Meaning of 食欲
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- appetite
How to use 食欲
食欲 is a noun often used with verbs like 有 (yǒu), 没有 (méiyǒu), 好 (hǎo) and 差 (chà), especially when talking about health or mood. A common phrase is 食欲不振 (shíyù bú zhèn), a poor appetite. Example: 我最近没有食欲。(Wǒ zuìjìn méiyǒu shíyù.) I have had no appetite lately.
食 (shí) means food or eating, and 欲 (yù) means desire or wanting. Put them together and you get the desire to eat, which is appetite.
Common mistake: Learners sometimes write 食 (shí) with the wrong tone, saying shì, or confuse 欲 (yù) with 谷 (gǔ), which lacks the 欠 part on the right. Also, 食欲 is only about wanting food, so do not use it for a general desire for things, which is 欲望 (yùwàng).
食欲 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.
食 shí · food · 9 strokes
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欲 yù · desire · 11 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 食欲.
| 食物 | shíwù | food |
| 食品 | shípǐn | foodstuff; food; provisions |
| 美食 | měishí | culinary delicacy; fine food |
| 粮食 | liángshi | foodstuff; cereals |
| 食堂 | shítáng | dining hall; cafeteria |
| 零食 | língshí | snack; nibbles |
| 饮食 | yǐnshí | eating and drinking; food and drink; diet |
| 欲望 | yùwàng | desire; longing; appetite; craving |
| 随心所欲 | suíxīnsuǒyù | (idiom) to follow one's heart's desires; to do as one pleases |
| 食用 | shíyòng | to eat; to consume; edible |
| 素食 | sùshí | vegetarian food; to eat a vegetarian diet |
| 伙食 | huǒshí | food; meals |
Questions about 食欲
What does 食欲 mean?
食欲 (shíyù) means "appetite" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 食欲?
食欲 is made of 2 characters: 食 (9 strokes), 欲 (11 strokes). That is 20 strokes in total.
Is 食欲 an HSK word?
Yes. 食欲 is on the HSK 6 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 食欲 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 食欲 is written 食慾.
How do you say something increases your appetite in Chinese?
You can say 增加食欲 (zēngjiā shíyù) or 开胃 (kāiwèi). For example, 酸的东西很开胃 (Suān de dōngxi hěn kāiwèi) means sour things whet your appetite.
Is 食欲 used in everyday speech or only in formal Chinese?
It is used in both. People say 没食欲 (méi shíyù) casually when they do not feel like eating, and doctors use 食欲 in medical questions too.