自助餐
zìzhùcān
In Chinese, the word for buffet is 自助餐 (zìzhùcān).
自助餐 is used to refer to both the style of dining and the specific meal itself. If you wish to specify the establishment type, you can use the term 自助餐馆 to mean a buffet restaurant.
Meaning: food (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The term 自助餐 is composed of 自助, meaning self-service and 餐, meaning meal.
How do you pronounce it?
zìzhùcān
Did you know?
- In China, the term 自助 ('self-help') is used for much more than just food, including 'self-service' kiosks and 'self-help' psychology, which is called 自助心理学.
- In a traditional Chinese context, the concept of 'serving oneself' (自助) was historically seen as less polite than having a host serve guests, making the modern 自助餐 a relatively recent cultural shift.
- Chinese buffets often feature a 'pay-by-weight' system, which is a distinct variation of the 自助 concept where the 'self-service' part is the selection but the price is calculated by the scale.
Examples in context
- 自助餐厅在哪里？Where is the buffet restaurant?This sentence is useful for asking for the location of a buffet restaurant using 自助餐.Tatoeba #1361983 by sadhen, translation #13587132 by LeviHighway
- 中国是三人在中等餐馆吃火锅自助餐一共值五块人民币而汉堡包比它贵五倍唯一的国家。您去搞明白吧……China's the only country where three people can eat at a mid-range hotpot buffet for only 5 RMB, but a hamburger costs five times as much. Figure that one out!This sentence uses 自助餐 to describe the cost of a hotpot buffet in China.Tatoeba #778946 by U2FS, translation #10266509 by bekindtoall
- 今晚你想去吃自助餐吗？(Jīn wǎn nǐ xiǎng qù chī zìzhùcān ma?)Would you like to go to a buffet for dinner tonight?
- 我们去尝尝镇上那家新开的自助餐厅吧！(Wǒmen qù cháng cháng zhèn shàng nà jiā xīn kāi de zìzhùcān tīng ba!)Let's try that new buffet restaurant in town!
- 听说那家酒店的自助餐很棒。(Tīngshuō nà jiā jiǔdiàn de zìzhùcān hěn bàng.)I heard they have a great all-you-can-eat buffet at that hotel.
- 这家酒店的自助餐很不错。Zhè jiā jiǔdiàn de zìzhùcān hěn bùcuò.The buffet at this hotel is very good.
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding what to eat for dinner.
- 雨婷 Yuting志强，我们今天去吃自助餐吧。Zhìqiáng, wǒmen jīntiān qù chī zìzhùcān ba.Zhiqiang, let's go eat at a buffet today.
- 志强 Zhiqiang好啊，你想吃哪种自助餐？Hǎo a, nǐ xiǎng chī nǎ zhǒng zìzhùcān?Sure, what kind of buffet do you want to eat?
- 雨婷 Yuting我想吃海鲜自助餐。Wǒ xiǎng chī hǎixiān zìzhùcān.I want to eat a seafood buffet.
- 志强 Zhiqiang没问题，我来订位。Méi wèntí, wǒ lái dìng wèi.No problem, I will make a reservation.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “buffet” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
