How to Say "Cooking" in Chinese

做饭

zuòfàn

In Chinese, the English word "cooking" can be translated as 做饭 (zuòfàn).

The term 做饭 can refer to a person's general ability or cookery, but it is most commonly used to describe the specific act of preparing a meal.

Meaning: one's ability to prepare food, cookery (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase 做饭 is composed of the verb 做 (zuò), meaning 'to do' or 'to make' and the noun 饭 (fàn), meaning 'meal' or 'cooked rice'.

As a verb phrase, 做饭 functions as a separable verb where the object (the meal) is already built into the phrase.

zuòfàn

If someone is a 'kitchen novice', they might be called a 厨房小白 (chúfáng xiǎobái), using 'white' to signify being a complete beginner or 'blank slate'.
In high-end culinary contexts, you might see the word 掌勺 (zhǎng sháo), which literally means 'to hold the ladle', used to describe the person in charge of the cooking.
The term 下厨 (xiàchú) is a more elegant way to say 'to go and cook', literally meaning 'to descend into the kitchen'.

你家里谁做饭？
Who does the cooking in your home?
This sentence is useful for asking who performs the cooking in a household using 做饭.
Tatoeba #5613716 by verdastelo9604, translation #3737852 by CK
我不擅长做饭。
I'm not good at cooking.
This sentence is useful for expressing a lack of skill in cooking using 做饭.
Tatoeba #9989858 by GlossaMatik, translation #10540381 by sundown
我妻子正在做饭。
My wife is cooking right now.
This sentence is useful for describing an ongoing action of preparing a meal using 做饭.
Tatoeba #408275 by GlossaMatik, translation #408273 by CM
我喜欢学习烹饪
I enjoy learning cooking.
他的炊事技巧非常高超
His cooking skills are highly exceptional.
我会煮汤
I can cook soup.
他正在学习烹饪，希望成为一名大厨。
He is studying cooking and hopes to become a chef.
今晚我想自己做饭，你愿意尝尝吗？
Tonight, I want to cook by myself. Would you like to taste it?
12 more sentences on Tatoeba

A young couple is talking about their evening plans at home.

梓涵 Zihan

你今天晚上想做饭吗？
Nǐ jīntiān wǎnshàng xiǎng zuòfàn ma?
Do you want to cook tonight?
俊杰 Junjie

我今天有点累，不想做饭。
Wǒ jīntiān yǒudiǎn lèi, bù xiǎng zuòfàn.
I am a bit tired today, I don't want to cook.
梓涵 Zihan

那我们去外面吃吧。
Nà wǒmen qù wàimiàn chī ba.
Then let's eat out.
俊杰 Junjie

好主意，梓涵。
Hǎo zhǔyì, Zǐhán.
Good idea, Zihan.

Sources

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