品

• Pinyin: pǐn
• Hanzi breakdown: 品 = three 口 (mouths) stacked, to taste/evaluate

Meaning

To taste; to savor; to appreciate. Carefully tasting or evaluating something.

Used for deliberate, careful tasting of food/drinks (品茶 taste tea, 品酒 taste wine) and for appreciating art or life (品味 taste/appreciate). Different from casual eating/drinking. Implies refined appreciation.

Examples

1. 请慢慢品尝这道菜的独特风味。 Please slowly savor the unique flavor of this dish.
2. 他喜欢在午后品一杯好茶。 He likes to enjoy a good cup of tea in the afternoon.
3. 她很会品酒，能尝出产地和年份。 She's very good at wine tasting and can tell the origin and vintage.

Usage Guide

Context: food, wine, tea, appreciation

Tone: elegant

Do Say

• 品茶是一种艺术。(Tea tasting is an art.)
• 我们一起品尝一下这瓶红酒。(Let's taste this bottle of red wine together.)

Don't Say

• 我品了一碗米饭。(For ordinary eating, use 吃 — 品 implies savoring something special)

Origin & History

Three mouths (口) stacked — original meaning was to discuss, evolved to mean taste/evaluate.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal