涮

• Pinyin: shuàn
• Hanzi breakdown: 涮 = 氵(water radical) + 刷 = 尸 + 刀 (brush — rapid rinsing motion in liquid)

Meaning

To rinse briefly in boiling liquid; to cook by briefly dipping in hot broth; to trick or dupe someone (colloquial).

涮锅子 and 涮羊肉 refer to the hot pot tradition of briefly cooking thin-sliced ingredients in boiling broth. In colloquial usage, 被涮了 means to have been deceived or made a fool of.

Examples

1. 他将羊肉片放入沸腾的火锅中涮了几下便捞出享用。 He dipped the lamb slices into the boiling hot pot for a few swishes, then lifted them out to eat.
2. 涮完蔬菜后，锅中的汤底愈发鲜美浓郁。 After blanching the vegetables, the broth in the pot became even richer and more flavorful.
3. 别被那个人涮了，他说的话根本不可信。 Don’t let that person fool you—nothing he says is trustworthy.

Usage Guide

Context: food, cooking, colloquial

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 涮羊肉是老北京冬季最受欢迎的传统美食之一。(Hot pot mutton is one of the most popular traditional winter dishes among Beijingers.)
• 将蔬菜在滚水中涮十秒钟，可以保留其脆嫩的口感。(Briefly dipping vegetables in boiling water for ten seconds helps preserve their crisp and tender texture.)

Don't Say

• 用涮描述长时间煮食物 — use 煮 or 炖 for prolonged cooking; 涮 specifically means a brief dip in hot liquid, not thorough cooking

Origin & History

涮 = 氵(water radical) + 刷 (brush/scrub) — scrubbing or rinsing motion in water

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal