豆浆

• Pinyin: dòu jiāng
• Hanzi breakdown: 豆 = pictograph of a bean in a pod; 浆 = 将 + 水 (water) — thick liquid

Meaning

Soy milk; a traditional Chinese beverage made by soaking and grinding soybeans, then boiling the liquid.

A staple of Chinese breakfast culture, especially in northern China. Commonly paired with fried dough sticks (油条). Can be drunk sweet or savory. Savory-style (咸豆浆) is topped with vinegar, dried shrimp, and pickled mustard greens.

Examples

1. 一杯热豆浆配上两根油条，是许多人最喜欢的早餐。 A cup of hot soy milk with a couple of fried dough sticks is many people’s favorite breakfast.
2. 她每天早上自己在家磨豆浆，坚持了十几年。 She has ground soy milk at home every morning for more than ten years.
3. 这家老店卖的豆浆口感醇厚，深受周边居民喜爱。 The soy milk at this old shop is rich and smooth, and it’s loved by the nearby residents.

Usage Guide

Context: food, breakfast, daily life

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 南方咸豆浆的做法是在热豆浆里加醋、虾皮和榨菜。(Southern-style savory soy milk is made by adding vinegar, dried shrimp, and pickled mustard greens to hot soy milk.)
• 豆浆机普及后，越来越多的家庭开始自制新鲜豆浆。(With the spread of soy milk makers, more and more families have started making fresh soy milk at home.)

Don't Say

• 豆浆等同于牛奶 — 豆浆 is soy milk with a distinct flavor profile; avoid presenting it as a direct nutritional equivalent to 牛奶 without qualification

Origin & History

豆 (bean/soybean) + 浆 (thick liquid/paste)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal