節食 / 节食
jiéshí
In Chinese, 'diet' can be expressed through several terms. The default form is 節食 / 节食 (jiéshí). Wiktionary also lists 飲食療養 / 饮食疗养 (yǐnshí liáoyǎng).
Meaning: controlled regimen of food (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 節食 / 节食 | jiéshí |
| 飲食療養 / 饮食疗养 | yǐnshí liáoyǎng |
節食 / 节食 is used as a verb meaning 'to go on a diet' or 'to restrict one's food intake'. When you want to describe the general concept of food and diet, you can use 饮食. To specifically refer to someone's dietary habits, use 饮食习惯. In informal settings, if you want to express the idea of 'eating in a healthy manner', you can use the phrase 吃得健康.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 節食 / 节食 is composed of 節, which means to restrict or control and 食, which means food or to eat.
Which one should you use?
While 節食 / 节食 usually implies weight loss through restriction, 飲食療養 / 饮食疗养 refers to a therapeutic diet used for health or recovery purposes.
How do you pronounce it?
jiéshí
Did you know?
- While English speakers view 'being on a diet' as a positive goal, telling a Chinese person you are 節食 / 节食 may evoke pity or concern due to the connotation of deprivation.
- The character 節 in 節食 refers to a bamboo joint or 'node', symbolizing the act of cutting something down to a specific point.
- In Traditional Chinese Medicine, 飲食療養 is not just about health but can be a primary medical prescription to balance the body's 'qi'.
Examples in context
- 他的 饮食 很健康，每天吃很多蔬菜和水果。His diet is very healthy, he eats lots of vegetables and fruits every day.
- 我最近在 控制饮食 ，尽量少吃油炸食品。I have been watching my diet lately, trying to eat fewer fried foods.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “diet” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
