Christa Posted January 2, 2018 at 03:24 PM Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 at 03:24 PM Personally, I always say 晚餐 but I have seen 晚飯 used in textbooks. Is the latter as common as the former? You can imagine how important this is to me, given my... proclivities... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted January 2, 2018 at 03:32 PM Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 at 03:32 PM Almost always the latter; rarely even hear the former (last time probably a broadcast announcing the dining car was open on the train) and only use it myself in unusual more formal circumstances. Caveat being that don't always need to specify the time as the topic will just be the imminent meal - where/when/what are we going to eat? questions and so forth. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyJonesLocker Posted January 2, 2018 at 04:04 PM Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 at 04:04 PM I have seen 晚餐 travel brochures and for formal occasions etc . 晚飯 far more popular 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Members suckpanyun Posted January 2, 2018 at 04:36 PM New Members Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 at 04:36 PM I am Chinese and I can explain it for you. Actually, this two words are extremely same and you can use them in the same way. But we usually speak 晚饭 in daily communication, but it may depends on the local culture we have. I mean, some Chinese from other province may like speak 晚餐 more than 晚饭. hope this can help you. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christa Posted January 2, 2018 at 04:48 PM Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 at 04:48 PM Mmmh, that's interesting, so me using 晚餐 is maybe a bit of a regional thing. Very interesting... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somethingfunny Posted January 2, 2018 at 05:08 PM Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 at 05:08 PM 晚饭 for me. If I heard 晚餐 I'd be thinking something a bit more formal. I don't mean dressing up, but like a work dinner or something similar. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymoose Posted January 2, 2018 at 05:37 PM Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 at 05:37 PM I may be talking complete nonsense here, but I think 晚饭 often refers more to a specific act of eating, whereas 晚餐 often refers more generally to the food itself. So from my experience, you are much more likely to hear 你吃晚饭了吗？ than 你吃晚餐了吗？. On the other hand, you would be more likely to hear 那个宾馆的晚餐不错 than 那个宾馆的晚饭不错. But I may be completetly wrong. Any native speakers care to comment? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
陳德聰 Posted January 2, 2018 at 09:19 PM Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 at 09:19 PM @anonymoose I’m not sure I understand your explanation. Do you mean that 晚飯 is more associated with the activity 吃, and 晚餐 is more associated with the meal itself? 每天不吃早飯對身體不好 每天不吃早餐對身體不好 午飯的話，那家最好吃 午餐的話，那家最好吃 你晚飯想吃什麼 <- what I say when I want to get into a cold war with my boyfriend (隨便) 你晚餐想吃什麼 <- I don’t think I’ve ever said this, but I don’t think there’s anything wrong with it In the above examples, I don’t think they have different emphases. I just feel like there is a register difference in between 用餐 and 吃飯 that spills over onto 早餐、午餐、晚餐, but 吃早餐 is not weird like “吃餐.” 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymoose Posted January 2, 2018 at 09:41 PM Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 at 09:41 PM 19 minutes ago, 陳德聰 said: I’m not sure I understand your explanation. I'm not sure I understand it either. I still think my examples are valid, though. Maybe it is just a difference in register. If you were asking Xi Jinping if he had eater dinner yet, would you say 您吃晚饭了吗？ or 您吃晚餐了吗？? I would probably just play the "Laowai card" and get away with 你吃晚饭了吗？ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChTTay Posted January 2, 2018 at 10:30 PM Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 at 10:30 PM In Beijing, usually hear 晚饭. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christa Posted January 2, 2018 at 11:45 PM Author Report Share Posted January 2, 2018 at 11:45 PM I think it's an issue of register and region. Some places it's almost entirely 晚餐. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abcdefg Posted January 3, 2018 at 04:37 AM Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 at 04:37 AM 19 hours ago, Christa said: Is the latter as common as the former? It's 晚饭 100% of the time here, at least when spoken and in casual writing, such as text messages 短信 or Weixin 微信。 Maybe it's regional; I don't know. Quote Mmmh, that's interesting, so me using 晚餐 is maybe a bit of a regional thing. @Christa -- Where have you run into that usage? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lu Posted January 3, 2018 at 09:33 AM Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 at 09:33 AM 11 hours ago, anonymoose said: If you were asking Xi Jinping if he had eater dinner yet, would you say 您吃晚饭了吗？ or 您吃晚餐了吗？? 您用晚餐了吗？ (Although Xi probably eats 晚宴 :-) ) 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChTTay Posted January 3, 2018 at 09:45 AM Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 at 09:45 AM Asked around, 晚餐 usually written. Perhaps a restaurant, menu or book. Spoken is mostly 晚饭。 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somethingfunny Posted January 3, 2018 at 09:49 AM Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 at 09:49 AM I'm now trying to think under what possible circumstances anyone would ever need to ask Xi Jinping if he'd had dinner yet. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DavyJonesLocker Posted January 3, 2018 at 11:02 AM Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 at 11:02 AM 1 hour ago, Lu said: 您用晚餐了吗？ Good point Lu, on a related note, you often hear 在这儿用 rather than 在这儿吃/喝 in posher coffee shops when you order. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Posted January 3, 2018 at 11:10 AM Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 at 11:10 AM 1 hour ago, somethingfunny said: I'm now trying to think under what possible circumstances anyone would ever need to ask Xi Jinping if he'd had dinner yet. If he pops round late afternoon to borrow some soy sauce, of course. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anonymoose Posted January 3, 2018 at 11:44 AM Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 at 11:44 AM 1 hour ago, somethingfunny said: I'm now trying to think under what possible circumstances anyone would ever need to ask Xi Jinping if he'd had dinner yet. Any time you meet him, obviously. Didn't you know that's how Chinese people greet each other? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christa Posted January 3, 2018 at 11:47 AM Author Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 at 11:47 AM 7 hours ago, abcdefg said: Where have you run into that usage? In Taiwan. It's more or less exclusively 晚餐 over there. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
somethingfunny Posted January 3, 2018 at 12:47 PM Report Share Posted January 3, 2018 at 12:47 PM 1 hour ago, DavyJonesLocker said: 在这儿用 rather than 在这儿吃/喝 in posher coffee shops when you order. Friends will tell each other to 慢慢吃 where as staff in restaurants will tell you to 慢用 when they serve your dinner. And I'd love Xi to visit America and Trump to just nonchalantly ask him, "Oh, did you have dinner yet? The White House chef can probably rustle you up a burger." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and select your username and password later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.