飯廳 / 饭厅
fàntīng
The English phrase 'dining room' is translated into Chinese as 飯廳 / 饭厅 (fàntīng). Wiktionary also lists 餐廳 / 餐厅 (cāntīng).
Meaning: room, in a home or hotel, where meals are eaten (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 飯廳 / 饭厅 | fàntīng |
| 餐廳 / 餐厅 | cāntīng |
This term refers to a room in a home or hotel where meals are eaten.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 飯廳 / 饭厅 is composed of 飯 (fàn), meaning 'meal' or 'rice' and 廳 (tīng), meaning 'hall' or 'large room'.
Which one should you use?
While 餐廳 / 餐厅 can be used to mean a dining room in a home, it is much more commonly used to refer to a commercial 'restaurant'.
How do you pronounce it?
fàntīng
Did you know?
- Traditional dining rooms in China are often designed around the concept of 圓滿 (yuánmǎn), or 'completeness', which is why the central furniture is almost always a circular table.
- The character 廳 / 厅 was historically used for high-ranking government offices, so using 飯廳 / 饭厅 implies a space that is structured and orderly rather than a casual eating spot.
- Because the character 飯 / 饭 means both 'rice' and 'meal', a Chinese speaker might literally describe 'having a meal' as 'eating rice' regardless of what is actually served in the dining room.
Examples in context
- 在这家酒店里，餐厅的装饰非常漂亮。In this hotel, the dining room has a beautiful decoration.
- 她准备在饭厅里举办晚宴。She is preparing to host a dinner in the dining room.
- 我们可以一起在餐厅吃晚饭吗？Can we have dinner together in the dining room?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “dining room” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
