烹调

• Pinyin: pēng tiáo
• Hanzi breakdown: 烹 = 亨 + 火 (prosperous + fire — cook to perfection); 调 = 讠 + 周 (speech/adjust + complete — to balance and blend)

Meaning

Cook; to prepare food using heat; the art and technique of cooking; culinary preparation.

A more formal and literary term than 做饭 (cook food). Encompasses the full range of cooking techniques. 烹调技艺 (culinary skills) appears frequently in discussions of Chinese cuisine, gastronomy, and food culture.

Examples

1. 中华烹调技艺历史悠久，融合了数千年的饮食智慧。 Chinese culinary techniques have a long history, drawing on thousands of years of food wisdom.
2. 她在烹调这道菜时，特别注重火候的掌控。 When she cooks this dish, she pays special attention to controlling the heat.
3. 这所学校开设了专业烹调课程，培养未来的厨师人才。 This school offers professional culinary courses to train future chefs.

Usage Guide

Context: cuisine, food culture, culinary arts, gastronomy

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 正宗的川菜烹调讲究麻辣鲜香的层次感，对火候和调料的比例要求极为严格。(Authentic Sichuan cooking emphasises layered sensations of spice, heat, freshness, and fragrance, with extremely precise requirements for heat control and seasoning ratios.)
• 这位主厨将法式烹调技法与本地食材相结合，创造出独具一格的融合料理。(This head chef combines French cooking techniques with local ingredients to create a uniquely distinctive fusion cuisine.)

Don't Say

• 他烹调了一顿饭给我吃 — use 做了一顿饭 in casual speech; 烹调 is elevated and sounds unnatural in everyday conversational contexts

Origin & History

烹 (cook over fire) + 调 (season, blend) — to apply heat and adjust seasoning

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal