菜饭 (cài fàn) — vegetable-and-meat rice (a one-dish meal) | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

菜饭 (cài fàn) is a Shanghai-style one-pot rice dish, cooked together with vegetables and meat — different from fried rice 炒饭 (which is stir-fried separately) or plain rice 米饭.

noun

vegetable-and-meat rice (a one-dish meal)

Measure word · 份

Examples

菜饭，。
Zhè jiā diàn de cài fàn wèi dào hěn hǎo, wǒ jīng cháng lái chī.
The vegetable rice at this restaurant is very tasty; I often come to eat here.
菜饭，。
Mā ma jīn tiān zuò le cài fàn, lǐ miàn yǒu qīng cài hé ròu.
Mom made vegetable rice today, with greens and meat in it.
菜饭。
Wǒ jué de cài fàn bǐ chǎo fàn gèng jiàn kāng.
I think vegetable rice is healthier than fried rice.

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.

菜càivegetable

菜 names vegetables and 饭 names rice, together giving a vegetable rice dish.

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.

艹采菜

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.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 飯; 饭 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

食食shífood

Sound part声符shēngfú

反

反fǎn飯fàn

Same sound today

The traditional form 飯 combines 食 (food) with 反 for the sound; the simplified 饭 is a shorthand, so its parts are not the historical form.

Appears in

Grains & Staples Food (General)

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