饼

• Pinyin: bǐng
• Hanzi breakdown: 饼 = 饣(food) + 并 (combine, phonetic)

Meaning

Cake; pancake; flatbread. A round, flat baked or fried food.

A generic term for various round, flat foods including 月饼 (mooncake), 烧饼 (sesame flatbread), 煎饼 (jianbing crepe), and 馅饼 (stuffed pancake). Different from Western-style layered cakes (蛋糕).

Examples

1. 中秋节的时候，中国人都会吃月饼。 During the Mid-Autumn Festival, Chinese people all eat mooncakes.
2. 早上我在街边买了一个煎饼，又便宜又好吃。 In the morning I bought a jianbing from a street vendor; it was cheap and delicious.
3. 奶奶做的葱油饼是我童年最美好的回忆。 The scallion pancakes my grandmother makes are among my best childhood memories.

Usage Guide

Context: food, everyday, festivals

Tone: casual

Do Say

• 你喜欢吃什么饼？(What kind of pancake/flatbread do you like?)
• 这个饼很好吃。(This flatbread is delicious.)

Don't Say

• 把西式蛋糕叫'饼'——西式蛋糕应该说'蛋糕' (Don't call Western-style layer cakes 饼 — use 蛋糕 for those)

Origin & History

The character combines 饣(food radical) with 并 (phonetic), indicating a type of food.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal