食飯 / 食饭
shífàn
In Chinese, to eat a meal is expressed as 食飯 / 食饭 (shífàn) or 吃飯 / 吃饭.
Meaning: eat a meal (verb)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 食飯 / 食饭 | shífàn | |
| 吃飯 / 吃饭 | chīfàn | |
| 食飯 / 食饭 | chia̍h-pn̄g, chia̍h-pūiⁿ | Hokkien |
The phrase 吃飯 / 吃饭 is used to refer to the general act of eating a meal rather than the specific act of consuming a particular food item.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb 'eat' and the noun 'rice', which is used metonymically to mean 'meal'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, the phrase is commonly expressed as 食饭 (sik6 faan6).
How do you pronounce it?
chia̍h-pn̄g, chia̍h-pūiⁿ
Did you know?
- While 吃饭 means 'to eat a meal', the verb 吃 can be used in phrases that have nothing to do with food, such as 吃醋 ('eat vinegar') which means to be jealous.
- The character 食 originally depicted a food container with a lid, and in ancient Chinese, it served as both the noun 'food' and the verb 'to eat'.
- Because 'rice' is used to mean 'meal', asking someone 吃了吗? ('have you eaten?') is a common way to say 'hello' or show care, rather than an actual invitation to dine.
Examples in context
- 我请你一起吃饭 (wǒ qǐng nǐ yīqǐ chīfàn)I invite you to have a meal with me.
- 请通过邀请函确认您是否参加晚宴用餐 (qǐng tōngguò yāoqǐng hán quèrèn nín shìfǒu cānjiā wǎnyàn yòngcān)Please confirm your attendance at the dinner through the invitation letter.
- 你吃饭了吗？(nǐ chīfànle ma?)Have you eaten?
- 我饿了，想吃点东西 (wǒ èle, xiǎng chī diǎn dōngxi)I'm hungry and want to eat something.
- 我们明天一起吃饭吧 (wǒmen míngtiān yīqǐ chīfàn ba)Let's have a meal together tomorrow.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “eat” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
