米 (mǐ) - Rice & grain

米Tone 3

mǐ ｜ 6 strokes ｜ radical: 米

伦妙

米 · mǐ

Rice;

grain;

meter (unit of length);

a surname.

Ricegrainmeter (unit of length)

Usage highlights

RiceRice porridgeBrown riceGlutinous riceRice fieldRice noodle

Synonyms

  • 稻— rice plant
  • 谷— grain
  • 粮— grain food

Antonyms

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • I eat rice (米饭) every day.
  • This is one meter (一米) long.
  • She bought brown rice (糙米) at the market.
  • We need flour (面粉) for baking.

Collocations

  • Rice(米饭)
  • Rice porridge(米粥)
  • Brown rice(糙米)
  • Glutinous rice(糯米)
  • Rice field(稻田)
  • Rice noodle(米粉)

Idioms

  • Fish and rice — basic necessities(鱼米之乡)
  • Without rice, even the cleverest housewife cannot cook(巧妇难为无米之炊)
  • Grains of rice in a bushel — trivial matters(米珠薪桂)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Rice is a staple food in Chinese culture and symbolizes sustenance and life.
  • The character 米 is pictographic, representing grains of rice separated by a cross.
  • As a unit, 米 (meter) was adopted during metric system implementation in China.

FAQ