Definitions

zhōu (noun) congee; gruel; porridge

Etymology

Depicts porridge being made from rice () around hot rising steam. Derived from .

About

The character "粥", representing porridge, is structurally composed of the rice radical "米" situated between two instances of "弓", a configuration that etymologically suggests the action of stirring or the stretched consistency of grains during the boiling process. This pictorial logic aligns with the culinary method of transforming rice through sustained heating and agitation to achieve a soft, gruel-like substance. Over its documented history, the semantic application of "粥" has remained consistently narrow, exclusively denoting this specific form of cooked cereal without broadening into other meanings, while its graphical form has preserved the same core components, reflecting a stable conceptual link between the character's visual design and its referent in the realm of staple foods.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Clerical etymology image
Clerical Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Seal etymology image
Seal Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

我喜欢喝

Wǒ xǐhuān hē zhōu.

I like to drink porridge.

妈妈煮了一锅热

Māmā zhǔ le yī guō rè zhōu.

Mom cooked a pot of hot porridge.

早餐我常常吃

Zǎocān wǒ chángcháng chī zhōu.

I often eat porridge for breakfast.

这碗很有营养。

Zhè wǎn zhōu hěn yǒu yíngyǎng.

This bowl of porridge is very nutritious.

那家铺的小米很好喝。

Nà jiā zhōupù de xiǎomǐ zhōu hěn hǎo hē.

The millet porridge from that porridge shop is very tasty.

病人适合吃一些清淡的

Bìngrén shìhé chī yīxiē qīngdàn de zhōu.

Patients are suitable to eat some light porridge.

这家餐厅的品样式非常多。

Zhè jiā cāntīng de zhōupǐn yàngshì fēicháng duō.

This restaurant has a very wide variety of porridge dishes.

比米饭更容易消化。

Zhōu bǐ mǐfàn gèng róngyì xiāohuà.

Porridge is easier to digest than rice.