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to advise, to strongly advise, to entrust  (this is almost an order or a requirement -- depends on the context -- usually use zhu3fu4 Öö ¸À £¬ zhu3tuo1 Öö ÍÐ )

Öö

zhu3

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

high proof alcohol  (usually from sorghum)

¶þ ¹ø Í·

er4guo1tou2

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengJin YanCao LihuaLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
TerryGlison

hors d'oeuvres  (Chinese meals traditionally begin with a series of cold plates - usually four - including a cold meat and pickles - sometimes eggs)

Àä Æ´

leng3 pin1

Li Yu ZhengLi ZhenLi LongfeiMi ZhaoxiWei Xing
DaveSarah

to bake, to roast, to toast, to warm 

¿¾

kao3

Lin QingFeng XieZhang MengZhang JingZheng Lei
KarenFredAllen

ball of food, ball  (usually meat)

Íè ×Ó

wan2zi

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengLiu WeihongCao LihuaLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
TerryGlison

winter bamboo shoots 

¶¬ Ëñ

dong1sun3

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

as beautiful as brocade  (in cooking -- made colorful with vegetables)

½õ Ðå

jin3xiu4

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

beverage category 

Òû ÁÏ Àà

yin3liao4 lei4

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengJin YanCao LihuaLiu Xuechun
DawnStephanLynnKenAshley

to boil  (see fei4teng2 for the commonly used term)

·Ð

fei4

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

to boil in water 

Ë® Öó

shui3zhu3

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

braise in soy sauce 

ºì ÉÕ

hong2shao1

Li Yu ZhengLi ZhenHuang XuHuang Jiali
DaveSarahMichaelCrystal

burnt, scorched 

½¹

jiao1

Liu Yu RongZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

hearts of cabbage, hearts of lettuce 

²Ë ÐÄ

cai4xin1

Shao DanniZhang JingZhang MengGu
CricketAprilMichael

pickled Chinese cabbage 

Ëá ²Ë

suan1cai4

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
CricketAprilMichael

can  (literally - to prick, thus the can)

Ôú

zha1

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengJin YanCao LihuaLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
DawnStephanLynnKenAshley

carp 

Àð Óã

li3yu2

Da DiZhang MengJin YanDa Di
CricketAprilMichael

breast meat of chicken or fowl  (crunchy breaded chicken breast, fried)

¸¬ ×Ó

pu2zi

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

chicken legs 

¼¦ ÍÈ

ji1tui3

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

chicken breast  (meat)

¼¦ ÐØ ¸¬

ji1xiong1pu2

Zhang MengFeng XieHuang JialiGuBai Jing
AnselKarenStephan

to chop, to cut 

Õ¶

zhan3

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

chrysanthemum 

¾Õ »¨

ju2hua1

Da DiZhang MengJin YanDa Di
CricketAprilMichael

served cold and dressed with a sauce 

Á¹ °è

liang2ban4

Zhang MengZhang NingLi LongfeiMi Zhaoxi
DavidChelsea

to cook again 

»Ø ¹ø

hui2guo1

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

corn 

Óñ Ã×

yu4mi3

Li Yu ZhengZhang LiCao HuiHou YingZhang Meng
TimSarahAbbie

King or horseshoe crab 

ö× Óã

hou4yu2

Li Yu ZhengLi ZhenHuang XuZheng Jie
DaveSarahMichaelCrystal

crab 

з

xie4

Li Yu ZhengLi ZhenHuang XuHuang Jiali
DaveSarahMichaelCrystal

bitter melon  (a type of bitter cucumber, light green, very good, interesting taste)

¿à ¹Ï

ku3gua1

Zhang MengWang JunZhang XiaoweiZhang LiLiu JinzheZhu Mengxi
LynnMikeTerry

royal deep-fried dish 

¹¬ Õ¨

gong1zha2

Shao DanniZhang JingZhang MengGu
CricketAprilMichael

dessert 

Ìð µã

tian2dian3

Zhang MengLiu Yu RongHuang XuHuang JialiMa Xiaoyuan
LynnMalStephan

long strips 

ÅÌ Áú

pan2long2

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengJin YanCao LihuaLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
TerryGlison

vegetarian dishes 

ËØ ²Ë

su4cai4

Li Yu ZhengLi ZhenHuang XuHuang Jiali
DaveSarahMichaelCrystal

beverage, drink  (but if you want to know if someone wants something to drink say "Ni3 yao4 he2 ma?")

