食物

• Pinyin: shí wù
• Hanzi breakdown: 食 = pictograph of a covered vessel with food inside; 物 = 牛 (ox) + 勿 (not, phonetic), meaning 'thing/object'

Meaning

Food. A general term for anything edible.

A somewhat formal or written term for food in general. In casual daily speech, people more often say 吃的 (something to eat) or 东西 (stuff). 食物 is preferred in contexts involving health, science, safety, and written descriptions. Common collocations include 健康食物, 食物安全.

Examples

1. 冰箱里还有一些食物。 There is still some food in the fridge.
2. 健康的食物对身体好。 Healthy food is good for the body.
3. 这种食物很受小朋友欢迎。 This type of food is very popular with children.

Usage Guide

Context: health, science, daily life

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 超市里有各种各样的食物。(The supermarket has all kinds of food.)
• 不要浪费食物。(Don't waste food.)

Don't Say

• 不要在日常口语中说'我要买食物' (Don't say 我要买食物 in casual speech — it sounds overly formal; use 我要买吃的 or 我要买菜 instead)

Origin & History

食 (shí, to eat/food) + 物 (wù, thing/object). Literally 'edible thing,' a straightforward compound for food items.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal