豆子

• Pinyin: dòu zi
• Hanzi breakdown: 豆 = pictograph of a high-stemmed vessel, later meaning bean; 子 = diminutive/collective noun suffix

Meaning

Beans; legumes in general. A colloquial collective term for soybeans, mung beans, red beans, and similar legumes.

A general, informal term for beans of various kinds used in everyday cooking and market contexts. Specific beans are named more precisely: 黄豆 (soybean), 绿豆 (mung bean), 红豆 (red bean), 豌豆 (pea).

Examples

1. 奶奶把一碗干豆子泡在水里，准备明天煮粥用。 Grandma soaked a bowl of dried beans in water, getting ready to make porridge tomorrow.
2. 市场上各种豆子摆满了整整一排货架。 All kinds of beans filled an entire row of shelves at the market.
3. 她用自家种的豆子做了一锅香喷喷的豆腐。 She made a pot of fragrant tofu using beans she grew herself.

Usage Guide

Context: cooking, food, daily life

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 熬红豆粥前，要先把豆子泡发几个小时才能煮烂。(Before making red bean porridge, you need to soak the beans for several hours so they cook through.)
• 他在阳台上种了几盆豆子，每天精心打理。(He grew several pots of beans on the balcony and tended to them carefully every day.)

Don't Say

• 他这个人是个豆子 — 豆子 is literally beans and not used as a metaphor for a person; use 他很渺小 or 他无足轻重 for someone insignificant

Origin & History

豆 (bean/legume) + 子 (suffix indicating a small object or member of a category)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal