How to Say "Ice Cream" in Mandarin

冰淇淋

bīngqílín

In Mandarin, ice cream is said as 冰淇淋 (bīngqílín). Wiktionary also lists 雪糕 (xuěgāo) and 冰糕 (bīnggāo).

Meaning: dessert (noun)

Ways to say it

The term is used to refer to the dessert known as ice cream.

The term 雪糕 literally translates to 'snow cake' or 'snow paste'.

While 冰淇淋 refers to ice cream in general, 雪糕 often specifically refers to frozen treats on a stick, such as ice cream bars or popsicles.

The spelling 冰激凌 is a common variant used in Mainland China.

bīngqílín

In Chinese culture, eating 冰淇淋 is sometimes discouraged by parents and grandparents who believe that 'cold' foods can disrupt the body's internal balance.
The word 冰淇淋 is a partial calque of the English phrase 'ice cream', meaning it translates the 'ice' part literally and mimics the sound of the 'cream' part.
Some speakers use 冰糕 to refer to traditional frozen treats made from rice or milk that have a denser, cake-like consistency than Western ice cream.

热得想吃冰淇淋。
The heat is making me crave for an ice cream.
This sentence shows how to express a craving for 冰淇淋 due to heat.
Tatoeba #2442200 by ydcok, translation #2442242 by FeuDRenais2
給我留點冰淇淋。
Leave me a bit of ice cream.
This sentence is useful for asking someone to save some 冰淇淋 for you.
Tatoeba #3786751 by egg0073, translation #1663260 by liwan1208
我不會吃冰淇淋。
I will not eat ice cream.
This sentence demonstrates the use of 冰淇淋 in a negative statement about eating it.
Tatoeba #6169145 by verdastelo9604, translation #1132445 by Scott
24 more sentences on Tatoeba

A couple is deciding on a dessert after dinner.

俊杰 Junjie

妳想吃點甜點嗎？
Nǐ xiǎng chī diǎn tiándiǎn ma?
Do you want to eat some dessert?
佳怡 Jiayi

我想吃冰淇淋。
Wǒ xiǎng chī bīngqílín.
I want to eat ice cream.
俊杰 Junjie

我們去吃巧克力口味的吧。
Wǒmen qù chī qiǎokèlì kǒuwèi de ba.
Let's go eat the chocolate flavor.
佳怡 Jiayi

好啊，我最喜歡巧克力了。
Hǎo a, wǒ zuì xǐhuān qiǎokèlì le.
Okay, I love chocolate the most.

Sources

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