油条 (yóutiáo) · youtiao, deep-fried dough stick

Measure Word

一根油条 gēn

Meanings

1 youtiao
2 deep-fried dough stick
3 a slick, crafty person

Made with

About the dish

A long stick of deep-fried wheat dough, two strips pressed together, crisp outside and airy and chewy inside, lightly salty. A breakfast food, often eaten with soy milk or rice porridge.

Usually contains wheat

Characters

Examples

HSK 3

这个人是个老油条。

Zhège rén shì ge lǎo yóutiáo.

This guy is a slick old operator.

HSK 5

我早上喜欢吃油条配豆浆。

Wǒ zǎoshang xǐhuan chī yóutiáo pèi dòujiāng.

I like eating youtiao with soy milk for breakfast.

Tips

culture

油条 paired with 豆浆 (soy milk) is the quintessential Chinese breakfast. The pair is so iconic that couples who are inseparable are sometimes compared to 豆浆油条. The phrase 老油条 ("old youtiao") describes someone who's been around so long they've become slick and hard to manage.