素食者
sùshízhě
The English word "vegetarian" can be translated into Chinese as 素食者 (sùshízhě). Wiktionary also lists 素食主義者 / 素食主义者 (sùshízhǔyìzhě) and 吃素的人 (chīsù de rén).
Meaning: person who does not eat any animal flesh (noun)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 素食者 | sùshízhě |
| 素食主義者 / 素食主义者 | sùshízhǔyìzhě |
| 吃素的人 | chīsù de rén |
The term is used to describe a person who does not eat any animal flesh. In casual conversation, instead of using a noun like 素食者, people often use the verb phrase 吃素 (chī sù) to describe the habit of being vegetarian. Additionally, the noun 素食 (sùshí) can also be used to refer to the vegetarian diet or vegetarian food itself.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 素食者 is composed of 素 (plain/vegetarian), 食 (food/eat) and 者 (person/one who does), literally meaning 'one who eats vegetarian food'.
Which one should you use?
One might also use the phrase 吃素的人 or the informal way to refer to a vegetarian 不吃肉的.
How do you pronounce it?
sùshízhě
Did you know?
- Some Chinese vegetarians avoid the 'five pungent spices', including garlic and onions, because they believe these plants excite the passions and hinder meditation.
- Unlike in English, where 'vegetarian' is a distinct category, Chinese cuisine often classifies dishes as 素 ('sù', vegetarian) or 荤 ('hūn', meat-based), with 荤 also meaning 'pungent' or 'strong-smelling'.
- The character 素 (sù) in the term for vegetarian originally meant 'white' or 'plain'. It describes a diet that is unadorned and devoid of the 'color' of meat.
Examples in context
- 她是素食者。She is a vegetarian.This sentence is useful for identifying someone's dietary status using 素食者.Tatoeba #5410867 by egg0073, translation #6713653 by Eccles17
- 湯姆可能是素食者。Tom might be a vegetarian.This sentence is useful for expressing possibility regarding someone's dietary status using 素食者.Tatoeba #6151294 by verdastelo9604, translation #3734739 by CK
- 她是素食者，所以她沒吃火雞，而是吃了豆腐。She's vegetarian, so she ate tofu instead of turkey.This sentence is useful for explaining a dietary choice and its consequence using 素食者.Tatoeba #5248183 by xjjAstrus, translation #2032995 by Spamster
- 我是个素食者。I am a vegetarian.
- 他是一位素食者。He is a vegetarian.
- 她不吃肉，是个吃素的。She doesn't eat meat, she is a vegetarian.
- 我朋友不吃肉的，所以我们要去一家素食餐厅。My friend doesn't eat meat, so we're going to a vegetarian restaurant.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Wei and Xiaowen are deciding what to eat for dinner.
- 伟 Wei我们去吃火锅吧！Wǒmen qù chī huǒguō ba!Let's go eat hot pot!
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我不行，因为我是素食者。Wǒ bùxíng, yīnwèi wǒ shì sùshízhě.I can't, because I am a vegetarian.
- 伟 Wei啊，我忘了！那我们找家素食店。A, wǒ wàngle! Nà wǒmen zhǎo jiā sùshí diàn.Oh, I forgot! Then let's find a vegetarian restaurant.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen太好了，谢谢你，伟。Tài hǎole, xièxiè nǐ, Wěi.Great, thank you, Wei.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “vegetarian” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
