河蚌 (hébàng) · freshwater mussel

Measure Word

一只河蚌 zhī

Meanings

1 freshwater mussel
2 river clam (bivalves of rivers and lakes)

About the ingredient

水产 Fish and seafood

Large freshwater mussels from rivers, lakes and ditches, with shells that can grow to 30 cm long.

Contains shellfish

Also called 蚌

Characters

freshwater mussel, clam

Examples

HSK 6

河蚌里面偶尔能找到珍珠。

Hébàng lǐmiàn ǒu'ěr néng zhǎodào zhēnzhū.

You can occasionally find pearls inside freshwater mussels.

HSK 7-9

农家菜里有一道河蚌炖豆腐。

Nóngjiā cài lǐ yǒu yídào hébàng dùn dòufu.

Farmhouse cuisine has a dish called freshwater-mussel stewed with tofu.

Tips

culture

The classic chengyu 鹬蚌相争，渔翁得利 ("snipe and mussel struggle, the fisherman profits") uses 蚌 - the freshwater bivalve that clamps down on the bird's beak. China is also the world's largest producer of freshwater pearls, farmed from 河蚌.