菜
cài · dish / vegetable💡 How to pronounce
c → like the 'ts' in 'cats'. ài → like 'eye' with a falling tone.
📖 The Story
菜 originally meant 'vegetables' — food that grows from the earth. Over time, it came to mean any dish served with rice. The character combines 'grass' (艹) and 'harvest' (采) — vegetables are the harvest of the earth.
🎬 In Culture Today
Ordering in a Chinese restaurant is all about choosing dishes (点菜). In Chinese culture, a meal is not complete without vegetables — they balance the meat and rice.
📚 Words
点菜to order dishes
蔬菜vegetables
中国菜Chinese cuisine
📝 Example Sentences
我点菜。
I order dishes.
中国菜很好吃。
Chinese cuisine is delicious.