汤圆

• Pinyin: tāng yuán
• Hanzi breakdown: 汤 = 氵(water) + 昜 (phonetic); 圆 = 囗 (enclosure) + 员 (member)

Meaning

Glutinous rice balls; tangyuan. Sweet dumplings made of glutinous rice flour, often filled with sesame or red bean paste.

A traditional Chinese dessert eaten especially during the Lantern Festival and Winter Solstice. The round shape symbolizes family reunion and harmony. Various fillings include black sesame, peanut, and red bean.

Examples

1. 元宵节吃汤圆是中国的传统习俗，寓意团团圆圆。 Eating tangyuan during the Lantern Festival is a Chinese tradition, symbolizing family reunion.
2. 奶奶包的黑芝麻汤圆特别好吃，馅料香甜流心。 Grandma's black sesame tangyuan are especially delicious — the filling is sweet and flows out.
3. 超市里的速冻汤圆虽然方便，但还是比不上自己做的。 Frozen tangyuan from the supermarket are convenient, but they still can't compare to homemade ones.

Usage Guide

Context: food, festivals, family

Tone: warm

Do Say

• 元宵节要吃汤圆。(We eat tangyuan during the Lantern Festival.)
• 汤圆馅儿是什么的？(What filling is in the tangyuan?)

Don't Say

• 把'汤圆'和'元宵'完全等同 (They're similar but made differently — 汤圆 is wrapped, 元宵 is rolled)

Origin & History

汤 means soup or broth, 圆 means round. The dessert is round dumplings served in sweet soup.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal