食欲

• Pinyin: shí yù
• Hanzi breakdown: 食 = food, to eat; 欲 = desire — appetite

Meaning

Appetite; desire for food. The physiological or psychological urge to eat.

Used in both everyday and medical contexts. Common collocations: 食欲不振 (poor appetite), 食欲大增 (greatly increased appetite), 没有食欲 (no appetite). Often discussed in relation to health, mood, or illness. More formal than simply saying 想吃东西.

Examples

1. 这几天天气太热，我完全没有食欲。 The weather has been so hot these days that I have no appetite at all.
2. 医生说这种药可能会影响你的食欲。 The doctor said this medication might affect your appetite.
3. 看到这些美食照片，我的食欲一下子就来了。 Seeing these food photos, my appetite suddenly kicked in.

Usage Guide

Context: health, medical, everyday

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 生病后食欲不振很正常。(It's normal to have a poor appetite after being sick.)
• 运动后食欲大增。(Appetite increases greatly after exercise.)

Don't Say

• 不要混淆'食欲'和'性欲' (Don't confuse 食欲 with 性欲 — the former is appetite for food, the latter is sexual desire)

Origin & History

Compound of 食 (food, to eat) + 欲 (desire, want). Literally 'desire for food.'

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal