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进食 (jìn shí) — to eat (formal, used in medical or literary contexts)

Definition

Formal/literary verb meaning 'to eat', used in medical or written contexts rather than daily speech. Prefer 吃饭 in everyday conversation.

verb
to eat (formal, used in medical or literary contexts)

Examples

  • 进食。
    Yī shēng jiàn yì bìng rén àn shí jìn shí.
    The doctor advises patients to eat on time.
  • 。
    Tā měi tiān zhī jìn liǎng cì shí.
    He only eats twice a day.
  • 进食。
    Shǒu shù hòu bìng rén xū yào shǎo liàng jìn shí.
    After surgery, patients need to eat small amounts.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

An action followed by what it acts on, fused into one word.

进jìntake in
食shífood

进 expresses taking in, and 食 is food, together meaning to eat.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 進; 进 is its simplified writing.

  • 辵辵chuòwalk
  • 隹隹zhuīshort-tail bird

The traditional form 進 pairs 辵 (walk) with 隹 (short-tail bird): the picture showed moving forward because a bird can only walk forward, not backward. The simplified 进 is a later shorthand.

Open 进 →

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
Food (General)Medicine & Treatment

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