí

Meaning

  • nounsnack

Example

你喜欢什么零食？nǐ xǐ huān shén me líng shí

What snacks do you like?

Illustration for 零食 (snack)

More examples

下班后他有时会买零食回家。xià bān hòu tā yǒu shí huì mǎi líng shí huí jiā

After work, he sometimes buys snacks to take home.

Core concept

An informal bite of food that satisfies a passing appetite without becoming a full meal.

Common phrases

  • 吃零食chī líng shí

    eat snacks

  • 买零食mǎi líng shí

    buy snacks

  • 少吃零食shǎo chī líng shí

    eat fewer snacks

Similar words

小吃xiǎo chī: A small prepared dish or treat sold at a street stall or small shop for a light bite.
点心diǎn xīn: Small sweet or savory foods served with tea or alongside a meal, often steamed or baked.
糖果táng guǒ: Sweet confections made mainly from sugar or syrup, including candy and chocolate.

Definition in Chinese

指可以随手拿着吃、在日常生活中零散食用的食品，既包括传统的小点心也包括工业加工的休闲零食。zhǐ ké yǐ suí shǒu ná zhe chī zài rì cháng shēng huó zhōng líng sǎn shí yòng de shí pǐn jì bāo kuò chuán tǒng de xiáo diǎn xīn yě bāo kuò gōng yè jiā gōng de xiū xián líng shí

Word origin

In the compound 零食 (língshí, "snack food"), 零 (líng, "scattered or small") points to limited amounts and 食 (shí, "food") identifies what is eaten.

Usage tips

  • When counting a specific item, speakers commonly name its package or use the item's measure word instead of treating this category as one default countable object.

Other meanings

  • snack foodnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 零食店líng shí diànsnack shopnoun

Word lists with this word