Meaning
午饭 refers to the meal eaten at midday, typically between 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM. It's one of the three main meals of the day in Chinese culture, along with breakfast (早饭) and dinner (晚饭). The character 午 means 'noon' or 'midday', while 饭 means 'cooked rice' or 'meal'.
Usage
This is a common, everyday term used by speakers of all ages. In mainland China, lunch is often the heartiest meal of the day, though modern urban lifestyles are changing this pattern. You can use this term in any context, from casual conversation to formal settings. It's interchangeable with 午餐 (wǔ cān), though 午饭 is slightly more colloquial.
Examples
- 01你吃午饭了吗？?Have you eaten lunch yet?
- 02我们十二点吃午饭。.We eat lunch at twelve o'clock.
Characters
Measure words
- 顿一顿午饭
Common collocations
- 吃午饭to eat lunch
- 做午饭to make/prepare lunch
- 午饭时间lunch time
Origin
The compound combines 午 (noon) with 饭 (meal/rice), straightforwardly indicating the meal eaten at noon. Rice (饭) is central to Chinese cuisine, so 饭 became the general term for any meal.