生菜 (shēngcài) · lettuce, raw vegetables

Meanings

1 lettuce
2 raw vegetables

About the ingredient

蔬菜 Vegetables

Mostly loose, frilly leaf lettuce, with round heads too. Chinese cooks usually cook it rather than eat it raw: quickly stir-fried, added to soups, or cooked with tofu or meat.

Used in 5 dishes

蚝油生菜 háoyóu shēngcài

手抓饼 shǒuzhuābǐng

咸鱼鸡粒炒饭 xiányú jīlì chǎofàn

蘸酱菜 zhànjiàngcài

鸡蛋灌饼 jīdàn guànbǐng

Characters

Literally 'raw vegetable' - reflects that lettuce is often eaten uncooked.

Examples

HSK 5

请在汉堡里加一些生菜。

Qǐng zài hànbǎo lǐ jiā yìxiē shēngcài.

Please add some lettuce to the burger.

HSK 6

这盘生菜很新鲜。

Zhè pán shēngcài hěn xīnxiān.

This plate of lettuce is very fresh.

Tips

culture

In Cantonese, 生菜 (saang1 coi3) sounds like 生财 (to generate wealth), so it's a lucky food often served during Chinese New Year and at restaurant openings.