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美食 (měi shí) — food of exceptional quality; fine food; delicacy

Definition

美食 (měishí) is the noun for delicious, high-quality food — not just any food like 食物, but a dish worth savoring. Often used for regional or cultural specialties, as in Chinese 美食.

noun
food of exceptional qualityfine fooddelicacy

Examples

  • 美食，。
    Zhè zhǒng měi shí fēi cháng hǎo chī, nǐ yí dìng yào shì shì.
    This kind of gourmet food is very delicious; you must try it.
  • 美食。
    Wǒ xǐ huan chī zhōng guó de měi shí.
    I like eating Chinese fine food.
  • ，美食。
    Lái běi jīng yǐ hòu, wǒ chī le hěn duō dāng dì měi shí.
    Since coming to Beijing, I've eaten a lot of local delicacies.

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.

美měifine
食shífood

美 describes 食, food, as fine and delicious.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

美 shows 大, a person, wearing 羊, a headdress of feathers or ram's horn.

Open 美 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 亼亼jímouth
  • 皀皀jía bowl of rice on a stand

The form behind 食 shows 亼, a mouth, together with 皀, a bowl of rice on a stand. In modern 食, the bowl part has changed shape.

Open 食 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 4Food (General)

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