刀鱼 (dāoyú) · tapertail anchovy; Yangtze knife fish

Measure Word

一条刀鱼 tiáo

Meanings

1 tapertail anchovy; Yangtze knife fish
2 hairtail; cutlassfish

About the ingredient

水产 Fish and seafood

A slender fish tapering to a long, thin tail that swims up the Yangtze each spring to spawn, one of the river's three traditional delicacies and among the dearest fish in China. In the northeast and Shandong the name means 带鱼.

Contains fish

Also called 刀鲚

Characters

Examples

HSK 6

在山东，很多家庭过年都要炸一盘刀鱼。

Zài Shāndōng, hěnduō jiātíng guònián dōu yào zhá yì pán dāoyú.

In Shandong, many families fry a plate of hairtail at New Year.

HSK 7-9

清明节前的长江刀鱼特别鲜，也特别贵。

Qīngmíngjié qián de Chángjiāng dāoyú tèbié xiān, yě tèbié guì.

Yangtze knife fish caught before the Qingming Festival is especially fresh, and especially expensive.

Tips

usage

Named for its blade-like shape. Along the Yangtze it is the tapertail anchovy 刀鲚, one of the 长江三鲜 and at its best before Qingming; in the north 刀鱼 is the everyday name for 带鱼, the hairtail.