白菜

• Pinyin: bái cài
• Hanzi breakdown: 白 = pictograph of a white object (sun just appearing); 菜 = 艹 (grass/plant) + 采 (pick), meaning vegetable

Meaning

Chinese cabbage; napa cabbage. A very common vegetable in Chinese cuisine.

One of the most widely consumed vegetables in China. Also appears in the idiom 白菜价 (cabbage price), meaning something is very cheap. Used in stir-fries, soups, dumplings, and hot pot.

Examples

1. 今天超市的白菜特别便宜。 The Chinese cabbage at the supermarket is especially cheap today.
2. 妈妈用白菜和豆腐做了一个汤。 Mom made a soup with cabbage and tofu.
3. 冬天的时候，北方人喜欢买很多白菜。 In winter, northerners like to buy a lot of cabbage.

Usage Guide

Context: food, shopping, cooking

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 白菜炖豆腐是一道很好吃的家常菜。(Braised cabbage with tofu is a delicious home-style dish.)
• 这件衣服白菜价，才二十块钱。(This shirt is dirt cheap, only twenty yuan.)

Don't Say

• 我要吃一个白菜 (Don't use 一个 for cabbage — use 棵 as the measure word: 一棵白菜)

Origin & History

Compound of 白 (white) and 菜 (vegetable), referring to the pale colour of its inner leaves.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal