<p><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E7%89%9B%E6%8E%92#.E8.AF.8D.E6.BA.90">Wiki page of 牛排</a> gives a <a href="http://www.huayuqiao.org/articles/yuwenjianshetongxun/7606.htm">clue</a> of its etymology, written by, 姚德懷, the current chairman of <a href="http://www.hkedcity.net/iclub_files/a/1/74/webpage/jfiles/chinsoc.html">香港中國語文學會 (The Chinese Language Society of Hong Kong Ltd.)</a>, a non-profit organization in Hong Kong. Here's a summary:</p>

<p>According to <a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E6%BC%A2%E8%AA%9E%E5%A4%A7%E8%A9%9E%E5%85%B8">漢語大詞典</a>, the word 牛排 has been cited in some novels in Qing Dynasty in the beginning of 20th century. Such as:</p>

<ul>
<li><p>「三荷包接過看時，只見上面開的是：清牛湯、炙鰣魚、冰蠶阿、丁灣羊肉、漢巴德、牛排、凍豬腳、橙子冰忌廉、澳洲翠鳥雞、龜仔蘆筍、生菜英腿、加利蛋飯、白浪布丁、濱格、豬古辣冰忌廉、葡萄乾、香蕉、咖啡。」from『<a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E5%AE%98%E5%A0%B4%E7%8F%BE%E5%BD%A2%E8%A8%98">官場現形記</a>』之<a href="http://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E5%AE%98%E5%A0%B4%E7%8F%BE%E5%BD%A2%E8%A8%98/%E7%AC%AC007%E5%9B%9E">第七回 第三段 第四句 (sentence 4, paragraph 3, chapter 7)</a> and,</p></li>
<li><p>「這句話被那位候補道听見了，到了晚上，便請制台吃飯，仍然辦的是西菜，仍用的是西式盤子，卻將一切牛排、雞排是整的都切碎了，席上不放刀叉，只擺著筷子。」from 『<a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E4%BA%8C%E5%8D%81%E5%B9%B4%E7%9B%AE%E7%9D%B9%E4%B9%8B%E6%80%AA%E7%8F%BE%E7%8B%80">二十年目睹之怪現狀</a>』之<a href="http://www.millionbook.net/gd/w/wuyanren/esnmdzgxz/078.htm">第七十八回 第三段 第六句 (sentence 6, paragraph 3, chapter 78)</a>.</p></li>
</ul>

<p>The author puts: 排 seems to stem from the 排骨 in 排骨麵 served in Shanghai being similar to Western pork chop. (<strong>上海「排骨麵」裏的大塊「排骨」近似西菜裏的「豬排」，「排」字的用法似由此而起。</strong>)</p>

<p>The pronunciation of 排 in Shanghai local dialect is similar to 扒 in Cantonese, which seems to be the reason that Cantonese also use 牛扒 to mean 牛排. (<strong>「排」，上海話讀「bɑ」，廣東人聽成「p’a」，似因此也寫為「扒」。</strong>)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-10-07T02:41:59.763Z
肉扒 might even be more common in Shanghai, at least through my observation. But of course, I haven't been to every restaurant that sells steaks in Shanghai.
deutschZuid
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-10-05T10:27:03.627Z
2013-10-05T10:32:11.517Z
2013-10-05T10:32:11.517Z
George
<p><a href="http://www.zdic.net/c/9/a5/192643.htm">肉排 is Chinese for steak</a> (e.g. 牛排 or 猪排 for beef steak and pork steak), but where did the 排 come from? As a Western cuisine dish, did the word have some roundabout origin?</p>

<p>排 means row/rank, which has nothing to do with steak. 排 makes more sense in the word 排骨 (spareribs) - literally "rows of bones".</p>

<etymology><food><loanwords>
Why is "steak" 肉排?
# Why is "steak" 肉排?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-10-05)

[肉排 is Chinese for steak](http://www.zdic.net/c/9/a5/192643.htm) (e.g. 牛排 or 猪排 for beef steak and pork steak), but where did the 排 come from? As a Western cuisine dish, did the word have some roundabout origin?

排 means row/rank, which has nothing to do with steak. 排 makes more sense in the word 排骨 (spareribs) - literally "rows of bones".

**Tags:** etymology, food, loanwords


---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2013-10-05. Score: 13 | Accepted answer

[Wiki page of 牛排](https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E7%89%9B%E6%8E%92#.E8.AF.8D.E6.BA.90) gives a [clue](http://www.huayuqiao.org/articles/yuwenjianshetongxun/7606.htm) of its etymology, written by, 姚德懷, the current chairman of [香港中國語文學會 (The Chinese Language Society of Hong Kong Ltd.)](http://www.hkedcity.net/iclub_files/a/1/74/webpage/jfiles/chinsoc.html), a non-profit organization in Hong Kong. Here's a summary:

According to [漢語大詞典](https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E6%BC%A2%E8%AA%9E%E5%A4%A7%E8%A9%9E%E5%85%B8), the word 牛排 has been cited in some novels in Qing Dynasty in the beginning of 20th century. Such as:

* 「三荷包接過看時，只見上面開的是：清牛湯、炙鰣魚、冰蠶阿、丁灣羊肉、漢巴德、牛排、凍豬腳、橙子冰忌廉、澳洲翠鳥雞、龜仔蘆筍、生菜英腿、加利蛋飯、白浪布丁、濱格、豬古辣冰忌廉、葡萄乾、香蕉、咖啡。」from『[官場現形記](https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E5%AE%98%E5%A0%B4%E7%8F%BE%E5%BD%A2%E8%A8%98)』之[第七回 第三段 第四句 (sentence 4, paragraph 3, chapter 7)](http://zh.wikisource.org/zh-hant/%E5%AE%98%E5%A0%B4%E7%8F%BE%E5%BD%A2%E8%A8%98/%E7%AC%AC007%E5%9B%9E) and,
* 「這句話被那位候補道听見了，到了晚上，便請制台吃飯，仍然辦的是西菜，仍用的是西式盤子，卻將一切牛排、雞排是整的都切碎了，席上不放刀叉，只擺著筷子。」from 『[二十年目睹之怪現狀](https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E4%BA%8C%E5%8D%81%E5%B9%B4%E7%9B%AE%E7%9D%B9%E4%B9%8B%E6%80%AA%E7%8F%BE%E7%8B%80)』之[第七十八回 第三段 第六句 (sentence 6, paragraph 3, chapter 78)](http://www.millionbook.net/gd/w/wuyanren/esnmdzgxz/078.htm).

The author puts: 排 seems to stem from the 排骨 in 排骨麵 served in Shanghai being similar to Western pork chop. (**上海「排骨麵」裏的大塊「排骨」近似西菜裏的「豬排」，「排」字的用法似由此而起。**)

The pronunciation of 排 in Shanghai local dialect is similar to 扒 in Cantonese, which seems to be the reason that Cantonese also use 牛扒 to mean 牛排. (**「排」，上海話讀「bɑ」，廣東人聽成「p’a」，似因此也寫為「扒」。**)

> **Comments:**
> **username_2**: 肉扒 might even be more common in Shanghai, at least through my observation. But of course, I haven't been to every restaurant that sells steaks in Shanghai.  

---

