消化 xiāo huà to digest (food) / (fig.) to absorb (information etc) / to assimilate / to process syn 美食 měi shí culinary delicacy / fine food / gourmet food syn 熟食 shú shí cooked food / prepared food / deli food syn 开花 開花 kāi huā to bloom / to blossom / to flower / (fig.) to burst / to split open / (fig.) to burst with joy / (fig.) to spring up everywhere / to flourish syn 饭桶 飯桶 fàn tǒng rice tub (from which cooked rice or other food is served) / (fig.) fathead / a good-for-nothing syn 热腾腾 熱騰騰 rè téng téng steaming hot / (fig.) bustling / hectic / (fig.) excited / stirred up / (fig.) created only a short time before / freshly minted / hot off the press / (coll.) also pr. [re4 teng1 teng1] syn 油腻 油膩 yóu nì greasy food / oily food / (of food) greasy / oily / fatty / (neologism c. 2017) (of a middle-aged man) obnoxious / pretentious / vulgar syn 觅食 覓食 mì shí to forage / to hunt for food / to scavenge / fig. to make a living 佳肴 佳餚 jiā yáo fine food / delicacies / delicious food syn 热乎乎 熱乎乎 rè hū hū warm / (of food) piping hot / (fig.) roused to warm feelings syn 犒劳 犒勞 kào láo to reward with food and drink / to feast (sb) / presents of food etc made to troops / Taiwan pr. [kao4 lao4] syn 酒菜 jiǔ cài food and drink / food to accompany wine syn 食量 shí liàng quantity of food one eats / food intake syn 干货 乾貨 gān huò dried food (including dried fruits, mushrooms and seafoods such as shrimp and abalone) / (fig.) (coll.) knowledge presented in readily assimilable form / just what you want to know: no more, no less (no padding 水分[shui3fen4]) 出笼 出籠 chū lóng (of food) to be taken out of the steamer / (fig.) (often used with 紛紛|纷纷[fen1 fen1]) (of products, information etc) to appear / to emerge / to come out / (fig.) to dump / to inundate the market 食疗 食療 shí liáo (TCM) food therapy / treatment via food 粗茶淡饭 粗茶淡飯 cū chá dàn fàn plain tea and simple food / (fig.) bread and water syn 绿色食品 綠色食品 lǜ sè shí pǐn clean, unadulterated food product / organic food 串烧 串燒 chuàn shāo to cook on a skewer / barbecued food on a skewer / shish kebab / (fig.) to perform or play songs in sequence / sequence of songs / medley 速食 sù shí (of food) fast / instant / (Tw) fast food 菜篮子 菜籃子 cài lán zi vegetable or food basket / (fig.) food supply 食补 食補 shí bǔ tonic food (food considered to be particularly healthful) / to eat such foods 浅尝 淺嚐 qiǎn cháng to merely have a sip or a bite (of one's food or drink) / (fig.) to dabble in / to flirt with (a topic) 寒食 hán shí cold food (i.e. to abstain from cooked food for 3 days around the Qingming festival 清明節|清明节) / the Qingming festival 糟糠 zāo kāng chaff, husks, distillers' dregs etc (food eaten by the poor) / (fig.) rubbish / junk / (abbr. for 糟糠妻[zao1 kang1 qi1]) wife who goes through the hardships of poverty with her husband syn 硬 yìng hard / stiff / solid / (fig.) strong / firm / resolutely / uncompromisingly / laboriously / with great difficulty / good (quality) / able (person) / (of food) filling / substantial syn 食不果腹 shí bù guǒ fù lit. food not filling the stomach (idiom) / fig. poverty-stricken syn 寅吃卯粮 寅吃卯糧 yín chī mǎo liáng lit. eating away next year's food in advance / fig. to dip into the next month's check / live now, pay later syn 味道 wèi dao flavor / taste / (fig.) feeling (of ...) / sense (of ...) / hint (of ...) / (fig.) interest / delight / (dialect) smell / odor syn 规矩 規矩 guī ju lit. compass and set square / fig. established standard / rule / customs / practices / fig. upright and honest / well-behaved syn 发烧 發燒 fā shāo to have a high temperature (from illness) / to have a