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汤圆

tāng yuán
个 gè 碗 wǎn
HSK 3.0 Level 6 Noun Rare

Definitions

  1. 1. boiled or deep-fried balls of glutinous rice flour, usually eaten during Lantern Festival

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Word relationships

Counterparts

1 item
饺子
jiǎo zi

dumpling

饺子 is a common counterpart during Spring Festival, while 汤圆 is for Lantern Festival.

Related words

1 item
年糕
nián gāo

nian gao, New Year cake, typically a sweet, steamed cake made with glutinous rice flour

年糕 is another glutinous rice food eaten during Chinese New Year.

Synonyms

1 item
元宵
yuán xiāo

Lantern Festival

In many contexts, 元宵 and 汤圆 refer to the same food.

Usage notes

Cultural notes

Eating 汤圆 symbolizes family reunion and completeness, traditionally eaten during the Lantern Festival.

Formality

汤圆 is standard across regions; 元宵 is more formal and often refers specifically to the filled variety in northern China.

Example Sentences

1 shown
元宵节的时候，我们家会吃 汤圆 。
During the Lantern Festival, our family eats tangyuan.

AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Child Words of 汤圆

圆
yuán

circle

汤
shāng

rushing current

汤
tāng

soup