吃 (chī) — to eat
Definition
The basic, everyday verb for eating food. 食用 is the formal/written equivalent, used in labels and official contexts.
verb
to eat
Examples
- 吃。Wǒ chī le yí gè píng guǒ.I ate an apple.
- ？Nǐ chī fàn le ma?Have you eaten?
- 。Wǒ zǎo shàng chī fàn.I eat breakfast in the morning.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
吃 combines 口 (mouth) with 乞, which gives the sound; it originally wrote a word meaning to stutter.
Grammar
Appears in
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