碳水化合物 (tànshuǐ化合物) refers to carbohydrates, which are essential for providing energy.
碳水化合物 in 30 Seconds
- energy source
- macronutrient
- food component
Alright, let's talk about "碳水化合物" (tànshuǐ化合物) and how it fits in with other words you might hear when discussing food and nutrition in Chinese. This section will help you understand when to use "碳水化合物" and when other terms are more appropriate.
§ The Basics: 碳水化合物 (tànshuǐ化合物)
- DEFINITION
- Carbohydrate.
As we've covered, "碳水化合物" is the direct, formal translation of "carbohydrate." You'll see this on nutrition labels, in health articles, and in any serious discussion about macronutrients.
这份早餐含有丰富的碳水化合物。
Translation hint: This breakfast contains rich carbohydrates.
§ Similar but Different: 淀粉 (diànfěn)
- DEFINITION
- Starch.
"淀粉" refers specifically to starch, which is a type of complex carbohydrate. While all starches are carbohydrates, not all carbohydrates are starches (e.g., sugar is a carb but not a starch). You'll hear "淀粉" when talking about specific starchy foods or the starch content of something.
土豆富含淀粉。
Translation hint: Potatoes are rich in starch.
§ The Sweet Stuff: 糖 (táng)
- DEFINITION
- Sugar; candy.
"糖" covers sugars in general, including simple carbohydrates. This could be the sugar you add to coffee, the sugar in fruit, or even candy. When you're talking about reducing sugar intake or craving something sweet, "糖" is your word.
他每天都吃很多糖。
Translation hint: He eats a lot of sugar every day.
§ Dietary Fiber: 膳食纤维 (shànshí xiānwéi)
- DEFINITION
- Dietary fiber.
Fiber is also a type of carbohydrate, but it's often discussed separately due to its distinct health benefits and the fact that it's not digested in the same way as starches or sugars. When you're talking about getting enough roughage or promoting digestive health, you'll use "膳食纤维."
燕麦富含膳食纤维。
Translation hint: Oats are rich in dietary fiber.
§ When to Use Which Term?
Here's a quick guide:
- Use "碳水化合物" when you need the formal, scientific term for carbohydrates in general. This is your go-to for nutrition facts, medical discussions, or when talking about the macro-nutrient class.
- Use "淀粉" when you're specifically referring to starchy foods like rice, potatoes, or corn. It highlights the complex carbohydrate aspect.
- Use "糖" when you mean sugar, sweets, or simple carbohydrates. This is for when you're talking about taste, added sugars, or avoiding sweet foods.
- Use "膳食纤维" when you're focusing on fiber content for digestive health or feeling full.
Understanding these distinctions will make your Chinese conversations about food and diet much more accurate and natural. Don't mix them up, and you'll sound like you know your stuff!
Fun Fact
The term 'carbohydrate' in English also literally means 'carbon' and 'hydrate' (water).
Difficulty Rating
Four characters, relatively common in health/diet contexts.
Four characters, might require practice to write accurately.
The pinyin for each character is straightforward, but saying all four together smoothly might take a few tries.
Clearly pronounced if you know the individual characters.
What to Learn Next
Prerequisites
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Common Collocations
Common Phrases
这种食物碳水化合物很高。
This food is high in carbohydrates.
医生建议我减少碳水化合物的摄入。
The doctor advised me to reduce my carbohydrate intake.
碳水化合物是能量的主要来源。
Carbohydrates are the main source of energy.
你午餐吃了多少碳水化合物？
How many carbohydrates did you eat for lunch?
这种饮食方案强调低碳水化合物。
This diet plan emphasizes low carbohydrates.
谷物是复合碳水化合物的良好来源。
Grains are a good source of complex carbohydrates.
过多的碳水化合物会导致体重增加。
Too many carbohydrates can lead to weight gain.
运动员需要充足的碳水化合物来提供能量。
Athletes need sufficient carbohydrates for energy.
控制碳水化合物对糖尿病患者很重要。
Controlling carbohydrates is important for diabetics.
水果和蔬菜也含有碳水化合物。
Fruits and vegetables also contain carbohydrates.
