饮茶
yǐnchá
饮茶 (yǐnchá) is the Mandarin way to say "yum cha," referring to a traditional Chinese meal.
The term refers to the cultural practice of enjoying tea accompanied by dim sum. While the phrase "yum cha" is specifically Cantonese, 饮茶 is the Mandarin equivalent used to describe this same tradition.
Meaning: traditional Chinese meal (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
yǐnchá
When do people say it?
This term describes the cultural practice of enjoying dim sum alongside tea.
Did you know?
- When participating in 饮茶, it is a common custom to tap two fingers on the table to thank someone for pouring tea, a silent gesture that replaces saying 'thank you'.
- While 饮茶 is the act of drinking tea, the food served is called 'dim sum', which translates to 'touch the heart'. This refers to the small, delicate portions designed to satisfy the palate without overfilling the stomach.
- In many Mandarin-speaking regions, the phrase 饮茶 is used more broadly to mean 'to have tea' or 'to visit a friend', rather than specifically referring to a full meal of dim sum.
Examples in context
- 明天早上要去喝茶吗？Would you like to have yum cha tomorrow morning?
- 这个周末我们去喝茶吧！Let's go for yum cha this weekend!
- 我们去饮茶吧。Wǒmen qù yǐnchá ba.Let's go to yum cha.
- 这家店的饮茶很有名。Zhè jiā diàn de yǐnchá hěn yǒumíng.The yum cha at this shop is very famous.
Example conversation
Two friends are deciding what to eat for brunch.
- 浩然 Haoran晓雯，你想去饮茶吗？Xiǎowén, nǐ xiǎng qù yǐnchá ma?Xiaowen, do you want to go for yum cha?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen好啊，我知道一家很棒的店。Hǎo a, wǒ zhīdào yī jiā hěn bàng de diàn.Sure, I know a great place.
- 浩然 Haoran太好了，我们现在就走吧。Tài hǎo le, wǒmen xiànzài jiù zǒu ba.Great, let's go right now.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen没问题，浩然，走吧！Méi wèntí, Hàorán, zǒu ba!No problem, Haoran, let's go!
