吃晚饭
chī wǎn fàn
To eat dinner in Chinese is 吃晚饭 (chī wǎn fàn).
The phrase 吃晚饭 is the most common and standard way to convey the meaning of 'eat dinner' in Mandarin Chinese. You may also encounter the colloquial term 吃饭, which is a widely-used way to say 'eat' or 'eat a meal' more generally.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 吃晚饭 is composed of 吃 (eat), 晚 (evening) and 饭 (meal/cooked rice).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the phrase 食饭 (sik6 faan6) is used to mean 'eat rice' or 'eat a meal'.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can modify the phrase to change its aspect. Adding the particle 过 after the verb 吃 to form 吃过晚饭 indicates that the action of eating dinner has been completed. Adding 了 at the end of the phrase to form 吃晚饭了 indicates that the action has occurred or signifies a change of state.
How do you pronounce it?
chī wǎn fàn
Did you know?
- When a Chinese person asks if you have eaten, 吃了吗 (chī le ma), they are often not actually inviting you to a meal, but are simply using the phrase as a warm, traditional way to say 'hello'.
- The concept of 'eating' extends to one's livelihood, where the phrase 吃饭 can be used to describe how a person earns their living.
- In some contexts, the verb 吃 (eat) is used to describe accepting something unpleasant, such as 吃亏 (chī kuī) meaning to suffer a loss or be cheated.
Examples in context
- 你什么时候请他吃晚饭？When have you asked him to eat dinner?This sentence is useful for practicing how to use 吃晚饭 in a question about an invitation.Tatoeba #3702618 by katshi94, translation #7775083 by sharris123
- 好的，但我们先吃晚饭吧。Sure, but let's eat dinner first.This sentence shows how to use 吃晚饭 when suggesting an action be done first.Tatoeba #333569 by fucongcong, translation #65349 by Zurich899
- 你吃晚饭了吗？ (Nǐ chī wǎn fàn le ma?)Have you eaten dinner?
- 晚饭时间到了，请大家入座。 (Wǎn fàn shí jiān dào le, qǐng dà jiā rù zuò.)Dinner time has arrived, please take your seats.
- 今晚一起进餐吧。(Jīn wǎn yìqǐ jìn cān ba.)Let's have a meal together tonight.
- 我们回家吃晚饭吧。Wǒmen huí jiā chī wǎnfàn ba.Let's go home to eat dinner.
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding what to do after finishing work.
- 佳怡 Jiayi浩然，你现在饿吗？Hàorán, nǐ xiànzài è ma?Haoran, are you hungry now?
- 浩然 Haoran我饿了，想吃晚饭。Wǒ è le, xiǎng chī wǎnfàn.I'm hungry, I want to eat dinner.
- 佳怡 Jiayi那我们去那家餐厅吃晚饭吧。Nà wǒmen qù nà jiā cāntīng chī wǎnfàn ba.Then let's go to that restaurant to eat dinner.
- 浩然 Haoran好主意，走吧。Hǎo zhǔyì, zǒu ba.Good idea, let's go.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