Grammar Patterns
Sentence Patterns
A含有B。(A hán yǒu B.)
米饭含有大量的碳水化合物。 (Mǐfàn hán yǒu dàliàng de tànshuǐhuàhéwù.) Translation: Rice contains a lot of carbohydrates.
A是B的主要来源之一。(A shì B de zhǔyào láiyuán zhī yī.)
面包是碳水化合物的主要来源之一。 (Miànbāo shì tànshuǐhuàhéwù de zhǔyào láiyuán zhī yī.) Translation: Bread is one of the main sources of carbohydrates.
为了健康，我们应该适量摄入A。(Wèi le jiànkāng, wǒmen yīnggāi shìliàng shèrù A.)
为了健康，我们应该适量摄入碳水化合物。 (Wèi le jiànkāng, wǒmen yīnggāi shìliàng shèrù tànshuǐhuàhéwù.) Translation: For health, we should consume carbohydrates in moderation.
过多的A摄入会导致B。(Guòduō de A shèrù huì dǎozhì B.)
过多的碳水化合物摄入会导致体重增加。 (Guòduō de tànshuǐhuàhéwù shèrù huì dǎozhì tǐzhòng zēngjiā.) Translation: Excessive carbohydrate intake can lead to weight gain.
A对身体B很重要。(A duì shēntǐ B hěn zhòngyào.)
碳水化合物对身体能量供应很重要。 (Tànshuǐhuàhéwù duì shēntǐ néngliàng gōngyìng hěn zhòngyào.) Translation: Carbohydrates are very important for the body's energy supply.
有些食物富含A。(Yǒuxiē shíwù fù hán A.)
有些食物富含碳水化合物，比如土豆。 (Yǒuxiē shíwù fù hán tànshuǐhuàhéwù, bǐrú tǔdòu.) Translation: Some foods are rich in carbohydrates, such as potatoes.
A的种类有很多。(A de zhǒnglèi yǒu hěnduō.)
碳水化合物的种类有很多，有简单碳水和复杂碳水。 (Tànshuǐhuàhéwù de zhǒnglèi yǒu hěnduō, yǒu jiǎndān tànshuǐ hé fùzá tànshuǐ.) Translation: There are many types of carbohydrates, including simple and complex carbohydrates.
我们需要从A中获取能量。(Wǒmen xūyào cóng A zhōng huòqǔ néngliàng.)
我们需要从碳水化合物中获取能量来维持日常活动。 (Wǒmen xūyào cóng tànshuǐhuàhéwù zhōng huòqǔ néngliàng lái wéichí rìcháng huódòng.) Translation: We need to get energy from carbohydrates to maintain daily activities.
Word Origin
From '碳' (carbon), '水' (water), and '化合物' (compound).
Original meaning: Carbon water compound
Sino-TibetanCultural Context
The concept of 碳水化合物 is widely understood in modern Chinese health and diet discourse, similar to Western cultures. It's a common term used when discussing nutrition, particularly in the context of healthy eating and exercise.
Test Yourself 42 questions
I like to eat carbohydrates.
Rice is a carbohydrate.
Eating more carbohydrates provides energy.
Read this aloud:
我需要碳水化合物。
Focus: tàn shuǐ huà hé wù
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
面包有很多碳水化合物。
Focus: miàn bāo yǒu hěn duō tàn shuǐ huà hé wù
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
你喜欢吃碳水化合物吗？
Focus: nǐ xǐ huān chī tàn shuǐ huà hé wù ma
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
This sentence means 'I eat rice.' In Chinese, the sentence structure is typically Subject-Verb-Object.
This sentence asks 'Do you like noodles?' The particle '吗' (ma) turns a statement into a question.
This sentence means 'Bread is delicious.' '很' (hěn) means 'very' and is often used before adjectives.
We need to reduce the intake of carbohydrates.
Both rice and noodles contain a lot of carbohydrates.
Eating some carbohydrates after exercise helps to recover energy.
Read this aloud:
这个食物碳水化合物含量高吗？
Focus: 碳水化合物
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
医生建议我少吃碳水化合物。
Focus: 少吃碳水化合物
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
我的早餐通常有面包和牛奶，面包含有碳水化合物。
Focus: 面包含有碳水化合物
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
This sentence means 'Carbohydrates are the main source of energy.'
