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A2 verb #5,000 most common 2 min read

烧菜

shaocai Top 5,000

When we talk about cooking in Chinese, one very common verb you'll hear is 烧菜 (shāocài). This literally translates to "burn vegetables" or "cook dishes." It's a versatile term that covers a wide range of cooking methods, from stir-frying to braising, stewing, and even boiling.

You can use 烧菜 to describe the general act of preparing a meal, like "I'm cooking tonight" (我今晚烧菜). It implies cooking multiple dishes to make a meal, rather than just preparing a single item. For instance, if you're making a full dinner with a few different dishes, you would say you are 烧菜. It emphasizes the process of preparing a complete meal by cooking various components.

Practice it Notes & Tips

烧菜 in 30 Seconds

烧菜 means 'to cook dishes'.
It's a common verb for preparing meals.
You can use it for various cooking methods.

§ What does "烧菜" mean?

"烧菜" (shāocài) is a very practical and common verb in Chinese. It means 'to cook dishes' or 'to prepare food by cooking'. Think of it as the general action of making a meal, especially referring to the preparation of multiple dishes for a meal rather than just one specific cooking method like frying or boiling.

DEFINITION: To cook dishes, to prepare food by cooking.

It's a straightforward term that you'll hear and use frequently if you're talking about daily life, meals, or food preparation. It covers a broad range of cooking activities.

§ When do people use "烧菜"?

You use "烧菜" when you're talking about the act of cooking a meal. It's a very common everyday term. Here are some situations:

When someone is preparing dinner at home.
When discussing who cooks in a household.
When talking about learning how to cook.
When describing what a chef does.

It's less about the specific cooking method (like 'frying' or 'steaming') and more about the overall process of making a meal with different dishes.

我妈妈每天都烧菜，很好吃。

Translation hint: My mom cooks dishes every day, they are delicious.

你会烧菜吗？

Translation hint: Can you cook dishes?

他正在厨房里烧菜。

Translation hint: He is cooking dishes in the kitchen.

"烧菜" is a versatile term that helps you express the common daily activity of cooking. Master this word, and you'll be able to talk about food preparation with ease.

今天晚上我来烧菜吧。

Translation hint: Tonight, let me cook dishes.

Understanding "烧菜" is a fundamental step in being able to discuss everyday activities in Chinese. It's an active verb that implies action and preparation in the kitchen. Keep practicing with examples and try to incorporate it into your conversations about food!

Pronunciation Guide

UK /ʃaʊ tsaɪ/

US /ʃaʊ tsaɪ/

shao1 cai4

Rhymes With

hao mao pao

Common Errors

Incorrect tone for 'shao' (should be first tone)
Incorrect tone for 'cai' (should be fourth tone)

Word Family

Nouns

菜 (cài) dish; vegetable

厨师 (chúshī) chef; cook

饭 (fàn) meal; cooked rice

Tips

Basic Meaning

烧菜 (shāocài) means to cook dishes or to prepare food by cooking. It's a general term for cooking.

Sentence Structure

You can use it like this: 我烧菜。 (Wǒ shāocài.) - I cook dishes. Or: 我会烧菜。 (Wǒ huì shāocài.) - I can cook dishes.

Cooking Specific Dishes

When talking about specific dishes, you can say: 烧鱼 (shāo yú) - to braise fish, or 烧豆腐 (shāo dòufu) - to braise tofu.

Common Usage

It's often used when talking about home cooking. For example: 你今天晚上烧什么菜？ (Nǐ jīntiān wǎnshang shāo shénme cài?) - What are you cooking tonight?

Not Just 'Burn'

Be careful, while 烧 (shāo) can mean 'to burn', in 烧菜, it refers to the cooking process, often involving heat, but not literally burning the food.

Synonym: 做饭 (zuòfàn)

Another common phrase for 'to cook' is 做饭 (zuòfàn). While often interchangeable, 烧菜 usually emphasizes the act of preparing specific dishes, while 做饭 can be more general for 'making a meal'.

Questioning Cooking Ability

If you want to ask if someone can cook, you'd say: 你会烧菜吗？ (Nǐ huì shāocài ma?) - Can you cook?

Importance of Home Cooking

In Chinese culture, home-cooked meals (家常菜 - jiāchángcài) are highly valued. Being able to 烧菜 is often seen as a desirable skill.

Beyond Basic Cooking

While 烧菜 covers general cooking, for more specific cooking methods like stir-frying (炒 - chǎo) or steaming (蒸 - zhēng), you'd use those specific verbs.

Practice Saying It

Try saying: 我喜欢烧菜。 (Wǒ xǐhuan shāocài.) - I like to cook dishes. This will help you get comfortable with the pronunciation and tone.

Practice in Real Life

Real-World Contexts

Talking about daily chores or routines.

我每天都烧菜。(Wǒ měitiān dōu shāocài.) - I cook every day.
她不喜欢烧菜。(Tā bù xǐhuān shāocài.) - She doesn't like to cook.
你今天烧什么菜？(Nǐ jīntiān shāo shénme cài?) - What are you cooking today?

Discussing hobbies or skills.

他很会烧菜。(Tā hěn huì shāocài.) - He's very good at cooking.
你喜欢烧菜吗？(Nǐ xǐhuān shāocài ma?) - Do you like cooking?
烧菜是我的爱好。(Shāocài shì wǒ de àihào.) - Cooking is my hobby.

Planning a meal or dinner.

我们一起烧菜吧。(Wǒmen yīqǐ shāocài ba.) - Let's cook together.
我来烧菜，你来洗碗。(Wǒ lái shāocài, nǐ lái xǐwǎn.) - I'll cook, you wash the dishes.
今晚谁烧菜？(Jīnwǎn shéi shāocài?) - Who's cooking tonight?

Describing someone's cooking ability.

她烧菜很好吃。(Tā shāocài hěn hào chī.) - Her cooking is delicious.
他烧菜一般般。(Tā shāocài yībānbān.) - His cooking is just so-so.
我妈妈烧菜最好吃。(Wǒ māma shāocài zuì hǎo chī.) - My mom's cooking is the best.

Asking about food preparation.

这些菜是你烧的吗？(Zhèxiē cài shì nǐ shāo de ma?) - Did you cook these dishes?
怎么烧这个菜？(Zěnme shāo zhège cài?) - How do you cook this dish?
他正在厨房烧菜。(Tā zhèngzài chúfáng shāocài.) - He is cooking in the kitchen.

Conversation Starters

"你喜欢烧菜吗？(Nǐ xǐhuān shāocài ma?) - Do you like to cook?"

"你平时烧菜多吗？(Nǐ píngshí shāocài duō ma?) - Do you cook often normally?"

"你觉得烧菜难吗？(Nǐ juéde shāocài nán ma?) - Do you think cooking is difficult?"

"你最拿手烧什么菜？(Nǐ zuì náshǒu shāo shénme cài?) - What dish are you best at cooking?"

"你有没有尝试过烧中国菜？(Nǐ yǒu méiyǒu chángshì guò shāo Zhōngguó cài?) - Have you ever tried cooking Chinese food?"

Journal Prompts

描述你最近一次烧菜的经历。(Miáoshù nǐ zuìjìn yīcì shāocài de jīnglì.) - Describe your most recent cooking experience.

如果你要为家人或朋友烧一道菜，你会烧什么？为什么？(Rúguǒ nǐ yào wèi jiārén huò péngyǒu shāo yī dào cài, nǐ huì shāo shénme? Wèishénme?) - If you were to cook a dish for family or friends, what would you cook? Why?

烧菜对你来说意味着什么？(Shāocài duì nǐ lái shuō yìwèizhe shénme?) - What does cooking mean to you?

你从谁那里学到烧菜的？(Nǐ cóng shéi nàlǐ xué dào shāocài de?) - From whom did you learn to cook?

分享一个你在烧菜时遇到的小插曲。(Fēnxiǎng yīgè nǐ zài shāocài shí yùdào de xiǎo chāqǔ.) - Share a small incident you encountered while cooking.

Test Yourself 30 questions

fill blank A1

我喜欢在家___。

Correct! Not quite. Correct answer: 烧菜

The sentence means 'I like to cook at home.' '烧菜' (shāocài) means 'to cook dishes'.

fill blank A1

妈妈每天晚上都会___。

Correct! Not quite. Correct answer: 烧菜

The sentence means 'Mom cooks every evening.' '烧菜' (shāocài) means 'to cook dishes'.

fill blank A1

他周末喜欢和朋友一起___。

Correct! Not quite. Correct answer: 烧菜

The sentence means 'He likes to cook with friends on weekends.' '烧菜' (shāocài) means 'to cook dishes'.

fill blank A1

你会___中国菜吗？

Correct! Not quite. Correct answer: 烧

The sentence means 'Can you cook Chinese food?' '烧' (shāo) is part of '烧菜' (shāocài) and means 'to cook'.

fill blank A1

我今天想学___。

Correct! Not quite. Correct answer: 烧菜

The sentence means 'I want to learn to cook today.' '烧菜' (shāocài) means 'to cook dishes'.

fill blank A1

她的爱好是___。

Correct! Not quite. Correct answer: 烧菜

The sentence means 'Her hobby is cooking.' '烧菜' (shāocài) means 'to cook dishes'.

listening A1

My mom likes to cook.

Correct! Not quite. Correct answer: 妈妈喜欢烧菜。