饭盒
fànhé
The Chinese word for lunchbox is 饭盒 (fànhé).
饭盒 is a noun used to describe a container used for transporting meals.
Meaning: container for transporting meals (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 饭 (fàn), meaning meal or cooked rice and 盒 (hé), meaning box or container.
How do you pronounce it?
fànhé
Did you know?
- In some professional contexts, the phrase 打饭 (dǎ fàn), meaning 'to get food', describes the act of filling a 饭盒 at a cafeteria counter.
- Using a 饭盒 to bring home leftovers from a restaurant is a common and socially acceptable practice in China, often encouraged by staff.
- While 饭盒 refers to the container, if you are talking about the food inside, people often simply use the word 便当 (biàndāng), a term borrowed from Japanese.
Examples in context
- 请把午餐放进午餐盒里。Please put the lunch into the lunchbox.
- 今天你带了饭盒吗？Did you bring a lunchbox today?
- 我的饭盒里有面条。Wǒ de fànhé lǐ yǒu miàntiáo.There are noodles in my lunchbox.
- 这个饭盒很轻便。Zhège fànhé hěn qīngbiàn.This lunchbox is very lightweight.
- 别忘了带上你的饭盒。Bié wàngle dàishàng nǐ de fànhé.Don't forget to bring your lunchbox.
Example conversation
At the office, a coworker notices a colleague is eating at his desk.
- 雨婷 Yuting浩然，你的饭盒真漂亮。Hàorán, nǐ de fànhé zhēn piàoliang.Haoran, your lunchbox is really pretty.
- 浩然 Haoran谢谢，这是我新买的。Xièxiè, zhè shì wǒ xīn mǎi de.Thanks, I just bought it.
- 雨婷 Yuting里面的菜看起来很好吃。Lǐmiàn de cài kàn qǐlái hěn hào chī.The food inside looks delicious.
- 浩然 Haoran是啊，很有营养。Shì a, hěn yǒu yíngyǎng.Yes, it is very nutritious.
