馅儿

• Pinyin: xiànr
• Hanzi breakdown: 馅 = 食 + 臽 (food in a hollow cavity); 儿 = diminutive/erhua suffix

Meaning

Filling; stuffing placed inside food such as dumplings, buns, or pastries.

Refers to the edible filling inside wrapped or enclosed foods in Chinese cuisine. The 儿 suffix reflects Beijing-dialect erhua pronunciation. Can also be used metaphorically for hidden substance within something.

Examples

1. 这家饺子馆的猪肉馅儿特别鲜嫩，令人回味无穷。 The pork filling at this dumpling place is especially fresh and tender, and it really stays with you.
2. 她亲手调制了一份素馅儿，里面放了豆腐、香菇和粉条。 She made a vegetarian filling herself, with tofu, shiitake mushrooms, and glass noodles.
3. 这款月饼的馅儿是莲蓉加咸蛋黄，香甜中带有微微的咸味。 This mooncake is filled with lotus seed paste and salted egg yolk—sweet with a slight salty note.

Usage Guide

Context: food, cooking, daily life

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 你喜欢什么馅儿的包子，肉的还是素的？(What kind of filling do you prefer in your steamed buns — meat or vegetarian?)
• 今天我们包饺子，馅儿是韭菜和鸡蛋的，特别香。(Today we're making dumplings with a leek and egg filling — it's wonderfully fragrant.)

Don't Say

• 馅儿料很多 — use 馅儿很足 or 馅儿很多; 馅儿 is already the filling material, 料 is redundant here

Origin & History

馅 = 食 (food) + 臽 (hollow/depression) — food placed inside a hollow; 儿 = erhua diminutive suffix

Cultural Context

Era: Traditional/Modern

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal