吃法 (chī fǎ) — way of eating; how something is eaten; cooking method; how a dish is prepared

Definition

吃法 refers to the custom or method of eating a particular food — how it should be prepared, handled, or eaten, not just taste. Distinguish from 吃法's verb partner 做法 (cooking recipe): 吃法 is about the eater's side, 做法 about the cook's.

noun
way of eatinghow something is eatencooking methodhow a dish is prepared

Examples

  • 吃法，。
    Zhè zhǒng shuǐ guǒ de chī fǎ hěn tè bié, yào xiān bāo pí zài zhàn yán.
    This fruit has a special way of eating: you have to peel it first and then dip it in salt.
  • 吃法。
    Bù tóng dì fāng de dà zhá xiè chī fǎ gè bù xiāng tóng.
    Different places have different ways of cooking and eating hairy crabs.
  • 吃法，。
    Huǒ guō de chī fǎ qí shí hěn jiǎn dān, bǎ shí cái fàng jìn qù zhǔ shú jiù xíng.
    The way to eat hot pot is actually simple: just put the ingredients in and boil them until done.

Origin

Derived word
构词法gòucífǎ
后缀hòuzhuìSuffix

A fixed syllable at the end that turns the word into a noun, a person, a place or the like.

吃chīeat
法fǎway

吃 means eat and 法 means way, giving the way of eating or preparing food.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
口口kǒumouth
Sound part声符shēngfú
乞
乞qǐ吃chī
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

吃 combines 口 (mouth) with 乞, which gives the sound; it originally wrote a word meaning to stutter.

Open 吃 →

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

Meaning part形符xíngfú
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
廌廌zhìa type of antelope or caprid
Sound part声符shēngfú
盍
盍hé法fǎ
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

法's older form combined 氵 (water) and 廌 (a type of antelope or caprid), with 盍 as a sound part; later 廌 was dropped.

Open 法 →

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