啤酒

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Character Breakdown

Overview

啤酒 (píjiǔ) is the standard word for "beer" in Mandarin Chinese, borrowed from Western culture. It refers specifically to the alcoholic beverage made from fermented grains.

Usage in Conversation

啤酒 is commonly used in casual and social contexts, especially when talking about drinking with friends, at restaurants, or during celebrations. It often appears with verbs like (hē, "to drink") and can be modified by adjectives like (bīng, "cold") to describe temperature.

Common Collocations

  • 啤酒 (hē píjiǔ): to drink beer, the most frequent collocation.
  • 啤酒 (bīng píjiǔ): cold beer, popular in summer.
  • 啤酒 (píjiǔ jié): beer festival, a cultural event.
  • 啤酒 (píjiǔ chǎng): brewery, the place where beer is made.

Register and Tone

啤酒 is neutral and widely used in both spoken and written Chinese. It is informal enough for everyday conversation but also appears in menus and advertisements.

Tips

Don’t confuse 啤酒 with (jiǔ), which is a more general term for alcoholic drinks including wine and spirits. 啤酒 specifically means beer. When ordering, you can say 啤酒 (Wǒ yào yī píng píjiǔ) to mean "I want a bottle of beer."

Example Sentences

Let's go drink beer tonight.

The beer at this restaurant is very famous.

Drinking cold beer in summer is especially refreshing.

He likes to drink beer and chat with friends on weekends.

This bottle of beer has a very smooth taste.