mǐ fàn
rice [cooked; boiled]
我喜欢吃米饭。
wǒ xǐhuān chī mǐfàn.
I like to eat rice.
米饭是中国人的主食。
mǐfàn shì zhōngguórén de zhǔshí.
Rice is the staple food of the Chinese people.
米饭可以做成各种各样的菜肴。
mǐfàn kěyǐ zuòchéng gèzhǒng yàng de càiyáo.
Rice can be made into a variety of dishes.
白饭 (bái fàn)
white rice
米饭 (mǐ fàn)
rice
米饭 (dà mǐ)
rice
面条 (miàntiáo)
noodles
馒头 (mántou)
steamed bun
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The Chinese word 米饭 (mǐfàn) for "cooked rice" is composed of two characters: 米 (mǐ), meaning "rice", and 饭 (fàn), meaning "cooked food" or "meal". The character 米 is a pictograph depicting a plant with grains, while the character 饭 is a combination of the characters 食 (shí), meaning "to eat", and 反 (fǎn), meaning "to turn over" or "to cook". Together, the two characters 米饭 literally mean "cooked rice", and they are used to refer to the staple food of many Asian countries.
