The word for “Eat” looks a lot like a head

Mandarin I – Berkeley Extension – Class 10 Nov. 15, 2011

425 Market Street
San Francisco, CA
Professor: Virginia Mau

餐厅
can1 ting1 = dining hall, reception hall, big room (though this phrase looks like in would be pronounced“canteen,” it is “tsan-teen,” still close with essentially the same meaning, though this is a fancy restaurant)

OED: Canteen: Etymology: < French cantine , < Italian cantina cellar, cave, of doubtful deriv.

餐= eat, meal
can1

厅= reception hall, offce
ting1

At the bottom of 餐 can1 is 食 shi2

食/飠/饣= eat; food
shi2

Compare 飠 to the Sumerian character for “eat, consume”: which is “gu” a recorded 1,672 times. They both resemble a capital G, and “guh” is the sound of swallowing.

飠	G
Chinese	Roman	Sumerian

食堂 = dining hall (less fancy)
shi2 tang2

堂 = ① (main) hall ② large room for a specific purpose ③ relationship between cousins etc. on the paternal side of a family ④ of the same clan ⑤ classifier for sets (or suites) of furniture, classes etc.

常 = ① always ② ever ③ often ④ frequently ⑤ common ⑥ general ⑦ constant ⑧ surname Chang酒店 = ① wine shop ② pub (public house) ③ hotel ④ restaurant
jiu3 dian4
店 ① = inn ② shop ③ store
dian4

客栈 = motel or B&B, less high than 酒店 jiu3 dian
4ke4 zhan4

饭官 = rice restaurant
fan4 guan3

饭店 = smaller restaurant
fan4 dian4

快餐店 = fast meal shop
kuai4 can1 dian4

or 快餐 = fast meal
kuai4 can1

除了
chu2 le ＝ except (according to Ms. Mau; www.talaqa.com says this character means: “①besides ② apart from (… also…) ③ in addition to ④ except (for)”

当然＝ ① only natural ② as it should be ③ certainly ④ of course ⑤ without doubtdang1 ran2
然 ① couple ② pair ③ to be opposite ④ to oppose ⑤ to face ⑥ versus ⑦ for ⑧ to ⑨ correct (answer) ⑩ to answer 11) to reply 12) to direct (towards sth) 13) right

对 = ① couple ② pair ③ to be opposite ④ to oppose ⑤ to face ⑥ versus ⑦ for ⑧ to ⑨correct (answer) ⑩ to answer 11) to reply 12) to direct (towards sth) 13) right

风水＝ wind water
feng1 shui4

几个人？ ＝ how many people?
ji3 ge ren2

几位
ji3 wei4 ＝ ① several people (honorific) ② Ladies and Gentlemen! (talaqa.com) (Ms. Mau said, “How many? (more polite)”Will check on this.

请坐＝ Please sit
qing1 zuo4

坐下＝ sit! (to children, for instance)
zuo4 xia4

洗燥间 = ① bathroom ② restroom ③ shower room
xǐ zǎo jiān

洗手间在哪儿？ = Where is the bathroom?
xi1 shou3 jian1 zai1 na er2?

服务员 = waiter
fu2 wu4 yuan2

服 clothes; dress; garment; submit; take (medicine)
fu2
务 affair; business; matter
wu4
员person; employee; member
yuan4

请来一下 = Please come in for a little bit (“Please come one second”kind of)
qing1 lai2 yi1 xia4

来
lai2 = ① to come ② to arrive ③ to come round ④ ever since ⑤ next

下
xia4 = ① down ② downwards ③ below ④ lower ⑤ later ⑥ next (week etc) ⑦ second (of two parts) ⑧ to decline ⑨ to go down

请等一下 = Please wait for a little bit
qing1 deng3 yi1 xia4

等
deng3 = ① class ② rank ③ grade ④ equal to ⑤ same as ⑥ to wait for ⑦ to await ⑧ et cetera⑨ and so on ⑩ et al. (and other authors) 11) after 12) as soon as 13) once

什么事？ = What? Which? (Ms. Mau: What do you want? What’s the matter?”
shen2 me shi4

菜 = ① dish (type of food) ② vegetables ③ vegetable ④ cuisine
cai4 (remember that “c” is pronounced “ts”)

菜牌 = menu (with lots of pages)
cai4 pai2

牌
pai2 = ① mahjong tile ② playing card ③ game pieces ④ signboard ⑤ plate ⑥ tablet ⑦ medal

菜单 = menu (single page)
cai4 dan1

单 = ① bill ② list ③ form ④ single ⑤ only ⑥ sole ⑦ odd number
dan1

你要喝什么？
Ni3 yao3 ke shen2 me = What do you want to drink? (“You want drink what?”)

