How to Say "Congee" in Chinese

粥

zhōu

Congee is translated into Chinese as 粥 (zhōu). Wiktionary also lists 米粥 (mǐzhōu) and 稀飯 / 稀饭 (xīfàn).

Meaning: a type of rice porridge (noun)

Ways to say it

The term 粥 is the standard word for congee and is the category name you will see used on restaurant menus.

The term 米粥 is composed of 米, which means rice and 粥, which means porridge.

While 粥 is the general term for any porridge, 米粥 specifically specifies that the base of the dish is rice.

The term 稀饭 (also written as 稀飯) is a common, colloquial way to refer to congee, particularly in Northern China.

zhōu

Some linguists believe that the word 粥 may share an ancient connection with the Tibetan word ཐུག་པ, which refers to a Tibetan-style broth or gruel.
In traditional Chinese medicine, 粥 is often prescribed as a healing food for the sick because it is believed to be the easiest food for the stomach to process.

我一天吃了三次黑米粥！
I've had black rice congee thrice in one day!
This sentence is useful for showing how to mention having eaten 米粥 multiple times.
Tatoeba #2228159 by Tximist, translation #2228163 by Tximist
Wǒmen qù chī xiē mi zhōu ba! (我们去吃些米粥吧！)
Let's eat some congee!
这碗粥很热。
zhè wǎn zhōu hěn rè.
This bowl of congee is very hot.
你喜欢吃什么粥？
nǐ xǐ huān chī shén me zhōu?
What kind of congee do you like to eat?

A man and a woman are having breakfast at home.

晓雯 Xiaowen

伟，你想喝粥吗？
wěi, nǐ xiǎng hē zhōu ma?
Wei, do you want to drink some congee?
伟 Wei

好啊，我正想吃点热的。
hǎo a, wǒ zhèng xiǎng chī diǎn rè de.
Sure, I was just thinking of eating something hot.
晓雯 Xiaowen

我给你煮了一碗白粥。
wǒ gěi nǐ zhǔ le yī wǎn bái zhōu.
I cooked a bowl of white congee for you.
伟 Wei

谢谢，晓雯。
xiè xie, xiǎo wén.
Thank you, Xiaowen.

Sources

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