大菜 (dà cài) — main course (at a formal meal or banquet); (historical) Western-style food

Definition

Literally "big dish," 大菜 means the main course at a formal meal — the centerpiece dish, not a side. Compare with 主菜 (main dish in general/everyday contexts): 大菜 emphasizes a banquet or formal setting.

noun
main course (at a formal meal or banquet)(historical) Western-style food
Measure word · 道

Examples

  • 大菜，。
    Jīn tiān de dà cài shì kǎo yā, fēi cháng hǎo chī.
    Today's main course is roast duck; it's very delicious.
  • ，大菜。
    Yàn huì shàng xiān shàng lěng pán, zuì hòu cái shàng dà cài.
    At the banquet, cold dishes are served first, and the main course comes last.
  • 大菜，。
    Zhè jiā cān tīng de dà cài hěn yǒu míng, hěn duō rén zhuān mén lái chī.
    This restaurant's main course is famous; many people come specifically to eat it.

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.

大dàbig
菜càidish

The word pairs 大 'big' with 菜 'dish' to name a substantial main course.

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

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
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.

Open 菜 →

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