荷包蛋 (hébāodàn) · fried egg (sunny-side up or over-easy)

Measure Word

一个荷包蛋 gè

Meanings

1 fried egg (sunny-side up or over-easy)
2 poached egg

Made with

About the dish

A whole egg fried in a pan until the white sets around a soft or firm yolk; in soups it is poached instead. Often an extra on top of a bowl of noodles.

Usually contains egg

Characters

Examples

HSK 3

给我来一碗面条加两个荷包蛋。

Gěi wǒ lái yì wǎn miàntiáo jiā liǎng gè hébāodàn.

Give me a bowl of noodles with two fried eggs on top.

HSK 4

早餐我喜欢吃荷包蛋。

Zǎocān wǒ xǐhuan chī hébāodàn.

I like fried eggs for breakfast.

Tips

memory

荷包 originally meant a small embroidered pouch or money-purse. The egg gets the name from its plump, pouch-like shape when fried whole. Distinct from 炒蛋 (scrambled eggs) and 煎蛋 (the broader 'pan-fried egg').

culture

In Chinese homes 荷包蛋 specifically means the egg-cracked-whole-into-the-pan style; in many regions a bowl of noodles topped with one is the classic comforting quick meal, and a fixture of birthday breakfasts (长寿面 with a fried egg).