Food is where vocabulary shakes hands with real life. In Traditional Chinese, cuisine terms are built from intuitive roots—飯 for rice-based meals, 麵 for noodles, 湯 for soup—and cooking methods like 炒（stir-fry）or 清蒸（steam）slot neatly in front of ingredients. Learn the patterns once, then mix and match to order like a local, read menus, and rave about night-market finds with surgical precision.
Core Concepts (How Menus Are Built)
Most dish names follow a predictable template: cooking method＋main ingredient＋flavor/style or place name. Add staple categories like 飯（fàn, rice）／麵（miàn, noodles）／湯（tāng, soup）／小菜（xiǎo cài, small plates） and you can decode a surprising amount of any menu.
清蒸鱸魚
qīng zhēng lú yú
Steamed sea bass
宮保雞丁
gōng bǎo jī dīng
Kung Pao diced chicken
牛肉麵
niú ròu miàn
Beef noodle soup (noodles with beef broth)
排骨飯
pái gǔ fàn
Pork chop rice (set with sides)
小籠包
xiǎo lóng bāo
Soup dumplings
Staples You’ll See Everywhere
白飯
bái fàn
Plain white rice
炒飯
chǎo fàn
Fried rice
湯麵／乾麵
tāng miàn / gān miàn
Noodles in soup / dry noodles (sauce, little or no broth)
水餃
shuǐ jiǎo
Boiled dumplings
鍋貼
guō tiē
Pan-fried dumplings (potstickers)
粥（稀飯）
zhōu (xī fàn)
Congee
Taiwanese Essentials (Night-Market And Home-Style Hits)
滷肉飯
lǔ ròu fàn
Minced pork rice
蚵仔煎
é zǐ jiān
Oyster omelet
鹽酥雞
yán sū jī
Taiwanese popcorn chicken
牛肉麵（台式）
niú ròu miàn (tái shì)
Taiwan-style beef noodles
大腸麵線
dà cháng miàn xiàn
Intestine vermicelli (thick bonito broth)
胡椒餅
hú jiāo bǐng
Pepper bun
珍珠奶茶
zhēn zhū nǎi chá
Bubble milk tea (boba)
Common Cooking Methods (Plug-And-Play Words)
炒
chǎo
Stir-fry
炸／油炸
zhá / yóu zhá
Deep-fry
清蒸
qīng zhēng
Steam
紅燒
hóng shāo
Braised in soy-based sauce
滷
lǔ
Soy-braise (Taiwan staple)
涼拌
liáng bàn
Cold tossed (salad-style)
烤
kǎo
Roast / grill
快炒（台灣店型）
kuài chǎo
Fast stir-fry (dai pai dong–style eatery)
Proteins, Veg, And Flavor Words
牛／豬／雞／羊／鴨／魚／蝦／蛤蜊
niú / zhū / jī / yáng / yā / yú / xiā / gé lí
Beef / pork / chicken / lamb / duck / fish / shrimp / clams
空心菜／高麗菜／青江菜／豆芽
kōng xīn cài / gāo lì cài / qīng jiāng cài / dòu yá
Water spinach / cabbage / bok choy / bean sprouts
辣／微辣／不辣
là / wēi là / bù là
Spicy / mild / not spicy
酸／甜／鹹／麻
suān / tián / xián / má
Sour / sweet / salty / numbing (Sichuan pepper)
清淡
qīng dàn
Light / not heavy
Regional Cuisines (Quick Orientation)
台菜
tái cài
Taiwanese cuisine
川菜（四川）
chuān cài (sì chuān)
Sichuan cuisine (spicy, numbing)
粵菜（廣東）
yuè cài (guǎng dōng)
Cantonese cuisine (fresh, steamed, dim sum)
湘菜（湖南）
xiāng cài (hú nán)
Hunan cuisine (aromatic heat)
滬菜（上海）
hù cài (shàng hǎi)
Shanghai cuisine (braises, light sweet-savory)
閩南小吃
mǐn nán xiǎo chī
Southern Fujian snacks (overlaps Taiwan street food)
Reading Dish Names (Pattern Power)
清炒空心菜
qīng chǎo kōng xīn cài
Lightly stir-fried water spinach
香煎豬排
xiāng jiān zhū pái
Fragrant pan-seared pork chop
蒜泥白肉
suàn ní bái ròu
Garlic-paste over chilled sliced pork
酸辣湯
suān là tāng
Hot-and-sour soup
三杯雞
sān bēi jī
Three-cup chicken (soy, rice wine, sesame oil)
蔥爆牛肉
cōng bào niú ròu
Scallion “exploded” beef (high-heat toss)
豆豉蒸排骨
dòu chǐ zhēng pái gǔ
Steamed ribs with black bean
蠔油芥蘭
háo yóu jiè lán
Gai lan with oyster sauce
Mini Dialogues (Short, Real, Reusable)
點菜與推薦
A：有沒有不太辣的菜？
A: yǒu méi yǒu bú tài là de cài?
A: Do you have dishes that aren’t too spicy?
