烹饪 (pēng rèn) — to cook (as a culinary art); to prepare food | TongTong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

烹饪 is the formal, culinary-art word for 'to cook.' More elevated than 做饭 (everyday home cooking) and broader than 烧 / 煮 (specific methods); 同烹调 in register, slightly more literary.

verb

to cook (as a culinary art)to prepare food

Examples

烹饪。
Tā zhèng zài xué xí pēng rèn jì qiǎo.
He is learning cooking techniques.
烹饪。
pēng rèn Xū yào nài xīn hé chuàng yì.
Cooking requires patience and creativity.
烹饪。
Tā cān jiā le guó jì pēng rèn bǐ sài.
He participated in an international cooking competition.

Origin

Compound word

构词法gòucífǎ

联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

饪rèncook

烹 and 饪 both refer to cooking, so the word denotes preparing food as an art.

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.

亨灬烹

Meaning part形符xíngfú

灬Written in full as火huǒfire

Sound part声符shēngfú

亨

亨hēng烹pēng

Same sound today

烹 uses 亨 to give the sound and 灬, a form of 火, to show fire used in cooking.

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 飪; 饪 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

食食shífood

Sound part声符shēngfú

壬

壬rén飪rèn

Same sound today

The traditional form 飪 pairs 食 (food) with 壬, which gives the sound; the simplified 饪 is a shorthand.

Appears in

HSK 3.0 Level 7-9 HSK 2.0 Level 6 Cooking

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