前盘
qian2 pan2= appetizers (“before plate”)

主菜
zhu3 cai4= main dish/veggies/food

汤
tang1 = soup

沙拉
sha1 la1= salad (phonetic, so probably a more recent idea)

甜品
tian2 pin3 = sweet item (“tongue sweet”; “pin3” is used for taste or style says Ms. Mau.)

肉内
rou4 nei4 = meat inside

内人
nei ren = wife (inside person)

外人
wai ren = foreigner (outside person) (Ms. Mau said “husband”) Check on this: all sources say non-relative.

鸡
ji1 = chicken, fowl

牛
niü2 = ox, cow, bull

羊
yang = sheep or sometimes goat, but usually sheep

猪
zhu1 = pig

狗
gou3 = dog

猫
mao1 = cat

兔
tu4 = rabbit

虎
hu3 = tiger

驼 = ostrich
tuo2

填鸭 = duck
tian4 ya1

蛋 = egg
dan4

海鲜
hai3 xian1 = sea fresh

鱼 = fish
yu2

鲜鱼 = fresh fishy
yu2

虾 = shrimp
xia1

蟹 = crab
xie2

Analysis of the character for crab xie2:

解 jie3 = to divide / to break up / to split / to separate/ to dissolve/ to solve/ to melt/ to remove/to untie / to loosen / to open / to understand / to know / a solution / a dissection.

龙虾 = lobster (“dragon shrimp’)
long2 xia1

章鱼 = octopus
zhang1 yu2

章 = chapter, seal, section, movement (of symphony), camphor laurel tree, lumber
zhang1

八爪鱼 = octopus (Cantonese)
bā zhuǎ yú

鱿鱼 = squid
you2 yu2

鱿 = cuttlefish
you2

贝 = shell, cowry, valuables
bei4

乌龟 = turtle
wu1 gui1

乌 = a crow, black
wu1

龟 = tortoise, turtle
gui1

土豆 = potato (“earth beans”)
tu3 dou4

番茄 = tomato
fan1 qie2

茄子 = eggplant
qie2 zi

蘑菇 = mushroom
mo1 gu

炒番 = fat white noodles
chao3 fan1

炒面 = round yellow noodles
chao3 mian4

青椒 = green pepper
qing1 jiao1

红椒 = red pepper
hong2 jiao1

青 for vegetables means “fresh”
qing1

绿 = green (other meanings)
lü4

玉米 = corn
yu4 mi3?

生
sheng1 = ① to be born ② to give birth ③ life ④ to grow ⑤ raw, uncooked

生菜 = raw vegetables
sheng1 cai4

葱 = onion (smart)
cong1

姜 = ginger (brave)
jiang1

蒜 = garlic (organized)
suan4

First day of school students carry all of these spices to school in a red envelope.

发菜
fa cai = black vegetables ① long thread moss (Nostoc flagelliforme), an edible algae ② alsocalled faat choy or hair moss (the YouTube was not for the faint of heart).

三叫
san jiao = three screams (fresh newborn mice, served as a dozen with sauce; 1st scream, chopsticks;second scream, sauce; third scream, mouth. Schadenfreude.

蟑螂 = cockroach
zhang1 lang1

蟑 = cockroach
zhang1

螂 = mantis, dung beetle
lang1

鱼眼 = fish eye
yu2 yan3

Ms. Mau: “Chicken brain tastes like cheese.”

皮
pi2 = ① leather ② skin ③ fur ④ surname Pi ⑤ pico- (one trillionth)

饺子 = dumpling, potsticker
jiao3 zi

手纸 = toilet paper or small tissue
shou3 zhi3

手指 = finger
shou3 zhi3

早点 = early morning snack
zao3 dian3

蛋糕 = cake
dan4 gao1

雪 = snow, ice
xue3