就餐

• Pinyin: jiù cān
• Hanzi breakdown: 就 = 京 (tall place) + 尤 (phonetic) — to approach, to engage in; 餐 = 食 (eat) + 歺 (remnants, phonetic) — meal

Meaning

To dine; to have a meal (formal written term).

A formal or official-register term for eating a meal, most often appearing in written notices, institutional settings, and public signage. Commonly seen in workplace canteen notices, hotel dining instructions, and public health announcements. In spoken Chinese, people typically say 吃饭 instead. 就餐 adds a sense of order and formality.

Examples

1. 公司食堂每天为两千余名员工提供就餐服务，菜品丰富，价格实惠。 The company canteen provides dining services for more than two thousand employees each day, offering a wide variety of dishes at affordable prices.
2. 疫情期间，餐厅实行分批就餐制度，合理控制了用餐人数和时间。 During the pandemic, the restaurant implemented a staggered dining system to effectively manage the number of diners and meal times.
3. 请各位同学凭餐卡在规定时间内就餐，餐厅不提供外带服务。 Students are asked to use their meal cards and dine within the designated hours; the canteen does not offer takeaway service.

Usage Guide

Context: dining, workplace, institutional, formal writing

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 请于十二点前往一楼食堂就餐。(Please proceed to the first-floor canteen to dine at noon.)
• 酒店为住客提供免费早餐，就餐时间为七点至九点半。(The hotel offers complimentary breakfast for guests; dining hours are from seven to nine-thirty.)

Don't Say

• 我们周末去就餐吧。(就餐 sounds overly stiff in casual conversation — use 吃饭、下馆子、去吃东西 when talking to friends)

Origin & History

就 (to engage in, to go to) + 餐 (meal, to eat). Together: to proceed to eat; to take a meal. A written compound favoured in formal and institutional contexts.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal