素菜 (sù cài) — vegetarian dish (made without meat or fish)

Definition

A dish made without meat, fish, or other animal products. Pairs with 素食 (the broader diet/practice); use 素菜 specifically for the food served on the plate.

noun
vegetarian dish (made without meat or fish)
Measure word · 道
Easily confused

Examples

  • 素菜，。
    Zhè jiā cān tīng de sù cài zuò dé fēi cháng hǎo, lián ròu shí zhě dōu xǐ huan.
    This restaurant's vegetarian dishes are so well-made that even meat-eaters enjoy them.
  • ，。
    Wǒ zuì jìn kāi shǐ chī sù cài, gǎn jué shēn tǐ qīng sōng duō le.
    I started eating vegetarian dishes recently and feel much lighter.
  • 素菜，、。
    Mā ma jīn tiān zuò le sān yàng sù cài, yǒu qīng cài, dòu fu hé mó gu.
    Mom made three kinds of vegetarian dishes today: greens, tofu, and mushrooms.

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.

素sùwithout meat
菜càidish

素 without meat tells what kind of 菜 dish, giving a vegetarian dish.

Characters in this word

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

The shape of 素 came from a picture of hands braiding thread.

Open 素 →

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
艹Written in full as艸cǎograss; plant
Sound part声符shēngfú
采
采cǎi菜cài
Same sound today

菜 has 艹 (grass/plants) on top and 采 below; the top part shows it is a plant, while 采 gives the sound.

Open 菜 →

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