食

2 readings · tap one to hear it

to eat; food; animal feed; eclipse

Sound it out + = · + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Pictograph (象形字)

A dish of food 良 with a lid on top 人

Components 人良

food · Heisig RSH #1154

halo + umbrella — as a component also called: food

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
小食中心	xiǎo shí zhōng xīn	(Malaysia) food court
食古不化	shí gǔ bù huà	to swallow ancient learning without digesting it (idiom); to be pedantic without having a …
食人	shí rén	man-eating (beast); to eat people; fig. to oppress the people
食水	shí shuǐ	(Singapore, Malaysia, Hong Kong) drinking water
生食	shēng shí	to eat raw; raw food
食人鱼	shí rén yú	piranha
美食家	měi shí jiā	gourmet
小食	xiǎo shí	snack; nibbles
食性	shí xìng	diet (of an animal); food preferences; eating habits (of a person)
草食动物	cǎo shí dòng wù	herbivore
食草动物	shí cǎo dòng wù	herbivore
食安	shí ān	food safety (abbr. for 食品安全[shi2 pin3 an1 quan2] or 食物安全[shi2 wu4 an1 quan2])
食品加工机	shí pǐn jiā gōng jī	food processor
食指大动	shí zhǐ dà dòng	(idiom) to be excited to dig into the delicious food
食物中毒	shí wù zhòng dú	food poisoning
面食	miàn shí	food made from wheat flour, such as noodles, dumplings, buns etc
食法	shí fǎ	cooking method
食物	shí wù	food
主食	zhǔ shí	staple food
外食族	wài shí zú	people who regularly eat out