汤圆

tāng yuán

CL 个 gè 碗 wǎn

HSK 3.0 Level 6 Noun Rare

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Definitions

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 饺子 jiǎo zi dumpling 饺子 is a common counterpart during Spring Festival, while 汤圆 is for Lantern Festival.: dumpling

Related words

1 item

• 年糕 nián gāo 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.: nian gao, New Year cake, typically a sweet, steamed cake made with glutinous rice flour

Synonyms

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• 元宵 yuán xiāo 元宵 yuán xiāo Lantern Festival In many contexts, 元宵 and 汤圆 refer to the same food.: Lantern Festival

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 圆 yuán: circle
• 汤 汤 shāng: rushing current
• 汤 汤 tāng: soup