regular meal; main meal; dinner
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 4 examplesnoun
regular meal; main meal (typically lunch or dinner, as opposed to breakfast, snacks, or late-night meals)
In Chinese dining culture, 正餐 refers to substantial meals eaten at midday or evening, distinguishing them from breakfast (早点), snacks (小吃), or late-night suppers (夜宵). It emphasizes the formality and completeness of the meal.
Wǎn晚
cān餐
shì是
yī一
tiān天
zhōng中
zuì最
zhòng重
yào要
de的
yī一
dùn顿
zhèng正
cān餐
。
Dinner is the most important regular meal of the day.
Zhè这
jiā家
cān餐
tīng厅
de的
zhèng正
cān餐
jià价
gé格
hěn很
guì贵
，
dàn但
xiǎo小
chī吃
hěn很
pián便
yi宜
。
The main meals at this restaurant are expensive, but the snacks are cheap.
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Wǒ我
men们
tōng通
cháng常
zài在
zhōng中
wǔ午
shí十
èr二
diǎn点
zuǒ左
yòu右
chī吃
zhèng正
cān餐
。
We usually eat our main meal around noon.
Tā他
bù不
chī吃
zǎo早
cān餐
，
zhǐ只
chī吃
wǔ午
cān餐
hé和
wǎn晚
cān餐
liǎng两
dùn顿
zhèng正
cān餐
。
He doesn't eat breakfast, only two regular meals—lunch and dinner.