蔬菜 (shūcài) — vegetable
HSK 4 | noun | edible plant parts such as leaves, roots, and stems
蔬菜 (shūcài)
蔬菜 is the general word for vegetables — all kinds of edible plants that are typically served as part of a meal alongside grains and protein. It is an essential word for talking about food and health.
Meanings
- noun vegetable (an edible plant or part of a plant used as food)
Example Sentences
医生建议我多吃蔬菜和水果。 Yīshēng jiànyì wǒ duō chī shūcài hé shuǐguǒ. The doctor recommended that I eat more vegetables and fruit.
这道炒蔬菜颜色很漂亮。 Zhè dào chǎo shūcài yánsè hěn piàoliang. This stir-fried vegetable dish looks very colorful.
她每天去菜市场买新鲜蔬菜。 Tā měi tiān qù cài shìchǎng mǎi xīnxiān shūcài. She goes to the vegetable market every day to buy fresh vegetables.
多吃绿色蔬菜对健康有益。 Duō chī lǜsè shūcài duì jiànkāng yǒuyì. Eating more green vegetables is beneficial to health.
Collocations
| Collocation | Meaning |
|---|---|
| 新鲜蔬菜 (xīnxiān shūcài) | fresh vegetables |
| 绿色蔬菜 (lǜsè shūcài) | green vegetables |
| 炒蔬菜 (chǎo shūcài) | stir-fried vegetables |
| 蔬菜沙拉 (shūcài shālā) | vegetable salad |
Usage Notes
蔬菜 is the formal or standard term for vegetables. In casual speech, people sometimes just say 菜 (cài) to mean vegetables or dishes in general. Supermarket signs and nutritional guides always use the full term 蔬菜.
Memory Hook
蔬 (shū) contains the grass radical 艹, pointing to plants, and 菜 (cài) also means dish or greens. Together they make the full word for vegetables — plants you eat as a dish.