春卷
chūnjuǎn
The English phrase 'egg roll' is translated into Chinese as 春卷 (chūnjuǎn).
春卷 refers to a food made by wrapping a combination of ingredients.
Meaning: a food made by wrapping a combination of ingredients (noun)
Which one should you use?
While English speakers often use 'egg roll' to refer to a specific thicker, bubbly-skinned fried appetizer, the Chinese term 春卷 refers to the thinner, traditional spring roll.
How do you pronounce it?
chūnjuǎn
Did you know?
- In traditional Chinese culture, eating 春卷 is symbolic of welcoming wealth and prosperity for the coming year because the gold-brown color of the fried skin resembles gold bars.
- While the English name 'egg roll' implies eggs are a main ingredient, the traditional Chinese 春卷 recipe often uses no eggs at all in the wrapper or filling.
- The word 卷 is also used in Chinese to describe a roll of paper or a scroll, showing that the food is named after its physical shape as a rolled document.
Examples in context
- 我喜欢吃春卷。Wǒ xǐhuān chī chūnjuǎn.I like to eat egg rolls.
- 这个春卷很好吃。Zhège chūnjuǎn hěn hǎochī.This egg roll is delicious.
- 我们要不要点一份春卷？Wǒmen yào bù yào diǎn yī fèn chūnjuǎn?Should we order an order of egg rolls?
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding what to order for lunch at a restaurant.
- 雨婷 Yuting你想吃什么？Nǐ xiǎng chī shénme?What do you want to eat?
- 俊杰 Junjie我想吃春卷。Wǒ xiǎng chī chūnjuǎn.I want to eat egg rolls.
- 雨婷 Yuting好，那我们点一份春卷吧。Hǎo, nà wǒmen diǎn yī fèn chūnjuǎn ba.Okay, then let's order an order of egg rolls.
- 俊杰 Junjie太好了，谢谢雨婷。Tài hǎole, xièxiè Yǔtíng.Great, thanks Yuting.
