In the Fridge in Chinese 冰箱里
bīngxiāng lǐ
Fridge in Chinese is 冰箱 (bīng xiāng).
Also searched for as: fridge, refrigerator, food in the fridge, freezer.
What's in there right now? 15 essential in the fridge words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The fridge in Chinese is 冰箱 (bīng xiāng), literally 'ice box', and these words cover what's inside it and what happens to food over time. Alongside everyday items like 牛奶 (niú nǎi) and 酸奶 (suān nǎi), literally 'sour milk', you'll learn to say something is 过期 (guò qī), past its date, or has simply 坏了 (huài le), gone off.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 冰箱 | bīng xiāng | fridge |
| 冷冻室 | lěng dòng shì | freezer |
| 冷藏 | lěng cáng | to refrigerate |
| 牛奶 | niú nǎi | milk |
| 黄油 | huáng yóu | butter |
| 奶酪 | nǎi lào | cheese |
| 酸奶 | suān nǎi | yoghurt |
| 果汁 | guǒ zhī | juice |
| 火腿 | huǒ tuǐ | ham |
| 冰块 | bīng kuài | ice cubes |
| 剩饭 | shèng fàn | leftover rice |
| 冻 | dòng | to freeze |
| 解冻 | jiě dòng | to defrost |
| 过期 | guò qī | to expire; out of date |
| 坏了 | huài le | gone off |
Usage tips
- 冷藏 (lěng cáng) means to keep chilled and 冷冻 (lěng dòng) means to keep frozen, so a label saying 冷藏 means 'keep refrigerated', not 'freeze'.
- 剩饭 (shèng fàn) is strictly leftover rice, while 剩菜 (shèng cài) is leftover dishes; the pair 剩饭剩菜 (shèng fàn shèng cài) covers all your leftovers.
- Cheese, 奶酪 (nǎi lào), is also widely called 芝士 (zhī shì), a loan from English that is very common in Singapore, Malaysia and on menus for pizza and cakes.
Common mistakes
- Saying 这个鸡蛋坏 without 了 (le) sounds unfinished; to say food has gone off, use 坏了 (huài le), as in 这个鸡蛋坏了 (zhè ge jī dàn huài le).
- Translating 'out of date' as 旧 (jiù), old; for food past its use-by date say 过期了 (guò qī le).
Mini dialogue
- A冰箱里还有牛奶吗？Bīng xiāng lǐ hái yǒu niú nǎi ma?Is there any milk left in the fridge?
- B有一盒，不过好像过期了。Yǒu yī hé, bù guò hǎo xiàng guò qī le.There's one carton, but I think it's out of date.
- A那我喝酸奶吧。晚饭的肉解冻了吗？Nà wǒ hē suān nǎi ba. Wǎn fàn de ròu jiě dòng le ma?I'll have yoghurt then. Has the meat for dinner defrosted?
- B还没，还在冷冻室里。Hái méi, hái zài lěng dòng shì lǐ.Not yet, it's still in the freezer.
Example sentences
- 冰箱里什么都没有了。There's nothing left in the fridge.
- 冰淇淋在冷冻室里。The ice cream is in the freezer.
- 牛奶要冷藏。Milk needs to be kept in the fridge.
- 牛奶过期了。The milk is out of date.
- 黄油在冰箱门上。The butter is in the fridge door.
- 三明治里放点儿奶酪。Put some cheese in the sandwich.
- 冰箱里还有两盒酸奶。There are still two pots of yoghurt in the fridge.
- 冰箱里有一瓶果汁。There's a bottle of juice in the fridge.
- 火腿可以做三明治。You can make a sandwich with the ham.
- 饮料里加几个冰块。Add a few ice cubes to the drink.
- 剩饭可以做炒饭。You can use leftover rice for fried rice.
- 把肉冻起来。Put the meat in the freezer.
- 肉要先解冻。The meat needs defrosting first.
- 这个面包过期了。This bread is out of date.
- 这个鸡蛋坏了。This egg has gone off.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The In the fridge speaking island has 8 everyday questions about in the fridge to prepare your own answers to.