This sentence means 'He likes to eat foods rich in carbohydrates.'
This sentence means 'The carbohydrate content of this food is very high.'
为了保持健康，我们应该控制____的摄入量。
为了保持健康，我们应该控制碳水化合物的摄入量。(To stay healthy, we should control our carbohydrate intake.)
米饭和面条是亚洲人日常饮食中主要的____。
米饭和面条是亚洲人日常饮食中主要的碳水化合物。(Rice and noodles are the main carbohydrates in the daily diet of Asians.)
运动前吃一些含有____的食物可以提供能量。
运动前吃一些含有碳水化合物的食物可以提供能量。(Eating some carbohydrate-containing foods before exercise can provide energy.)
医生建议糖尿病患者要严格限制高____的食物。
医生建议糖尿病患者要严格限制高碳水化合物的食物。(Doctors advise diabetic patients to strictly limit foods high in carbohydrates.)
全麦面包比白面包含有更多的复合____。
全麦面包比白面包含有更多的复合碳水化合物。(Whole wheat bread contains more complex carbohydrates than white bread.)
水果中含有天然的____，是健康的能量来源。
水果中含有天然的碳水化合物，是健康的能量来源。(Fruits contain natural carbohydrates, which are a healthy source of energy.)
为了保持健康，我们应该选择复合___，而不是简单的糖。
这句话讨论的是保持健康所需的营养选择。复合碳水化合物（Complex Carbohydrates）是更健康的能量来源，与简单的糖相对。这里需要填入'碳水化合物'来完成句意。
许多运动饮料都含有高浓度的___，以快速补充运动员的能量。
运动饮料通常用于补充运动后消耗的能量，而碳水化合物是主要的能量来源。因此，'碳水化合物'是这里最合适的词。
营养师建议，早餐摄入足够的___有助于维持一上午的精力。
早餐是提供一天能量的重要一餐。碳水化合物是能量的主要来源，所以摄入足够的碳水化合物有助于维持精力。其他选项与保持精力无关。
高纤维的___食物，如全麦面包和燕麦，对消化系统有益。
全麦面包和燕麦都是富含碳水化合物的食物，并且含有高纤维。这句话是在强调这类食物对消化系统的益处。
糖尿病患者需要严格控制他们的___摄入量。
糖尿病患者需要特别注意控制血糖水平，而碳水化合物会直接影响血糖。因此，控制碳水化合物摄入量对他们至关重要。
在进行高强度训练前，运动员通常会选择富含___的食物来储备能量。
运动员在高强度训练前需要充足的能量储备，碳水化合物是身体最直接的能量来源。所以富含碳水化合物的食物是他们的首选。
Listen for the importance of carbohydrates for athletes' energy.
Listen for the distinction between types of carbohydrates in health advice.
Listen for the potential negative health impact of consuming too many simple carbohydrates.
Read this aloud:
请你用中文解释一下，为什么运动前需要摄入碳水化合物？
Focus: 碳水化合物 (tàn shuǐ huà hé wù)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
你认为在日常饮食中，如何平衡碳水化合物的摄入量才算健康？
Focus: 摄入量 (shè rù liàng)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
请举例说明，哪些食物是优质的复合碳水化合物来源？
Focus: 复合碳水化合物 (fù hé tàn shuǐ huà hé wù)
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
/ 42 correct
Perfect score!
Summary
碳水化合物 (tànshuǐ化合物) refers to carbohydrates, which are essential for providing energy.
- energy source
- macronutrient
- food component
Example
米饭是主要的碳水化合物来源。
Related Content
This Word in Other Languages
More health words
一粒
A2One pill; a grain (for small, round objects like pills).
一片
A2One tablet; a slice (for flat objects like pills).
不正常
A2abnormal
以上
A2Above, over (a number)
酸痛
A2Sore; aching (especially muscles).
倒是
A2On the contrary; actually.
针灸
A2Acupuncture; traditional Chinese therapy.
扎针
A2to give an injection
急性
B1acute (illness)
急性病
B1Acute disease.
