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食用 (shí yòng) — to consume (food); to eat (formal)

Definition

Formal verb for 'to eat / consume' food, common in labels, instructions, and product names. Use 吃 for everyday speech; 服用 is the parallel formal verb for taking medicine.

verb
to consume (food)to eat (formal)
Easily confused

Examples

  • 食用。
    Zhè xiē shuǐ guǒ kě yǐ shēng shí yòng.
    These fruits can be eaten raw.
  • 食用。
    Zhè zhǒng yào bù yí cháng qī shí yòng.
    This medicine is not suitable for long-term consumption.
  • 食用。
    shí yòng Qián qǐng xiān qīng xǐ.
    Please wash before eating.

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.

食shíeating
用yònguse

The sense of 食 as eating and 用 as use combine to mean to eat or edible.

Characters in this word

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 →

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

用 was formed by adding a handle to an earlier form.

Open 用 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 5Food (General)

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