肉

• Pinyin: ròu
• Hanzi breakdown: 肉 = pictograph of a piece of meat; also the origin of the 月 radical when appearing on the left side of characters (meaning flesh/body)

Meaning

Meat; flesh. The general term for any type of meat.

When used alone, 肉 typically refers to pork in most Chinese contexts, as pork is the most commonly eaten meat. For other meats, a modifier is added: 牛肉 (beef), 鸡肉 (chicken), 羊肉 (lamb). Also used in compound words related to food and cooking.

Examples

1. 我喜欢吃肉。 I like to eat meat.
2. 今天买了一些肉。 I bought some meat today.
3. 这个菜里有肉吗？ Is there meat in this dish?

Usage Guide

Context: food, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你吃肉吗？(Do you eat meat?)
• 这个肉很好吃。(This meat is very delicious.)

Don't Say

• 我要一个肉。(Don't use 个 — say 我要一块肉 using the correct measure word 块 for a piece of meat)

Origin & History

A pictograph that originally depicted a piece of meat or flesh. The character's shape evolved from depicting strips of dried meat.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal