韭菜
jiǔcài
The English phrase "garlic chives" is 韭菜 (jiǔcài) in Mandarin.
The term 韭菜 is used both to refer to the vegetable itself and to dishes made from it.
What does it mean word for word?
The character 韭 refers to the plant itself.
How do you pronounce it?
jiǔcài
When do people say it?
A very common and classic Chinese dish is scrambled garlic chives with eggs (jiǔcài jīdàn), known as 韭菜鸡蛋.
Did you know?
- In modern Chinese financial slang, 韭菜 refers to retail investors who are manipulated and exploited by large institutions. This metaphor describes how the 'leeks' are repeatedly harvested for profit.
- Some traditional Chinese beliefs suggest that eating 韭菜 during pregnancy can cause complications or trigger early labor. Because of this, pregnant women are often advised to avoid the vegetable.
- The character 韭 is an ancient pictograph that originally depicted the shape of the leaves growing out of the earth, which provides a visual clue to its structure.
Examples in context
- 我喜欢用韭菜给炒饭增加香味。I like to use garlic chives to add flavor to fried rice.
- 我们的锅贴上面洒了些韭菜油。We sprinkled some garlic chive oil on top of our pan-fried dumplings.
- 我想买一些韭菜。Wǒ xiǎng mǎi yīxiē jiǔcài.I want to buy some garlic chives.
- 你记得放点韭菜。Nǐ jìdé fàng diǎn jiǔcài.Remember to add some garlic chives.
Example conversation
At a grocery store, choosing vegetables for dinner.
- 浩然 Haoran佳怡，我们要买什么菜？Jiāyí, wǒmen yào mǎi shénme cài?Jiayi, what vegetables should we buy?
- 佳怡 Jiayi买一点韭菜吧。Mǎi yīdiǎn jiǔcài ba.Let's buy some garlic chives.
- 浩然 Haoran这里的韭菜看起来很新鲜。Zhèlǐ de jiǔcài kàn qǐlái hěn xīnxiān.The garlic chives here look very fresh.
- 佳怡 Jiayi那就拿一捆吧。Nà jiù ná yī kǔn ba.Then let's take a bunch.
