红薯

• Pinyin: hóng shǔ
• Hanzi breakdown: 红 = 纟+ 工; 薯 = 艹(grass/plant radical) + 署 (phonetic) — a plant tuber

Meaning

Sweet potato. A starchy root vegetable with orange or white flesh, widely consumed across China.

A staple food in Chinese rural and urban diets alike. Eaten roasted, steamed, boiled, or processed into snacks and noodles. Associated with rural life, winter street food, and frugal but wholesome eating. Also called 地瓜 in some regions.

Examples

1. 每逢冬季，街头巷尾随处可见推着炉车卖烤红薯的小贩，那股香甜的气味弥漫在冷空气里令人食欲大增。 Every winter, you can see vendors pushing charcoal stoves and selling roasted sweet potatoes on nearly every street corner, and the warm, sweet aroma drifting through the cold air makes everyone hungry.
2. 研究表明，红薯富含膳食纤维和多种抗氧化物质，是一种营养价值极高的天然食品。 Research shows that sweet potatoes are rich in dietary fiber and a variety of antioxidants, making them a highly nutritious natural food.
3. 奶奶总是把红薯切成薄片晒干，做成红薯干留到冬天慢慢享用，这是她年轻时就养成的习惯。 Grandma always slices sweet potatoes thin and dries them to make dried sweet potato chips to enjoy slowly over the winter—a habit she formed when she was young.

Usage Guide

Context: food, agriculture, nutrition, everyday life

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 今年的红薯大丰收，农民们把一筐筐沉甸甸的红薯从地里运出来，喜悦之情溢于言表。(This year's sweet potato harvest was exceptionally abundant — farmers carried basket after basket of hefty sweet potatoes out of the fields, their joy written all over their faces.)
• 营养师建议以红薯代替部分精白米饭，既能控制血糖，又能补充充足的膳食纤维。(The nutritionist recommended substituting sweet potato for some refined white rice — it helps manage blood sugar while also providing ample dietary fibre.)

Don't Say

• 红薯 interchangeably with 土豆 (potato) — 红薯 is sweet potato while 土豆 is the common potato; they are distinct vegetables with different flavour profiles and culinary uses

Origin & History

红 (red; referring to the reddish skin) + 薯 (yam/potato) — the red-skinned potato

Cultural Context

Era: Traditional to Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal