盐

• Pinyin: yán
• Hanzi breakdown: 盐 = 卤 (brine/salt water) + 皿 (vessel/container); simplified from 鹽

Meaning

Salt. The common mineral used in cooking and food preservation.

Refers primarily to table salt (食盐). Central to Chinese cuisine and historically a state-controlled commodity. Used in expressions like 少放盐 (add less salt) and 高盐饮食 (high-salt diet). Also appears in chemistry (化学盐 — chemical salt) and place names (盐城 — Yancheng).

Examples

1. 医生建议老年人每天摄入的盐不要超过五克。 Doctors recommend that elderly people consume no more than five grams of salt per day.
2. 做这道菜要少放一点盐，口味淡一些更健康。 When making this dish, add a little less salt — a lighter flavour is healthier.
3. 海水中含有大量的盐，不可以直接饮用。 Seawater contains a large amount of salt and cannot be drunk directly.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, food, health

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 这道汤有点淡，再加一点盐吧。(This soup is a little bland — add a bit more salt.)
• 减少盐的摄入有助于降低血压。(Reducing salt intake helps lower blood pressure.)

Don't Say

• 把食盐的'盐'和化学术语'盐'混淆而不加说明 (Be aware that 盐 in chemistry refers to any salt compound, not just table salt — in general conversation it means cooking salt unless the context is clearly scientific)

Origin & History

The character 盐 depicts brine (卤) in a vessel (皿), reflecting the ancient practice of evaporating salt from brine. Simplified from 鹽.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal