玉米

• Pinyin: yù mǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 玉 = jade (used for its lustrous appearance, comparing the kernels to jade beads); 米 = 十 + 八 (eight), husked grain

Meaning

Corn; maize. A cereal grain originating from the Americas, now one of China's most widely grown crops.

In China, 玉米 is eaten in many forms: boiled on the cob, roasted as a street snack, ground into cornmeal, or used as animal feed and for making ethanol. 玉米粒 means corn kernels, 玉米粉 means cornflour, and 玉米棒子 is a colloquial term for a corn cob.

Examples

1. 夏天路边烤玉米的香味总是让人忍不住想买一根来吃。 In summer, the aroma of roasted corn on the roadside always makes it impossible to resist buying one.
2. 农民今年在田里种了大片的玉米，眼看着长势非常喜人。 The farmers planted a large field of corn this year, and the crop is visibly growing very well.
3. 她把玉米切成段，和排骨一起煮汤，味道十分鲜甜。 She cut the corn into sections and simmered them with pork ribs in a soup, which tasted wonderfully sweet.

Usage Guide

Context: food, everyday, agriculture

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 我想吃烤玉米，你能帮我买一根吗？(I'd love to eat a roasted corn on the cob — can you buy one for me?)
• 这里的玉米很甜，特别好吃。(The corn here is very sweet and tastes wonderful.)

Don't Say

• 将'玉米'和'大麦'或'小麦'混淆 (Don't confuse 玉米 with 大麦 barley or 小麦 wheat — 玉米 specifically refers to maize/corn)

Origin & History

Named 玉米 (jade rice/grain) because of its lustrous, jewel-like kernels. Maize was introduced to China in the sixteenth century via trade routes and rapidly became a staple crop.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal