堂食
tángshí
The Chinese phrase for 'dine in' is 堂食 (tángshí).
堂食 is used to indicate eating a meal inside a restaurant rather than taking it away. When making a request or ordering, you can add 请 (qǐng) before a phrase to make it more polite.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 堂食 is composed of 堂, meaning 'hall' or 'dining room' and 食, meaning 'to eat'.
Which one should you use?
堂食 is the direct opposite of 外带, which means 'to take away' or 'to go'.
How do you pronounce it?
tángshí
When do people say it?
Restaurant staff will commonly use the phrase 堂食还是外带？ to ask 'Dine in or take away?' when clarifying a customer's intent.
Did you know?
- In the fast-paced environment of modern Chinese cities, the decision between 堂食 and 外带 is often bypassed entirely by 外卖 (wàimài), a massive delivery culture where the food never enters the restaurant's hall at all.
- The character 堂 in 堂食 originally referred to a high platform or a main hall in ancient Chinese architecture, reflecting a history where dining took place in the central heart of the home.
- While 堂食 is the standard term, in a very casual street food setting, you might hear people use the word 坐 (zuò), meaning 'to sit', to indicate they are staying.
Examples in context
- 我们在这里堂食吧。Wǒmen zài zhèlǐ tángshí ba.Let's dine in here.
- 请问是堂食还是外带？Qǐngwèn shì tángshí háishì wàidài?Would you like to dine in or take away?
- 这家店堂食比较方便。Zhè jiā diàn tángshí bǐjiào fāngbiàn.It is more convenient to dine in at this restaurant.
Example conversation
Wei and Zihan are ordering food at a counter.
- 伟 Wei我们要两份套餐，堂食吗？Wǒmen yào liǎng fèn tàocān, tángshí ma?We want two set meals, will you dine in?
- 梓涵 Zihan是的，我们堂食。Shì de, wǒmen tángshí.Yes, we will dine in.
- 伟 Wei好的，请在里面找个位置。Hǎo de, qǐng zài lǐmiàn zhǎo gè wèizhi.Okay, please find a seat inside.
- 梓涵 Zihan谢谢你，伟。Xièxiè nǐ, Wěi.Thank you, Wei.
