冷餐 (lěng cān) — cold meal, buffet (typically served at events)

Definition

A cold buffet, typically at events where guests serve themselves. Often paired with 会 to form 冷餐会 ('buffet reception'), a common feature of business or formal gatherings.

noun
cold mealbuffet (typically served at events)
Measure word · 顿

Examples

  • 冷餐。
    Jīn wǎn de lěng cān huì zhǔn bèi le hěn duō zhǒng shā lā hé lěng ròu.
    Tonight's buffet reception has prepared many kinds of salads and cold meats.
  • 冷餐，。
    Gōng sī nián huì cǎi yòng lěng cān xíng shì, dà jiā zì jǐ qǔ cān.
    The company annual party uses a buffet format — everyone serves themselves.
  • 冷餐。
    Zhè zhǒng lěng cān hěn shì hé xià tiān de hù wài huó dòng.
    This kind of cold meal is very suitable for outdoor summer events.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

冷lěngcold
餐cānmeal

冷 describes a cold temperature, and 餐 means a meal, so the word is a cold meal or buffet.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
冫Written in full as仌bīngice
Sound part声符shēngfú
令
令lìng冷lěng
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

冷 uses 冫, the ice form, with 令 as a sound part, to mean cold as ice.

Open 冷 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
食食shíto eat; meal; food
Sound part声符shēngfú
𣦼
𣦼𣦼餐cān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

餐 combines 食, meaning food or eating, with 𣦼 as the sound part; it originally meant “to swallow.”

Open 餐 →

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