啤酒

• Pinyin: pí jiǔ
• Hanzi breakdown: 啤 = 口 (mouth) + 卑 (low, phonetic), a modern phonetic character for 'beer'; 酒 = 氵(water) + 酉 (wine vessel)

Meaning

Beer. An alcoholic drink made from fermented grains, widely consumed in China and around the world.

The standard word for beer in Chinese. China is one of the world's largest beer markets. Common brands include 青岛啤酒, 雪花啤酒, and 燕京啤酒. Often ordered at restaurants and social gatherings. Appears in compounds like 啤酒节 (beer festival) and 啤酒肚 (beer belly).

Examples

1. 夏天的时候，喝一杯冰啤酒特别舒服。 In summer, drinking a cold beer is especially refreshing.
2. 他每天晚上都要喝两瓶啤酒。 He drinks two bottles of beer every evening.
3. 你喜欢喝啤酒还是白酒？ Do you prefer beer or baijiu?

Usage Guide

Context: dining, social, daily life

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 来两瓶啤酒！(Two beers, please! — ordering at a restaurant.)
• 我不太会喝酒，来杯啤酒就好。(I can't hold my liquor well — just a beer is fine.)

Don't Say

• 请给我一个啤酒。(Don't use 个 as the measure word for beer — use 杯 (glass) or 瓶 (bottle). Say 一杯啤酒 or 一瓶啤酒.)

Origin & History

啤 is a phonetic borrowing from the English word 'beer' (啤 approximates the sound). 酒 means alcoholic drink. So 啤酒 literally means beer-alcohol.

Cultural Context

Generation: Adults

Social background: Universal