零食

• Pinyin: líng shí
• Hanzi breakdown: 零 = 雨 (rain) + 令 (command, phonetic) — scattered like raindrops; 食 = pictograph of a food vessel with lid

Meaning

Snacks; between-meal food. Small food items eaten outside of regular mealtimes.

Covers all kinds of snacks eaten between meals — chips, candy, nuts, dried fruit, biscuits, etc. In Chinese culture, 零食 is distinguished from 正餐 (regular meals). The term is neutral but parents and health-conscious speakers may use it with a slightly disapproving tone when warning against excessive snacking.

Examples

1. 孩子们都喜欢吃零食，不爱吃正餐。 Children all love eating snacks and don't like eating proper meals.
2. 超市里的零食种类非常多。 There are many kinds of snacks in the supermarket.
3. 医生建议她少吃零食，多吃水果。 The doctor recommended she eat fewer snacks and more fruit.

Usage Guide

Context: food, everyday, health

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你要带点零食去看电影吗？(Do you want to bring some snacks to the movie?)
• 她的抽屉里全是零食。(Her drawer is full of snacks.)

Don't Say

• 我们去吃零食吧 — if suggesting a meal or outing, say 去吃点东西 instead; 零食 implies snacking, not a proper meal

Origin & History

零 means 'fragmentary' or 'odd bits' and 食 means 'food.' Together they describe food eaten in small, scattered amounts outside of meals.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal