热菜

熱菜

rècài

noun

Measure Word

一道热菜 dào

Meanings

1 hot dish (as opposed to cold appetizers)
2 main course

Characters

Examples

先上凉菜,再上热菜。

Xiān shàng liángcài, zài shàng rècài.

Serve the cold dishes first, then the hot ones.

我们点了三个凉菜,四个热菜。

Wǒmen diǎn le sān ge liángcài, sì ge rècài.

We ordered three cold dishes and four hot ones.

Tips

culture

Chinese banquets traditionally start with 凉菜 (cold dishes) as openers, followed by 热菜 (hot dishes) as the main event, then 主食 (staples like rice or noodles) and 汤 (soup). The 热菜 count signals how generous the host is.

Stroke Order

热 rè

菜 cài