Egg in Chinese (a practical guide)
Need to talk about eggs in Chinese? You’ve come to the right place!
Moving to Singapore you’ll almost definitely be changing your diet. Foods such as bread, red meat and dairy are really expensive. However, there is one gem that isn’t going anywhere… eggs!
This is a complete breakdown of eggs in Chinese.
Wondering why food is so expensive in Singapore?
93% of all foods are imported! #SingaporeFact91
Love country facts? We have 100 facts about China and Singapore.
To learn all bird names check out Marketing Manager Max and Mandarin Teacher Felix on their bird watching adventure!
Don’t stop your animal learning there! We have an entire encyclopaedia of animals in Chinese.
Animal eggs in Chinese
What came first the chicken or the egg? Well in China it’s definitely the chicken!
By this point, you should know all the birds in Chinese right? That will make this next section much easier! Here’s how you identify a bird’s eggs in Chinese:
(Bird Name) + (蛋 dàn)
You can apply this to any type of bird. Here are the bird’s eggs in Chinese you’ll most likely come across on a Chinese menu.
|Duck||鸭子蛋||yā zi dàn|
|Emu||鸸鹋蛋||ér miáo dàn|
|Ostrich||鸵鸟蛋||tuó niǎo dàn|
|Quail||鹌鹑蛋||ān chún dàn|
Wondering what measure word to use when counting eggs in Chinese? You’ll kick yourself when you see it!
That’s right! A simple 个 gè will get the job done counting eggs.
Important: DON’T use 蛋 dàn for fish eggs!
(fish name) + 卵 luǎn. The general way to say fish eggs in Chinese is 鱼卵 yú luǎn.
Some other ocean creature’s egg names in mandarin:
- Crab 螃蟹卵 pángxiè luǎn
- Fish 鱼卵 yú luǎn
- Lobster 龙虾卵 lóng xiā luǎn
- Octopus 八爪鱼卵 bā zhuǎ yú luǎn
- Shark 鲨鱼卵 shāyú luǎn
Egg dishes in China
Century eggs: If you haven’t tried century eggs, have you really been to China? These feel like more of a dare to newcomers.
Made from preserved duck, chicken or quail eggs. These eggs are left to ferment anywhere between several weeks or even months!
Chinese steamed eggs: Is similar to an omelette but is made with water and the mixture is steamed.
Egg foo yung: Are a delicious combination of eggs stirred with vegetables, then cooked in deep-fried oil and served with gravy!
Egg drop soup: Is a very common dish in China. The first time you see it, it iss not that appealing however it more of the tame egg dishes you’ll see on this list.
It’s made with beaten eggs and broth.
Oyster Omelette: are not surprisingly made with oysters. However, shrimp can be substituted in. Usually made with potato starch oyster omelettes are a bit thicker than your typical omelette.
Don’t forget the chili sauce before eating!
Salted duck eggs: are duck eggs pickled in saltwater brine.
Smoked egg: can be either fish or poultry eggs. Sometimes smoked eggs are boiled, peeled then smoked while others are smoke right in the shell.
Tea Egg: is an egg that’s been boiled, peeled and then boiled again in tea.
Check out your breakfast options in Taiwan!
‘How do you like your eggs’ in Chinese?
nǐ xǐhuān zěnme zuò jīdàn?
Baked Egg 烘蛋 hōng dàn
Boiled Egg 水煮蛋 shuǐ zhǔ dàn
Fried Egg 煎鸡蛋 jiān jīdàn
Omelette 煎蛋卷 jiān dàn juǎn OR 摊鸡蛋饼 tān jīdàn bǐng
Poached egg 荷包蛋 hébāodàn OR 水波蛋 shuǐbō dàn
Scrambled Egg 炒蛋 chǎo dàn OR 嫩滑炒蛋 nèn huá chǎo dàn
More helpful vocabulary when talking about eggs in Chinese:
Yolk 蛋黄 dàn huáng
Egg white 蛋白 dàn bái
Eggshell 蛋壳 dàn ké
Peel: 剥 bāo
Going to Singapore? Here’s everything to look forward to.
Q&A about eggs in Chinese
The general word for egg in Chinese is 蛋 dàn
You’ll need duck eggs, Chinese cooking wine and fine sea salt. Wet with the wine, role in the salt. Place in a zip lock bag. 3 weeks later you’ll be eating Chinese salted duck eggs!
Despite commonly being referred to as Chinese egg rolls… They’re actually Japanise!
To order egg rolls look for the characters 春卷 or ask for “Chūn juǎn”
Chinese tea eggs (as the name would suggest) are eggs boiled in tea!
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