主食

• Pinyin: zhǔ shí
• Hanzi breakdown: 主 = 丶 + 王 (main); 食 = 人 + 良 (food)

Meaning

Staple food; main food. The primary carbohydrate-based food in a meal, such as rice, noodles, or bread.

In Chinese dietary culture, refers to grains and grain products that form the base of a meal, as opposed to 菜 (dishes) and 汤 (soup). Rice in the south, wheat products (noodles, mantou) in the north. Important concept in nutrition.

Examples

1. 中国北方的主食是面食。 In northern China, the staple food is wheat-based foods.
2. 减肥期间要适当减少主食摄入。 If you’re trying to lose weight, you should appropriately reduce your intake of staple foods.
3. 晚餐我们吃米饭还是面条做主食? For dinner, should we have rice or noodles as the staple?

Usage Guide

Context: food, nutrition, daily life

Tone: neutral

Do Say

• 营养师建议主食应该占每餐的三分之一。(Nutritionists suggest that staple foods should account for one-third of each meal.)
• 土豆在某些国家被当作主食。(Potatoes are treated as a staple food in some countries.)

Don't Say

• 肉是主食 — meat is 荤菜 or 菜, not 主食 (staples are carb-based)

Origin & History

主 (main, primary) + 食 (food)

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal