美食
The English phrase "yummy food" can be translated into Chinese as 美食.
美食 refers to gourmet food, delicacies or fine dining. It is frequently used in the context of food media, travel shows and restaurant reviews to describe high-quality cuisine. While the most common way to say 'yummy' or 'delicious' is Hǎochī, 美食 describes the food itself.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 美食 is composed of 美, which means beautiful or delicious and 食, which means food or to eat.
Which one should you use?
While 美食 can be translated as 'yummy food', it often carries a connotation of 'gourmet food' or 'delicacies' rather than just any tasty snack.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
美食 is a more polished term, whereas 好吃的东西 is a more colloquial and informal way to say yummy things or tasty stuff.
Did you know?
- The character 美 in 美食 originally depicted a big sheep, as livestock were once considered the ultimate symbol of beauty and luxury.
- While 美食 refers to gourmet food, Chinese has a specific term 吃货 for someone who is obsessed with finding and eating 美食, which can be used as a proud self-label.
- Using the term 美食 to describe a quick, cheap street snack might sound slightly sarcastic or overly dramatic to a native speaker.
Examples in context
- Wǒ zuì xǐhuān nǐ fùqīn zuò de cài, hào(chī)死了!I love the dishes your father cooks, they're so delicious!
- 这里有很多美食。Zhèlǐ yǒu hěnduō měishí.There is a lot of yummy food here.
- 我喜欢探索各种美食。Wǒ xǐhuān tànsuǒ gèzhǒng měishí.I like exploring all kinds of yummy food.
- 这座城市以美食闻名。Zhè zuò chéngshì yǐ měishí wénmíng.This city is famous for its yummy food.
Example conversation
Two friends are looking at a food blog on a smartphone.
- 雨婷 Yuting你看，这些美食看起来真不错！Nǐ kàn, zhèxiē měishí kàn qǐlái zhēn bùcuò!Look, this yummy food looks really good!
- 伟 Wei是啊，我们周末去吃吧。Shì a, wǒmen zhōumò qù chī ba.Yeah, let's go eat there this weekend.
- 雨婷 Yuting好主意，我也很想试试。Hǎo zhǔyì, wǒ yě hěn xiǎng shìshì.Good idea, I really want to try it too.
- 伟 Wei那我订位子了。Nà wǒ dìng wèizi le.Then I will book a table.