fever / (fig.) to be fascinated with / to obsess over / (fig.) flourishing / thriving / popular syn 目光 mù guāng gaze / (fig.) attention / expression in one's eyes / look / (lit. and fig.) sight / vision syn 出轨 出軌 chū guǐ to be derailed / to go off the rails / (fig.) to overstep the bounds / (fig.) to have an extramarital affair 塑造 sù zào to model / to mold / (fig.) to create (a character, a market, an image etc) / (fig.) (literature) to portray (in words) syn 搅和 攪和 jiǎo huo to mix / to blend / (fig.) to spoil / to mess up things / (fig.) to run around with (sb) / to get involved with / to mix (with other people) syn 鱼肉 魚肉 yú ròu flesh of fish / fish and meat / (fig.) victims of oppression / (fig.) to cruelly oppress (i.e. to treat like flesh to be carved up) syn 走后门 走後門 zǒu hòu mén (lit.) to enter through the back door / (fig.) to pull strings / to use connections / (fig.) (slang) to have anal sex syn 挂钩 掛鉤 guà gōu to couple / to link / to hook together / (fig.) (preceded by 與|与[yu3] + {entity}) to establish contact (with {entity}) / (Tw) to collude (with {entity}) / (fig.) to link (marketing efforts with production etc) / to peg (welfare payments to inflation etc) / to tie (remuneration to performance etc) / hook (on which to hang sth) / latch hook / coupling syn 封顶 封頂 fēng dǐng to put a roof (on a building) / to cap the roof (finishing a building project) / fig. to put a ceiling (on spending, prize, ambition etc) / to top off / fig. to reach the highest point (of growth, profit, interest rates) / to stop growing (of plant bud or branch) 雏儿 雛兒 chú ér newly hatched bird / fig. inexperienced person / fig. chick (slighting term for young woman) / bimbo syn 遮羞布 zhē xiū bù loincloth / (fig.) fig leaf / CL:塊|块[kuai4] syn 架空 jià kōng to build (a hut etc) on stilts / to install (power lines etc) overhead / (fig.) unfounded / impractical / (fig.) to make sb a mere figurehead syn 瞻前顾后 瞻前顧後 zhān qián gù hòu lit. to look forward and back (idiom) / fig. to consider carefully / to weigh the pros and cons / fig. to be overcautious and indecisive syn 松柏 sōng bǎi pine and cypress / fig. chaste and undefiled / fig. tomb syn 脱胎 脫胎 tuō tāi to be born / (fig.) to develop out of sth else (of ideas, stories, political systems etc) / (fig.) to shed one's body (to be reborn) / bodiless (e.g. lacquerware) 中招 zhòng zhāo (martial arts) to get hit / to get taken down / (fig.) to get infected (disease or computer virus) / (fig.) to fall for sb's trap / to be taken in 小白兔 xiǎo bái tù small white rabbit / (fig.) innocent and naive person / (fig.) (slang) breast 矮化 ǎi huà (plant pathology) to become stunted / (horticulture) to dwarf / to reduce in size (by pruning, breeding etc) / (fig.) to diminish the status of / to disparage / (fig.) to downplay 熔断 熔斷 róng duàn (of fuse wire) to melt / to blow / (fig.) to halt stock trading / (fig.) to suspend an airline from operating flights on a given route (as a penalty, e.g. for bringing in more than a specified number of passengers who test positive for COVID) syn 浊流 濁流 zhuó liú turbid flow / muddy waters / fig. a contemptible person / fig. corrupt or disgraceful social trends syn 就 jiù (after a suppositional clause) in that case / then / (after a clause of action) as soon as / immediately after / (same as 就是[jiu4 shi4]) merely / nothing else but / simply / just / precisely / exactly / only / as little as / as much as / as many as / to approach / to move towards / to undertake / to engage in / (often followed by 著|着[zhe5]) taking advantage of / (of food) to go with / with regard to / concerning / (pattern: 就[jiu4] ... 