How to Say "Picnic" in Chinese

野餐

yěcān

The English phrase "picnic" is translated into Chinese as 野餐 (yěcān).

野餐 refers to a meal eaten outdoors. It can be used as both a noun, referring to the picnic itself and as a verb, meaning to have a picnic.

Meaning: a meal eaten outdoors (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The word consists of 野 (yě), meaning 'wild' or 'outdoors' and 餐 (cān), meaning 'meal'.

To express the action of going on a picnic, use the verb 去 followed by 野餐.

yěcān

Unlike English where 'picnic' can be used metaphorically to mean an easy task, 野餐 is almost always used literally to describe the actual act of eating outdoors.
Chinese culture often associates outdoor eating with 踏青 (tàqīng), a poetic tradition of 'treading on the green' during the spring festival to welcome nature.
In some regions, a traditional outdoor meal might be called 野炊 (yěcuī), which specifically implies cooking the food over an open fire rather than bringing pre-made dishes.

你想跟我去野餐吗？
Do you want to go on a picnic with me?
This sentence is useful for inviting someone to go on a picnic using 野餐.
Tatoeba #5911602 by verdastelo9604, translation #1037195 by GPHemsley
由于下雨，野餐泡汤了。
The picnic was called off because of the rain.
This sentence shows how to describe a picnic being cancelled due to rain using 野餐.
Tatoeba #1704302 by sadhen, translation #25802 by CK
你認為野餐要多長時間？
How long did you think the picnic was going to last?
This sentence is useful for asking about the expected duration of a picnic using 野餐.
Tatoeba #6120843 by verdastelo9604, translation #5834645 by CK
我们下个周末要去公园野餐。
We are going to have a picnic in the park next weekend.
30 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two friends are discussing weekend plans at a cafe.

梓涵 Zihan

浩然，你想去郊外野餐吗？
Hàorán, nǐ xiǎng qù jiāowài yěcān ma?
Haoran, do you want to go for a picnic in the suburbs?
浩然 Haoran

好啊，我也想去野餐。
Hǎo a, wǒ yě xiǎng qù yěcān.
Sure, I want to go for a picnic too.
梓涵 Zihan

那我准备一些水果和面包。
Nà wǒ zhǔnbèi yīxiē shuǐguǒ hé miànbāo.
Then I will prepare some fruit and bread.
浩然 Haoran

太好了，梓涵，谢谢你。
Tài hǎo le, Zǐhán, xièxiè nǐ.
Great, Zihan, thank you.

Sources

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