煮

• Pinyin: zhǔ
• Hanzi breakdown: 煮 = 者 (phonetic) + 灬 (fire radical at bottom)

Meaning

To boil; to cook in water or liquid; to simmer.

A fundamental cooking method involving submerging food in boiling water or liquid. Used for cooking noodles, eggs, dumplings, soups, and congee. Distinct from 炒 (stir-fry), 蒸 (steam), and 炸 (deep-fry).

Examples

1. 水开了以后把饺子放进去煮五分钟就好。 After the water boils, put the dumplings in and cook for five minutes.
2. 妈妈正在厨房里煮面条，香味飘满了整个房间。 Mom is cooking noodles in the kitchen, and the aroma fills the whole room.
3. 这种药材需要用小火慢慢煮两个小时才能发挥药效。 This medicinal herb needs to be simmered over low heat for two hours to take effect.

Usage Guide

Context: cooking, daily life, food

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 帮我煮两个鸡蛋。(Help me boil two eggs.)
• 这汤煮了三个小时。(This soup has been simmering for three hours.)

Don't Say

• 煮牛排。(Unusual — steak is typically 煎 pan-fried or 烤 grilled, not boiled)

Origin & History

A phono-semantic compound with 火 (fire) at the bottom indicating cooking, and 者 as the phonetic component.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal