堂食
tángshí
The phrase for "eat here" in Chinese is 堂食 (tángshí).
堂食 refers to dining inside a restaurant rather than taking food to go. It is most commonly seen on signs and menus, or heard from staff in fast-food and casual dining settings to distinguish between dining in and taking out.
Which one should you use?
堂食 is the direct antonym of 外带, which means to go or takeout.
Is it said differently in some regions?
在这儿吃 is a way to say "eat here" that is commonly heard in the northern regions of China.
How do you pronounce it?
tángshí
Did you know?
- The character 堂 in 堂食 literally refers to a 'hall' or a 'grand room', suggesting that eating inside is akin to dining in a formal hall.
- While 堂食 is standard, you might hear the term 打包 (dǎbāo) used for the opposite of eating here, which literally translates to 'wrap a package'.
- Some modern digital kiosks in China use a 'toggle' button for 堂食 and 外带 that changes the entire price of the meal due to different packaging fees.
Examples in context
- 我们在这里堂食吧。Wǒmen zài zhèlǐ tángshí ba.Let's eat here.
- 请问是堂食还是打包？Qǐngwèn shì tángshí háishì dǎbāo?Would you like to eat here or take it to go?
- 我不打算堂食。Wǒ bù dǎsuàn tángshí.I do not plan to eat here.
Example conversation
A young man and woman are standing at a fast food counter.
- 雨婷 Yuting俊杰，我们堂食吧。Jùnjié, wǒmen tángshí ba.Junjie, let's eat here.
- 俊杰 Junjie好啊，这里比较方便。Hǎo a, zhèlǐ bǐjiào fāngbiàn.Okay, it's more convenient here.
- 雨婷 Yuting你要点什么？Nǐ yào diǎn shénme?What do you want to order?
- 俊杰 Junjie我想吃汉堡。Wǒ xiǎng chī hànbǎo.I want to eat a hamburger.
