Meaning of 吃
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- to eat; to consume
- to eat at (a cafeteria etc)
- to eradicate; to destroy
- to absorb
- to suffer (shock, injury, defeat etc)
- variant of 吃[chi1]
How to use 吃
吃 is the everyday verb for eating, and it also appears in phrases about suffering or effort, like 吃惊 (chījīng) to be startled and 吃力 (chīlì) strenuous. Chinese often uses 吃 with a general object when English would just say "eat". Example: 你吃饭了吗？ (Nǐ chīfàn le ma?) Have you eaten yet?
吃 (chī) has a mouth 口 on the left, which tells you it is about something you do with your mouth. Picture the mouth opening wide to eat.
Common mistake: Learners often write the right side like 乙 or 气 instead of 乞, so check the shape carefully. Also keep chī in the first tone. It is a high, level tone, not a falling chì.
吃 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
吃 chī · to eat · 6 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
Related words
Words that share a character with 吃.
| 吃饭 | chīfàn | to have a meal; to eat |
| 好吃 | hǎochī | tasty; delicious |
| 吃惊 | chījīng | to be startled; to be shocked |
| 小吃 | xiǎochī | street food; snack |
| 吃力 | chīlì | to entail strenuous effort; to toil at a task |
| 大吃一惊 | dàchī-yījīng | (idiom) astounded; flabbergasted; taken aback |
| 吃亏 | chīkuī | to suffer losses; to come to grief |
| 口吃 | kǒuchī | to stammer; to stutter; Taiwan pr. [kou3ji2] |
| 吃苦 | chīkǔ | to bear hardships |
| 吃不上 | chī bushàng | unable to get anything to eat; to miss a meal |
| 吃喝玩乐 | chī-hē-wán-lè | (lit.) to eat, drink, play and be merry (idiom); (fig.) to abandon oneself to a life of pl |
| 吃掉 | chīdiào | to eat up; to consume |
Questions about 吃
What does 吃 mean?
吃 (chī) means "to eat; to consume; to eat at (a cafeteria etc)" and is used as a verb.
How do you write 吃?
吃 is made of 1 character: 吃 (6 strokes). That is 6 strokes in total.
Is 吃 an HSK word?
Yes. 吃 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why do people ask 你吃饭了吗 as a greeting?
It is a casual, friendly way to say hello and show care, especially among older people. You can simply answer 吃了 (chī le) or 还没 (hái méi) without it becoming an invitation.
Can I use 吃 for drinking or taking medicine?
For most drinks use 喝 (hē), for example 喝水 (hē shuǐ) to drink water. But 吃药 (chī yào) to take medicine is standard, even for liquid medicine in many regions.