炒 (chǎo) - to stir-fry & to sauté

炒Tone 3

chǎo ｜ 8 strokes ｜ radical: 火

嫦晨

炒 · chǎo

to stir-fry;

to sauté;

to speculate (in finance);

to hype;

to fire (an employee)

to stir-fryto sautéto speculate (in finance)

Usage highlights

stirfried ricespeculate in stocksfire someonehype upspeculative buying

Synonyms

  • 煎— pan-fry
  • 炸— deep-fry
  • 烹— cook, prepare food

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • She stir-fried vegetables (炒菜).
  • He was fired from his job (被炒鱿鱼).
  • This stock is being hyped (这只股票被炒得很热).
  • We need to sauté the garlic first (先炒一下大蒜).

Collocations

  • stir-fry(炒菜)
  • fried rice(炒饭)
  • speculate in stocks(炒股)
  • fire someone(炒鱿鱼)
  • stir-fried noodles(炒面)
  • hype up(炒作)

Idioms

  • Hot speculation(炒买炒卖)
  • Media hype(新闻炒作)
  • Speculative fervor(炒风盛行)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • 炒 is fundamental to Chinese cooking techniques, representing quick cooking with high heat and constant stirring.
  • In modern usage, 炒 has extended to financial and commercial contexts, referring to speculative activities and hype.
  • 炒鱿鱼 (literally 'stir-fried squid') is a common euphemism for being fired, as squid curls up when cooked, resembling packed belongings.

FAQ