Òû ÁÏ

yin3liao4

Zhang MengLiu Yu RongHuang XuHuang JialiMa XiaoyuanLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
LynnMalStephan

duck meat 

Ѽ Èâ

ya1rou4

Li Yu ZhengLi ZhenHuang XuHuang Jiali
DaveSarahMichael

eel 

÷­ Óã

shan4yu2

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengJin YanCao LihuaLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
TerryGlison

white eel  (the dark skin is peeled off the eel to reveal the white meat)

°× ÷­

bai2shan4

Da DiZhang MengJin YanDa Di
CricketAprilMichael

egg roll 

µ° ¾í

dan4juan3

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

smoked fish 

Ѭ Óã

xun1yu2

Li Yu ZhengLi ZhenHuang XuHuang Jiali
DaveSarahMichaelCrystal

fresh, new, bright colored, bright, delicious, tasty; seafood, delicacy 

ÏÊ

xian1

Da DiZhang MengSun JingsuDa Di
CricketAprilMichael

to deep fry 

Õ¨

zha2

Da DiZhang MengJin YanDa Di
CricketAprilMichael

to tender fry  (not overdone, just enough, light frying)

Èí Õ¨

ruan3zha2

Da DiZhang MengJin YanDa Di
CricketAprilMichael

to fry in shallow oil, to simmer in water 

¼å

jian1

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

to stir fry, to fry, to saute 

³´

chao3

Zhao HeZhang LiZhang MengZhang JingZheng Lei
SethKateKaren LeeBrian

to deep fry until juice is gone 

¸É Õ¨

gan1zha2

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

to quick fry, to quick boil, to crack, to explode, to burst, to blow up, to scorch 

±¬

bao4

Zhang NingLi Yu ZhengZhang MengZheng Jie
JoshKarenFrank

to quick fry, to saute, to dry by heat 

ÅÚ

bao1

Zhang MengFeng XieHuang JialiGuBai Jing
JoshKarenFrank

glossy ganoderma 

Áé Ö¥

ling2zhi1

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengJin YanCao LihuaLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
DawnStephanLynnKenAshley

ham  (with guan4tou -- canned ham -- note the position of the noun used as a measure word! Same with meat...fruit, vegetables, anything... Ò» ¸ö ¡£ ¡£ ¡£ ¹Þ Í· = yi2 ge4...guan4tou)

»ð ÍÈ

huo3tui3

Feng XieChu LinShao JingxianCao HuiShu Chang
FredKateSarahJeremy

edible wild herbs 

Ò° ²Ë

ye3cai4

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

cotton rose, hibiscus, lotus; to cook a dish using rose, or lotus, to cook a dish using egg-white as the second main ingredient 

ܽ ÈØ

fu2rong2

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
CricketApril

cold dish category 

Á¹ ²Ë Àà

liang2cai4 lei4

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengLiu WeihongCao LihuaLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
TerryGlison

hot taste, pungency 

À± ζ

la4wei4

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
CricketAprilMichael

hot and sour 

Ëá À±

suan1la4

Shao DanniZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

husband and wife 

·ò ÆÞ

fu1qi1

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

to drive (carriage), to resist, to control; imperial 

Óù

yu4

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengJin YanCao LihuaLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
TerryGlison

jam  (as in jelly)

¹û ½´

guo3jiang4

Zhang NingLi Yu ZhengHuang XuLi LongfeiWang Jin
KarenMichaelAprilRory

jellyfish 

º£ òØ

hai3zhe2

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

laver 

×Ï ²Ë

zi3cai4

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengLiu WeihongCao LihuaLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
TerryGlison

mellow liquor  (high proof)

´¼

chun2

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengJin YanCao LihuaLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
TerryGlison

lung of ox  (shape like leaves)

°Ù Ò¶

bai3ye4

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengJin YanCao LihuaLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
TerryGlison

to mix 

°è

ban4

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

black mushrooms  (tree ears -- fungus grown on logs)