B：可以點清炒時蔬，或是清蒸魚，味道比較清淡。
B: kě yǐ diǎn qīng chǎo shí shū, huò shì qīng zhēng yú, wèi dào bǐ jiào qīng dàn
B: Try the seasonal greens stir-fried, or the steamed fish—lighter flavor.
換口味與忌口
A：我不吃牛，可以改成豬嗎？
A: wǒ bù chī niú, kě yǐ gǎi chéng zhū ma?
A: I don’t eat beef—can you switch to pork?
B：可以，我幫你做成蔥爆豬肉。
B: kě yǐ, wǒ bāng nǐ zuò chéng cōng bào zhū ròu
B: Sure, I’ll make it scallion-tossed pork.
分享與份量
A：這道菜份量大嗎？
A: zhè dào cài fèn liàng dà ma?
A: Is this dish large?
B：蠻適合兩個人分享。
B: mán shì hé liǎng ge rén fēn xiǎng
B: It’s good for two to share.
Copy-Ready Patterns (Order With Confidence)
來一份＿＿，口味清淡一點。
lái yí fèn ______, kǒu wèi qīng dàn yì diǎn
One order of ______, make the flavor lighter, please.
＿＿可以做不辣嗎？
______ kě yǐ zuò bú là ma?
Can you make ______ not spicy?
我想要＿＿（烹調方式）＿＿（主食材）。
wǒ xiǎng yào ______ (pēng tiáo fāng shì) ______ (zhǔ shí cái)
I’d like ______ (cooking method) ______ (main ingredient).
請幫我換成＿＿。
qǐng bāng wǒ huàn chéng ______
Please switch it to ______.
我們點＿＿，再加一碗白飯。
wǒ men diǎn ______, zài jiā yì wǎn bái fàn
We’ll take ______, plus a bowl of rice.
Usage Notes & Common Mistakes
看見「麵」不等於義大利麵
台式麵多半是小麵館的湯麵或乾麵；如果要義大利麵，請找「義大利麵」。
「紅燒」不是紅色而已
它是醬油為基底的中式燉煮，口味偏醬香微甜，不是「辣」。
「清淡」比「不要味道」自然
想口味輕一點，用「清淡」或「少油、少鹽」更地道。
辣 vs. 麻
「辣」是辣椒的辣；「麻」是花椒的麻。川菜常兩者並用（麻辣）。
份量與共享
很多台式熱炒與家常菜適合「一起點一起分」，問「幾人份」可避免過量或不夠。
Quick Reference Table
| English | Traditional Chinese | Pinyin |
| Cuisine | 菜系／料理 | cài xì / liào lǐ |
| Taiwanese food | 台菜 | tái cài |
| Cantonese food | 粵菜 | yuè cài |
| Sichuan food | 川菜 | chuān cài |
| Stir-fry | 炒 | chǎo |
| Steam | 清蒸 | qīng zhēng |
| Braise (soy) | 紅燒／滷 | hóng shāo / lǔ |
| Deep-fry | 炸 | zhá |
| Cold tossed | 涼拌 | liáng bàn |
| Rice / noodles / soup | 飯／麵／湯 | fàn / miàn / tāng |
| Beef noodle soup | 牛肉麵 | niú ròu miàn |
| Pork chop rice | 排骨飯 | pái gǔ fàn |
| Fried rice | 炒飯 | chǎo fàn |
| Soup dumplings | 小籠包 | xiǎo lóng bāo |
| Oyster omelet | 蚵仔煎 | é zǐ jiān |
| Popcorn chicken | 鹽酥雞 | yán sū jī |
| Bubble milk tea | 珍珠奶茶 | zhēn zhū nǎi chá |
| Light flavor | 清淡 | qīng dàn |
| Spicy / numbing | 辣／麻 | là / má |
| Not spicy | 不辣 | bù là |
Pronunciation Tips
滷 lǔ：第三聲短降後抬，別讀成「lù」。
蚵仔 é zǐ：台灣唸法多為「é-zǐ」，注意第一聲清亮。
麵 miàn：第四聲收得乾淨，不要拖長。
炸 zhà：第四聲；與「zhá」區分（地區口音會有差，菜名以 zhà 為主）。
紅燒 hóng shāo：兩個第二聲相連，前者小幅上揚即可，別過度用力。
Practice Plan (Five Honest Minutes)
朗讀三道菜名＋一個烹調動作：清蒸鱸魚、宮保雞丁、滷肉飯＋涼拌。
把你最常吃的一道菜寫成模板句：我想要＿＿（烹調）＿＿（食材），口味清淡。
錄一段 20 秒點餐語音，包含「不辣／小辣」「清淡」「換食材」。
用一行話介紹家鄉菜：我們那裡常吃＿＿，做法是＿＿。
Yak-Style Closing Spark
Once you spot the building blocks—method＋ingredient＋style—menus read like friendly puzzles. Click the pieces together, ask for 清淡 or 不辣 when you need it, and every meal becomes a vocabulary win with a tasty aftertaste.