When you're talking about really tasty and special food, the Chinese word you'll use is 美食 (měishí). This isn't just about everyday meals; it refers to gourmet food, delicacies, or simply food that is exceptionally delicious. You'll often hear people use it when describing popular local dishes, famous cuisines, or a particularly good dining experience. It's a great word to know if you love exploring different foods and want to express your appreciation for great cooking. So, if something is truly scrumptious, it's 美食!
When you're talking about delicious food or gourmet dishes, the Chinese word to use is 美食 (měishí). You'll often hear this used to describe a great meal, or even an entire cuisine that's known for its good taste. Think of it as a more refined way to say "tasty food."
You can use 美食 to talk about a specific dish that's especially good, or to generally refer to the culinary delights of a particular region or culture. For example, if you're in Sichuan, you might say, "This city is famous for its 美食!"
When talking about food in Chinese, you'll often hear the word 美食 (měishí). This isn't just any food; it refers to gourmet food or delicious cuisine. Think of it as 'fine dining' or 'tasty treats.'
You can use 美食 to describe a particular dish that's especially good, or to talk about a general category of delicious food. For example, if you're in a city known for its amazing cuisine, you could say that the city has a lot of 美食.
Pronunciation Guide
- Don't pronounce the 'i' in '美' as a long 'ee' sound. It's more like the 'ay' in 'day'.
- The '声' (shēng) in '美食' (měishí) can sometimes be mispronounced as 'sheng' (first tone). Remember it's a second tone (rising tone) like in 'shone'.
Difficulty Rating
short and common characters
common characters, relatively few strokes
clear tones, easy to pronounce
distinct sounds, common vocabulary
What to Learn Next
Prerequisites
Learn Next
Advanced
Common Collocations
Common Phrases
寻找美食
look for delicious food
各种美食
all kinds of delicious food
美食之旅
food journey
美食天堂
food paradise
爱吃美食
love to eat delicious food
分享美食
share delicious food
自制美食
homemade gourmet food
品尝当地美食
taste local delicacies
享受美食的乐趣
enjoy the pleasure of good food
探索美食文化
explore food culture
How to Use It
美食 (měishí) literally means 'beautiful food' or 'delicious food'. It's a very common and versatile term to describe gourmet food, delicacies, or simply food that is particularly tasty and enjoyable. It can refer to a specific dish, a type of cuisine, or food in general when you're talking about a culinary experience.
You can use it in many contexts:
- When praising a meal: 这家餐厅的美食真多！ (Zhè jiā cāntīng de měishí zhēn duō!) - This restaurant has so much delicious food!
- When talking about local specialties: 尝尝当地的美食。 (Chángcháng dāngdì de měishí.) - Try the local gourmet food.
- When discussing food culture: 中国美食世界闻名。 (Zhōngguó měishí shìjiè wénmíng.) - Chinese gourmet food is world-renowned.
A common mistake is to overuse 美食 for every single type of food. While it means 'delicious food', it implies a certain quality or appreciation beyond just 'food' (食物 - shíwù) or 'dish' (菜 - cài).
- Incorrect: 我饿了，我想吃美食。 (Wǒ è le, wǒ xiǎng chī měishí.) - I'm hungry, I want to eat gourmet food. (While you might want gourmet food, '美食' is too specific here. '我想吃东西' (Wǒ xiǎng chī dōngxi - I want to eat something) or '我想吃点饭' (Wǒ xiǎng chī diǎn fàn - I want to eat some food/rice) would be more natural.)
- Correct: 我饿了，我想吃点东西。 (Wǒ è le, wǒ xiǎng chī diǎn dōngxi.) - I'm hungry, I want to eat something.
- Correct: 我很想念家里的美食。 (Wǒ hěn xiǎngniàn jiālǐ de měishí.) - I really miss the delicious food from home. (Here, it implies the high quality and taste of home-cooked meals.)
Remember, 美食 is often used for food that is considered a treat, a specialty, or of high culinary value, rather than just any everyday meal.
Memorize It
Mnemonic
Imagine a 'MAY-she' (美食) chef, meticulously preparing a visually stunning and delicious dish. The 'may' sounds like 'měi' (美) meaning beautiful, and 'she' sounds like 'shí' (食) meaning food. So, beautiful food!
Visual Association
Picture a lavish banquet table overflowing with beautifully presented, steaming hot dishes. Think of vibrant colors, fresh ingredients, and the aroma of delicious food filling the air. This is '美食'.
Word Web
Challenge
Think about your favorite type of '美食'. Can you describe it using a few simple Chinese words? For example, '我喜欢吃披萨美食。' (Wǒ xǐhuān chī pīsà měishí. - I like to eat pizza delicious food.) Or, if you're feeling adventurous, try to describe a famous '美食' from your country using '美食' in a sentence.
Test Yourself 30 questions
Which of these means 'delicious food'?
美食 (měishí) directly translates to gourmet food or delicious food.
You want to say 'Chinese delicious food is very famous.' Which word should you use for 'delicious food'?
In this context, 美食 (měishí) is the most appropriate word to describe delicious and famous food.
If someone says '我喜欢中国美食' (wǒ xǐhuān zhōngguó měishí), what do they like?
美食 (měishí) means delicious food, so '中国美食' means Chinese delicious food.
The word 美食 (měishí) can be used to describe a very tasty dish.
Yes, 美食 (měishí) is used for delicious or gourmet food, so it fits a very tasty dish.
If you are talking about eating a simple apple, you would use 美食 (měishí).
No, 美食 (měishí) implies gourmet or delicious food, not a simple item like an apple.
When you are in a famous restaurant known for its excellent dishes, you can describe the food as 美食 (měishí).
Yes, 美食 (měishí) is perfect for describing excellent dishes from a famous restaurant.
Listen to the sentence about liking Chinese delicious food.
Listen to the sentence about a city having a lot of delicious food.
Listen to the sentence about going to eat delicious food together.
Read this aloud:
北京有很多美食。
Focus: mei shi
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
你喜欢中国美食吗？
Focus: ni xi huan zhong guo mei shi ma
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
Read this aloud:
这真是美食！
Focus: zhe zhen shi mei shi
You said:
Speech recognition is not supported in your browser. Try Chrome or Edge.
You are at a Chinese restaurant. Write a short sentence to your friend describing a dish as 'delicious food'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
这道菜真是美食！(This dish is truly delicious food!)
Imagine you are inviting a friend to a food festival. Write a simple sentence using '美食' to say there will be a lot of delicious food.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
那里有很多美食。(There will be a lot of delicious food there.)
Write a short sentence about your favorite type of 'gourmet food'.
Well written! Good try! Check the sample answer below.
Sample answer
我喜欢中国美食。(I like Chinese gourmet food.)
这篇文章主要讲了什么？(What is this passage mainly about?)
Read this passage:
北京有很多有名的美食。游客喜欢吃北京烤鸭和饺子。你喜欢哪种美食？
这篇文章主要讲了什么？(What is this passage mainly about?)
文章中提到了北京有很多美食，并举例说明了北京烤鸭和饺子。(The passage mentions that Beijing has a lot of delicious food and gives examples like Peking duck and dumplings.)
文章中提到了北京有很多美食，并举例说明了北京烤鸭和饺子。(The passage mentions that Beijing has a lot of delicious food and gives examples like Peking duck and dumplings.)
她觉得上海的美食怎么样？(How did she feel about Shanghai's delicious food?)
Read this passage:
她周末去了上海。她在上海吃了很多美食。她觉得上海的美食很特别。
她觉得上海的美食怎么样？(How did she feel about Shanghai's delicious food?)
文章中明确写着“她觉得上海的美食很特别”。(The passage clearly states 'She felt Shanghai's delicious food was very special'.)
文章中明确写着“她觉得上海的美食很特别”。(The passage clearly states 'She felt Shanghai's delicious food was very special'.)
为什么很多人来这个城市？(Why do many people come to this city?)
Read this passage:
这个城市以它的美食闻名。很多外国人都来这里品尝美食。你来过这个城市吗？
为什么很多人来这个城市？(Why do many people come to this city?)
文章开头就说明了这个城市以它的美食闻名，所以很多人来这里品尝美食。(The passage begins by stating that this city is famous for its delicious food, which is why many people come here to taste it.)
文章开头就说明了这个城市以它的美食闻名，所以很多人来这里品尝美食。(The passage begins by stating that this city is famous for its delicious food, which is why many people come here to taste it.)
这家餐厅的北京烤鸭是他们的招牌___，很多人慕名而来。(Zhè jiā cāntīng de Běijīng kǎoyā shì tāmen de zhāopái ___, hěnduō rén mùmíng ér lái.) This restaurant's Peking duck is their signature ___, many people come specially for it.
The context implies a delicious food item that people come to taste, so '美食' (gourmet food) is the best fit.
我特别喜欢品尝各地的___，每次旅行都会去当地的市场和小吃街。(Wǒ tèbié xǐhuān pǐncháng gè dì de ___, měi cì lǚxíng dōu huì qù dāngdì de shìchǎng hé xiǎochī jiē.) I especially like to taste local ___, and every time I travel, I go to the local markets and snack streets.
The sentence talks about tasting things in markets and snack streets, which are places for food. Thus, '美食' (gourmet food) is the most suitable word.
这家米其林餐厅提供顶级的___体验，价格虽然贵但物有所值。(Zhè jiā Mǐqílín cāntīng tígōng dǐngjí de ___ tǐyàn, jiàgé suīrán guì dàn wù yǒu suǒ zhí.) This Michelin restaurant offers a top-notch ___ experience; although expensive, it's worth the price.
A Michelin restaurant is known for its high-quality food. Therefore, '美食' (gourmet food) fits the context of a 'top-notch experience' at such an establishment.
周末，我和朋友一起去探索城里的新___，发现了一家很棒的意大利餐厅。(Zhōumò, wǒ hé péngyǒu yīqǐ qù tànsuǒ chéng lǐ de xīn ___, fāxiàn le yī jiā hěn bàng de Yìdàlì cāntīng.) On the weekend, my friends and I went to explore the city's new ___, and we found a great Italian restaurant.
The discovery of a 'great Italian restaurant' clearly indicates that they were looking for delicious food, making '美食' (gourmet food) the correct choice.
在新年派对上，桌上摆满了各种各样的___，大家吃得非常开心。(Zài xīnnián pàiduì shàng, zhuō shàng bǎi mǎn le gè zhǒng gè yàng de ___, dàjiā chī dé fēicháng kāixīn.) At the New Year's party, the table was laden with all sorts of ___, and everyone ate very happily.
The phrase '大家吃得非常开心' (everyone ate very happily) directly relates to food, so '美食' (delicious food) is the appropriate word for items on a party table that people eat.
来中国旅行，你一定要尝尝当地的特色___，比如麻婆豆腐和宫保鸡丁。(Lái Zhōngguó lǚxíng, nǐ yīdìng yào cháng cháng dāngdì de tè sè ___, bǐrú má pó dòufu hé gōng bǎo jī dīng.) When traveling to China, you must try the local specialty ___, such as Mapo Tofu and Kung Pao Chicken.
Mapo Tofu and Kung Pao Chicken are famous dishes, so '特色美食' (specialty gourmet food) is the correct term to describe them in the context of trying local things while traveling.
Choose the correct word to complete the sentence: 中国有很多___，比如北京烤鸭和麻婆豆腐。
The sentence talks about famous dishes like Peking duck and Mapo tofu, which are types of delicious food.
Which of the following is most likely to be described as '美食'?
'美食' refers to gourmet or delicious food, often implying high quality or special preparation, like a dish from a Michelin chef.
他说他喜欢旅行，因为可以品尝到不同地方的___。
When traveling, people often enjoy trying different local foods. '品尝' means to taste.
如果你说一个餐厅的菜是'美食'，通常意味着它很难吃。
'美食' means delicious food, so if a restaurant's food is described as '美食', it means it is good, not bad.
在中文里，'美食'可以用来形容一份普通的三明治。
'美食' usually refers to gourmet or highly delicious food, not typically an ordinary sandwich.
去到一个新的城市，很多人会想去品尝当地的特色美食。
It's common for people visiting a new city to want to try local specialty dishes, which would be considered '美食'.
/ 30 correct
Perfect score!
Example
中国各地都有很多特色美食。
Related Content
Related Phrases
More food words
一两
B1Fifty grams; a Chinese unit of weight (approx. 50g).
一斤
B1Half a kilogram; a Chinese unit of weight (approx. 500g).
一袋
B1A bag of.
少一点儿
A2A bit less.
多一点儿
A2A bit more.
一口
B1A mouthful; a bite; a small amount (of food or drink).
一瓶
B1A bottle of.
一碗
B1Measure word for a bowl of food.
一盒
B1A box of.
一杯
B1Measure word for a cup of liquid.
