Dictionary › 吃

吃

chī

HSK 1 Character

What 吃 means

1. to eat; to consume
2. to eat at (a cafeteria etc)
3. to eradicate; to destroy
4. to absorb
5. to suffer (shock, injury, defeat etc)

Other readings

吃 is 多音字 — it is read more than one way, and the reading changes the meaning.

• chīvariant of {吃|chī}

Example sentences

• 我想吃
  Wǒ xiǎng chī
  I would like to eat.
• 吃了没
  Chī le méi
  Have you eaten?
• 我吃面
  I eat noodles.
• 她吃。
  She is eating.
• 他吃。
  He eats.
• 它吃。
  It is eating.

Words starting with 吃

• 吃饭chī fànto have a meal; to eat; to make a living
• 吃惊chī jīngto be startled; to be shocked; to be amazed
• 吃亏chī kuīto suffer losses; to come to grief; to lose out
• 吃力chī lìto entail strenuous effort; to toil at a task; strenuous
• 吃苦chī kǔto bear hardships
• 吃完chī wánto finish eating
• 吃饱chī bǎoto eat one's fill
• 吃掉chī diàoto eat up; to consume
• 吃药chī yàoto take medicine
• 吃喝chī hēto eat and drink; food and drink
• 吃醋chī cùto feel jealous (esp. because of a rival in love or affection)
• 吃不下chī bu xiànot feel like eating; be unable to eat any more
• 吃奶chī nǎito suck the breast (for milk)
• 吃香chī xiāngpopular; in demand; well regarded
• 吃素chī sùto be a vegetarian
• 吃法chī fǎway of eating; how something is eaten; how a dish is prepared
• 吃不消chī bu xiāoto be unable to tolerate or endure; to find sth difficult to manage
• 吃喝玩乐chī hē wán lè(lit.) to eat, drink, play and be merry (idiom); (fig.) to abandon oneself to a life of…
• 吃苦耐劳chī kǔ nài láohardworking and enduring hardships (idiom)
• 吃食chī shíto eat (of bird or animal); to feed
• 吃不上chī bu shàngunable to get anything to eat; to miss a meal
• 吃穿chī chuānfood and clothing
• 吃水chī shuǐdrinking water; to obtain water (for daily needs); to absorb water
• 吃紧chī jǐnin short supply; dire; tense

Words containing 吃

• 好吃hǎo chītasty; delicious
• 小吃xiǎo chīstreet food; snack
• 大吃一惊dà chī yī jīng(idiom) astounded; flabbergasted; taken aback
• 难吃nán chīunpalatable
• 口吃kǒu chīto stammer; to stutter; Taiwan pr. kǒu jí
• 白吃bái chīto eat without paying; to eat for free
• 省吃俭用shěng chī jiǎn yòng(idiom) to live frugally
• 小吃店xiǎo chī diànsnack bar; lunch room
• 生吃shēng chīto eat raw
• 大吃大喝dà chī dà hēto eat and drink as much as one likes; to make a pig of oneself
• 贪吃tān chīgluttonous; voracious
• 好吃懒做hào chī lǎn zuòhappy to partake but not prepared to do any work (idiom); all take and no give
• 可吃kě chīedible
• 大吃dà chīto gorge oneself; to pig out
• 讨吃tǎo chīto beg for food
• 开吃kāi chīto start eating
• 合吃族hé chī zúlit. joint eaters; a restaurant social gathering, esp. organized online among strangers
• 试吃品shì chī pǐnfood sample
• 黑吃黑hēi chī hēi(of a villain) to do the dirty on another villain
• 包吃包住bāo chī bāo zhùto provide full board
• 坐吃享福zuò chī xiǎng fúvegetative existence; to consume passively without doing anything useful
• 坐吃山空zuò chī shān kōnglit. just sitting and eating, one can deplete even a mountain of wealth (idiom)…
• 多吃多占duō chī duō zhàntaking or eating more than one's due (idiom); greedy and selfish
• 大吃特吃dà chī tè chīto gorge oneself with food

Characters built on 乞

These share the phonetic component 乞 (qǐ), which is why their readings rhyme. Learning them as a family is far cheaper than learning them one at a time.

• 迄qìas yet; until
• 屹yìhigh and steep
• 讫qìfinished
• 汔qìnear

Characters that look like 吃

Easy to confuse on sight. Compare them side by side once and the pair stops costing you.

• 吹chuīto blow; to play a wind instrument; to blast
• 吨dūnton (loanword); Taiwan pr. dùn
• 吱zhī(onomatopoeia) creaking or groaning
• 吭kēngto utter
• 屹yìhigh and steep
• 叱chìto scold; shout at; to hoot at

Sounds the same

Read chī, tone for tone, but written differently.

• 痴imbecile; sentimental; stupid
• 嗤laugh at; jeer; scoff at
• 哧(onomatopoeia) giggling; breathing; tearing of paper, ripping of fabric etc
• 螭dragon with horns not yet grown (in myth or heraldry); variant of 魑
• 离mythical beast (archaic)
• 笞to whip with bamboo strips
• 黐birdlime
• 蚩ignorant; worm
• 魑used in 魑魅
• 鸱scops owl
• 媸ugly woman
• 樆manjack or cordia (genus Cordia)