挑食 (tiāo shí) — to be a picky eater, to be fussy about food

Definition

Describes someone who refuses or avoids many foods because they're choosy about what they eat. Used as an adjective-like verb: 你很挑食 (you're a picky eater), not as an action you do on purpose.

verb
to be a picky eaterto be fussy about food

Examples

  • 挑食，。
    Tā cóng xiǎo jiù tiāo shí, zhī ài chī miàn tiáo.
    She has been a picky eater since she was a child, only liking noodles.
  • 挑食？？
    Nǐ tiāo shí ma? zhè me duō cài dōu bù hé nǐ wèi kǒu?
    Are you a picky eater? None of these dishes suit your taste?
  • ？。
    Nǐ tiāo shén me shí? zhè xiē dōu shì nǐ ài chī de.
    Why are you being so picky? These are all things you like.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
动宾dòngbīnVerb + object

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

挑tiāopick
食shífood

The action 挑, to pick or choose, is applied to 食, food, giving the sense of being fussy about eating.

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
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
兆
兆zhào挑tiāo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

挑 has 手, meaning hand, and 兆, which gives the sound.

Open 挑 →

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 →

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