白肉 (bái ròu) — plain boiled pork (usually from fatty pork belly; a classic Chinese cold dish)

Definition

A classic northern Chinese cold dish of thinly sliced plain boiled pork belly, served with a dipping sauce like garlic paste. The name contrasts with 红烧 (braised/red-cooked) styles.

noun
plain boiled pork (usually from fatty pork belly; a classic Chinese cold dish)
Measure word · 块

Examples

  • ，。
    Zhè dào bái ròu hěn hǎo chī, pèi shàng suàn ní gèng xiāng.
    This dish of plain boiled pork is delicious; it's even better with garlic paste.
  • 白肉。
    Wǒ men qù chuān cài guǎn diǎn le yí fèn bái ròu.
    We ordered a serving of plain boiled pork at a Sichuan restaurant.
  • 白肉。
    Mā ma zuò de bái ròu yòu báo yòu nèn.
    The plain boiled pork my mom makes is both thin and tender.

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.

白báiwhite/plain
肉ròumeat

'白' suggests plain boiled cooking, and '肉' is the meat.

Characters in this word

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

白 is thought to picture either an acorn or a human head.

Open 白 →

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

The original shape of 肉 showed ribs of an animal’s torso, or simply a slice of meat.

Open 肉 →

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