Ïã ¹½

xiang1gu1

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

mustard  (powder, the spice)

½æ Ä©

jie4mo

Shao DanniLi Yu ZhengCao HuiSong JiaZheng Lei
SethJulieAustin

name of the dish 

²Ë Ãû

cai4ming2

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengJin YanCao LihuaLiu Xuechun
TerryGlison

thin noodles  (made from bean, rice, or sweet potato starch)

·Û

fen3

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

octopus  (large bulbous head with legs radiating -- must be precooked to be tender, more meaty flavor than squid - apt to be chewy)

ÕÂ Óã

zhang1yu2

Li Yu ZhengLi ZhenHuang XuHuang Jiali
DaveSarahMichaelCrystal

pot, pan, wok, boiler 

¹ø

guo1

Wang WenjingFeng XieWT ZhengGuHuang JialiBai Jing
TerryJulieStephan

red pepper  (see la4jiao1 for the common term)

ºì ½·

hong2jiao1

Da DiZhang MengJin YanDa Di
CricketAprilMichael

cayenne pepper, chili  (oral - see la4jiao1)

À± ×Ó

la4zi

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

thick pepper sauce, Worcestershire type sauce 

À± ½´ ÓÍ

la4jiang4you2

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
Terry

pine nut  (pine cone or pinion nut kernel)

ËÉ ÈÊ

song1ren2

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengLiu WeihongCao LihuaLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
TerryGlison

iron plate  (heated in the kitchen, brought to your table, hot oil poured on, meat added, lid put on -- then you eat after it cooks!)

Ìú °å

tie3ban3

Shao DanniZhang JingZhang MengGu
CricketAprilMichael

spareribs  (usually pork)

ÅÅ ¹Ç

pai2gu3

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

reservation; predetermined  (on a menu - this would mean that the type or sort is set by the cook and cannot be specified)

Ô¤ ¶¨

yu4ding4

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengJin YanCao LihuaLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
TerryGlison

unit price 

µ¥ ¼Û

dan1jia4

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengJin YanCao LihuaLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
TerryGlison

remarks, annotations  (heading at the top of the menu -- also general use)

±¸ ×¢

bei4zhu4

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengJin YanCao LihuaLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
TerryGlison

rice crust  (in pot)

¹ø °Í

guo1ba1

Da DiZhang MengSun JingsuDa Di
CricketAprilMichael

royal -- expensive item for the wife of a prince or a royal concubine 

¹ó åú

gui4fei1

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
CricketAprilMichael

spiced salt 

½· ÑÎ

jiao1yan2

Da DiZhang MengJin YanDa Di
CricketAprilMichael

brine, salt solution 

ÑÎ Ë®

yan2shui3

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

sauce; to cook in soy sauce  (like catsup -- also used as nickname for soy sauce)

½´

jiang4

Zhao HeZhang LiZhang MengZhang JingZheng Lei
KarenFredAllen

seafood types  (appears at the top of the section for seafood)

º£ ÏÊ Óã Àà

hai3xian1yu2 lei4

Da DiZhang MengJin YanDa Di
CricketAprilMichael

wing, shark's fin 

³á

chi4

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
CricketAprilMichael

fresh shellfish 

ÏÊ ±´

xian1bei4

Da DiZhang MengSun JingsuDa Di
CricketAprilMichael

shellfish 

±´

bei4

Da DiZhang MengSun JingsuDa Di
CricketAprilMichael

to show, to reveal, to betray; dew, syrup 

¶

lu4

Liu Yu RongZhang MengZheng LeiHuaCheng Miao
SethKateKaren LeeBrian

shredded  (refers to shredding food and then cooking it)

ÈØ

rong2

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

shrimp 

Ϻ

xia1

Li Yu ZhengLi ZhenHuang XuHuang Jiali
DaveSarahMichaelCrystal

smooth, slippery  (oral)

»¬ Áï

hua2liu1

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

to slide, to glide, to sneak off; smooth  (in cooking, means to stir-fry after deep-frying to make it tender and smooth)

