About
The character "炒", composed of the fire radical (火) on the left and the component for "few" or "little" (少) on the right, has consistently represented a cooking method involving heat and a dry pan. Its structure suggests an action applying focused heat with minimal liquid, conceptually evoking the drying or parching implied by its phonetic component. Originally, the character conveyed the specific meaning of dry-roasting or parch-frying grains, but its application broadened significantly to encompass the now-dominant culinary technique of stir-frying, where ingredients are rapidly tossed in a small amount of oil over high heat. This semantic expansion reflects the development of the cooking method itself within Chinese cuisine, with the character’s form remaining stable, having no distinct traditional variant that differs from its contemporary simplified representation.
Etymology Hide
Example Sentences Hide
我妈妈喜欢炒菜。
他炒了一盘土豆丝。
我中午吃了炒饭和炒面。
很多人希望通过炒股赚钱。
媒体经常炒作明星的绯闻。
这家公司因炒高房价被调查。
厨师正在用大火快速翻炒。
网络谣言被别有用心的人炒作。