也[ye3] ...) even if ... still ... / (pattern: 不[bu4] ... 就[jiu4] ...) if not ... then must be ... syn 点 點 diǎn point / dot / drop / speck / o'clock / point (in space or time) / to draw a dot / to check on a list / to choose / to order (food in a restaurant) / to touch briefly / to hint / to light / to ignite / to pour a liquid drop by drop / (old) one fifth of a two-hour watch 更[geng1] / dot stroke in Chinese characters / classifier for items syn 面 麵 miàn flour / noodles / (of food) soft (not crunchy) / (slang) (of a person) ineffectual / spineless syn 食物 shí wù food / CL:種|种[zhong3] syn 调 調 tiáo to harmonize / to reconcile / to blend / to suit well / to adjust / to regulate / to season (food) / to provoke / to incite syn 新鲜 新鮮 xīn xiān fresh (experience, food etc) / freshness / novel / uncommon syn 美味 měi wèi delicious / delicious food / delicacy syn 食品 shí pǐn foodstuff / food / provisions / CL:種|种[zhong3] syn 口味 kǒu wèi a person's preferences / tastes (in food) / flavor syn 品味 pǐn wèi to sample / to taste / to appreciate / one's taste (i.e. in music, literature, fashion, food and drink etc) / good taste syn 脂肪 zhī fáng fat (in the body, in a plant, or in food) syn 冷冻 冷凍 lěng dòng to freeze (food etc) / (of weather) freezing syn 饮食 飲食 yǐn shí eating and drinking / food and drink / diet syn 素食 sù shí vegetarian food / to eat a vegetarian diet syn 快餐 kuài cān fast food / snack / quick meal 节食 節食 jié shí to save food / to go on a diet 饭菜 飯菜 fàn cài food syn 小吃 xiǎo chī street food / snack syn 烟火 煙火 yān huǒ smoke and fire / cooked food / (literary) beacon fire / (literary) descendants / posterity syn 中餐 zhōng cān lunch / Chinese meal / Chinese food / CL:份[fen4],頓|顿[dun4] 鸡翅 雞翅 jī chì chicken wings (fast food) 变质 變質 biàn zhì to degenerate / to deteriorate / (of food) to go bad / to go off / (geology) metamorphism syn 冷藏 lěng cáng refrigeration / cold storage / to keep (food, medicine) in cold environment 食物中毒 shí wù zhòng dú food poisoning 精光 jīng guāng nothing left (money, food etc) / all finished / bright and shiny / radiant / glorious syn 快餐店 kuài cān diàn fast food shop syn 鲜活 鮮活 xiān huó vivid / lively / (of food ingredients) live or fresh syn 伙食 huǒ shí food / meals syn 餐饮 餐飲 cān yǐn food and beverage / catering / repast syn 剩菜 shèng cài leftovers (food) 食物链 食物鏈 shí wù liàn food chain 什锦 什錦 shí jǐn (food) assorted / mixed / assortment syn 搅拌机 攪拌機 jiǎo bàn jī blender / food mixer 外带 外帶 wài dài take-out (fast food) / (outer part of) tire / as well / besides / into the bargain / outer zone syn 捕食 bǔ shí to prey on / to catch and feed on / to hunt for food 食道 shí dào esophagus / gullet / (old) the proper way to eat / (old) food transportation route syn 口感 kǒu gǎn mouthfeel / texture (of food) 狼吞虎咽 狼吞虎嚥 láng tūn hǔ yàn to wolf down one's food (idiom) / to devour ravenously / to gorge oneself syn 酒味 jiǔ wèi smell of alcohol / flavoring of rum or other liquor in food / aroma or nose (of wine) 卡夫 kǎ fū Kraft, US food company 剩饭 剩飯 shèng fàn leftover food 要饭 要飯 yào fàn to beg (for food or money) syn 清淡 qīng dàn light (of food, not greasy or strongly flavored) / insipid / slack (sales) syn 衣食 yī shí clothes and food syn 蜜饯 蜜餞 mì jiàn food preserved in sugar or honey syn 熊掌 xióng zhǎng bear paw (as food) 膳食 shàn shí meals / food syn 顺口 順口 shùn kǒu to read smoothly (of text) / to blurt out (without thinking) / to suit one's taste (of food) syn 麻花 má huā fried dough twist (crisp snack food made by deep-frying plaited dough) / worn out or worn smooth (of clothes) syn 