煮 (zhǔ) - To boil, to cook, to stew & to prepare food by heating in water or

煮Tone 3

zhǔ ｜ 12 strokes ｜ radical:

志

煮 · zhǔ

To boil, to cook, to stew;

to prepare food by heating in water or other liquid.

To boil, to cook, to stewto prepare food by heating in water or

Usage highlights

Boil waterCook noodlesStew meatCook rice porridgeBrew teaCook soup

Synonyms

  • 烹— to cook, to boil (more general term for cooking)
  • 熬— to boil, to decoct (especially for long cooking)

Antonyms

  • 生— raw, uncooked
  • 冷— cold (opposite of cooked/hot food)

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • Please boil some water (煮水).
  • She is cooking noodles (煮面条).
  • We stewed meat for dinner (煮肉).
  • Traditional method of making tea involves boiling (煮茶).

Collocations

  • Boil water(煮水)
  • Cook noodles(煮面条)
  • Stew meat(煮肉)
  • Cook rice porridge(煮粥)
  • Brew tea(煮茶)
  • Cook soup(煮汤)

Idioms

  • Cook a meal with one's own hands(亲手煮饭)
  • Brew a cup of tea to welcome guests(煮茶待客)
  • Cooking the ocean dry(煮海为盐)
  • Burn books and bury scholars alive(焚书坑儒 - historical reference to Qin dynasty)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • 煮 represents one of the most fundamental cooking methods in Chinese culinary tradition.
  • The character appears in ancient texts describing food preparation techniques dating back thousands of years.
  • In traditional Chinese medicine, boiling (煮) is a common method for preparing herbal decoctions.

FAQ