饮料

Etymology & Components

The Chinese word for "beverage" is 饮料 (yǐnliào), which is composed of two characters: 饮 (yǐn) and 料 (liào). The character 饮 means "to drink" and is often used in words related to drinking, such as 饮水 (yǐnshuǐ) for "drinking water" and 饮酒 (yǐnjiǔ) for "drinking alcohol". The character 料 means "material" or "ingredient" and is often used in words related to food and drink, such as 食材 (shícaì) for "food ingredients" and 调料 (tiáoliào) for "seasonings".When combined, the two characters 饮 and 料 form the word 饮料, which literally means "drinking material" or "drinkable ingredient". This term is used to refer to any type of liquid that can be consumed, including water, tea, coffee, juice, and soda. It is a broad term that encompasses all types of beverages, from the most basic to the most complex.