Áï

liu1

Shao DanniZhang JingZhang MengGu
CricketAprilMichael

to soak, to steep, to immerse 

½þ

jin4

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
CricketAprilMichael

to soak in oil 

ÓÍ ½þ

you2jin4

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
CricketAprilMichael

soup category 

ÌÀ Àà

tang1 lei4

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengLiu WeihongCao LihuaLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
TerryGlison

chowder, thick soup 

¸þ

geng1

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengLiu WeihongCao LihuaLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
TerryGlison

five spices  (prickly ash, star aniseed, cinnamon, clove, fennel)

Îå Ïã

wu3xiang1

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

to sprinkle with vinegar 

´× ½½

cu4jiao1

Da DiZhang MengJin YanDa Di
CricketAprilMichael

manner of cooking fish, squirrel  (cut the fish into small squares (this is the difficult part) and put it into oil to cook, looks like squirrel at the end, so that's why it's called this)

ËÉ Êó

song1shu3

Da DiZhang MengJin YanDa Di
CricketAprilMichael

staple food category 

Ö÷ ʳ Àà

zhu3shi2 lei4

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengJin YanCao LihuaLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
TerryGlison

staple food  (main or principal food)

Ö÷ ʳ

zhu3shi2

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengJin YanCao LihuaLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
TerryGlison

to steam, to evaporate 

Õô

zheng1

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

to steam in clear soup 

Çå Õô

qing1zheng1

Li Yu ZhengLi ZhenHuang XuHuang Jiali
DaveSarahMichaelCrystal

to stew, to braise  (same character for pa2 and ba1 -- used interchangeably in spoken Chinese)

°Ç

pa2

Shao DanniZhang JingZhang MengGu
CricketAprilMichael

to dry stew  (put oil, onions, and spices into a pan and stir-fry, add fish and water to just cover the fish, cook until the water is gone -- that is why it is called gan1=dry)

¸É ÉÕ

gan1shao1

Da DiZhang MengJin YanDa Di
CricketAprilMichael

to quick-fry, to quick-boil 

±¬ ³´

bao4chao3

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
CricketAprilMichael

stir-fired in garlic, onions, and spices 

Óã Ïã

yu2xiang1

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

to stir-fry with salt 

ÑÎ ±¬

yan2bao4

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
CricketAprilMichael

sweet and sour 

ÌÇ ´×

tang2cu4

Li Yu ZhengLi ZhenHuang XuHuang Jiali
DaveSarahMichael

sliced tenderloin  (unless specified, assume that it is pork)

Àï ¼¹ Ë¿

li3jisi1

Zhang MengZhang NingLi LongfeiMi Zhaoxi
DavidChelsea

tenderloin  (Àï ¼¡ = Àï ¼¸ = Àï ¼¹ - li3ji - find different characters on menus for tenderloin -- simpler character ji1=several, or muscle, often substituted on menus - unless specified, assume that it is pork)

Àï ¼¹

li3ji

Zhang MengZhang NingLi LongfeiMi Zhaoxi
DavidChelsea

tripe  (pork intestines - high in cholesterol, but then so is everything else)

¶Ç

du3

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
Terry

tuber 

Ìì Âé

tian1ma2

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengJin YanCao LihuaLiu Xuechun
DawnStephanLynnKenAshley

soft-shelled turtle 

¼× Óã

jia3yu2

Liu QiuxiaHuaZhang MengJin YanCao LihuaLi BoyuanLiu Xuechun
TerryGlison

vapor, steam 

Æû

qi4

Liu Yu RongZhang MengZheng LeiHua
SethKateKaren LeeBrian

vegetable items 

ËØ ²Ë Àà

su4cai4 lei4

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
CricketAprilMichael

pickled vegetables 

ÅÝ ²Ë

pao4cai4

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
TerryGlison

dried vegetables  (special mixture of dried vegetables used for flavoring)

÷ ²Ë

mei2cai4

Zhang MengZhang NingLi LongfeiMi Zhaoxi
DavidChelsea

vegetarian, white, plain, simple, quiet; basic element; usually, habitually 

ËØ

su4

Zhang NingZhang JingZhang MengGu
CricketAprilMichael




http://hua.umf.maine.edu/Chinese/topics/topics.html
Last Update: January 2012
©  Marilyn Shea 1999, 2001, 2004, 2008, 2012