口福 (kǒu fú) — the good fortune to enjoy a delicious meal or culinary treat

Definition

Literally 'mouth-fortune' — the luck of being in the right place at the right time to enjoy great food. Used lightheartedly, often with 有∼ (lucky to eat this) or 没∼ (missed out on a treat).

noun
the good fortune to enjoy a delicious meal or culinary treat

Examples

  • ,口福。
    Jīn tiān péng you qǐng kè chī hǎi xiān, wǒ men zhēn yǒu kǒu fú.
    Today a friend is treating us to seafood — we're really lucky to enjoy this treat.
  • ,,口福!
    Nǐ lái de zhèng hǎo, gāng chū guō de jiǎo zi, nǐ yǒu kǒu fú le!
    You came just in time — freshly made dumplings, you're in for a treat!
  • ,口福。
    Tā chū chāi cuò guò le gōng sī de jù cān, zhēn shì méi kǒu fú.
    He missed the company dinner because of a business trip — what a shame to miss out on the feast.

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.

口kǒumouth
福fúfortune

The 福 of the 口, good fortune in food.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 口 looks like an open mouth.

Open 口 →

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
Sound part声符shēngfú
畐
畐fú福fú
Same sound today

福 combines 示 and 畐, with 示 carrying the meaning and 畐 the sound.

Open 福 →

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.