быйми
bɨymiDungan
In Chinese, rice is expressed using several terms. The Dungan term is быйми (bɨymi). Wiktionary also lists 米 (mǐ) and 飯 / 饭 (fàn).
Meaning: seeds used as food (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| быйми | bɨymi | Dungan | |
| 米 | mǐ | /mi²¹⁴/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /mi⁵³/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 飯 / 饭 | fàn | ||
| 米飯 / 米饭 | mǐfàn | ||
| 白飯 / 白饭 | báifàn | ||
| ми | mi | Dungan | |
| фан | fan | Dungan |
The term for rice changes based on its state. While some words refer to the raw grain, others refer to the cooked food or a general meal. For example, the phrase 吃饭 is commonly used to mean 'to eat a meal' rather than just 'to eat rice'.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 白饭 literally means 'white rice' (white + rice/meal).
Which one should you use?
Use 米 to refer specifically to the raw, uncooked grains of rice. Use 饭 to refer to cooked rice or a meal in general. If you want to specify the dish of cooked rice, use 米饭, which combines the words for raw grain and cooked meal. In Taiwanese Mandarin, the term 白饭 is often used to refer to cooked rice.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Dungan, you may use быйми, ми or фан.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
bɨymi
Did you know?
- The Chinese word for 'meter' 米 is actually a phonetic loan from the French word 'mètre'.
- In many Chinese contexts, asking if someone has eaten 饭 (rice/meal) is a way of saying 'Hello' or showing care, rather than a literal question about food.
- There is a distinction between the grain with its husk and the grain without. While 米 refers to the kernel, the character 粟 is used to refer to the grain specifically when it still possesses the husk.
Examples in context
- 我扛着米袋。I carry a bag of rice.This sentence shows the use of 米 for a bag of rice.Tatoeba #8727927 by crescat, translation #4253066 by orcrist
- 我要去碾米。I am going to husk rice.This sentence shows the use of 米 for the act of husking rice.Tatoeba #13904257 by LeviHighway, translation #3339445 by ramenro96
- 你們要米飯嗎？Do you want some rice?This sentence shows the use of 米 when asking about rice.Tatoeba #6057683 by xjjAstrus, translation #7367785 by Hybrid
- 59 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “rice” translations and entries 米, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 米, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
