招牌菜
zhāo pái cài
Pinyin

Definition

招牌菜
 - 
zhāo pái cài
  1. signature dish
  2. a restaurant’s most famous dish

Character Decomposition

Related Words (20)

品牌
pǐn pái
  1. 1 brand name
  2. 2 trademark
打牌
dǎ pái
  1. 1 to play mahjong or cards
招
zhāo
  1. 1 to recruit
  2. 2 to provoke
  3. 3 to beckon
  4. 4 to incur
  5. 5 to infect
  6. 6 contagious
  7. 7 a move (chess)
  8. 8 a maneuver
  9. 9 device
  10. 10 trick
  11. 11 to confess
牌
pái
  1. 1 mahjong tile
  2. 2 playing card
  3. 3 game pieces
  4. 4 signboard
  5. 5 plate
  6. 6 tablet
  7. 7 medal
  8. 8 CL:片[piàn],個|个[gè],塊|块[kuài]
菜
cài
  1. 1 dish (type of food)
  2. 2 vegetable
  3. 3 cuisine
  4. 4 CL:盤|盘[pán],道[dào]
  5. 5 (coll.) (one's) type
  6. 6 (of one's skills etc) weak
  7. 7 poor
菜刀
cài dāo
  1. 1 vegetable knife
  2. 2 kitchen knife
  3. 3 cleaver
  4. 4 CL:把[bǎ]
蔬菜
shū cài
  1. 1 vegetables
  2. 2 CL:種|种[zhǒng]
青菜
qīng cài
  1. 1 green vegetables
  2. 2 Chinese cabbage
上菜
shàng cài
  1. 1 to serve food
做菜
zuò cài
  1. 1 to cook
  2. 2 cooking
卷心菜
juǎn xīn cài
  1. 1 cabbage
  2. 2 CL:棵[kē]
名牌
míng pái
  1. 1 famous brand
  2. 2 nameplate
  3. 3 name tag
大牌
dà pái
  1. 1 strong card
  2. 2 honor card (card games)
  3. 3 very popular or successful person
  4. 4 self-important
大白菜
dà bái cài
  1. 1 bok choy
  2. 2 Chinese cabbage
  3. 3 Brassica pekinensis
  4. 4 CL:棵[kē]
妙招
miào zhāo
  1. 1 smart move
  2. 2 clever way of doing sth
家常菜
jiā cháng cài
  1. 1 home cooking
小菜
xiǎo cài
  1. 1 appetizer
  2. 2 small side dish
  3. 3 easy job
  4. 4 piece of cake
  5. 5 see also 小菜一碟[xiǎo cài yī dié]
小菜一碟
xiǎo cài yī dié
  1. 1 a small appetizer
  2. 2 a piece of cake; very easy (idiom)
川菜
Chuān cài
  1. 1 Sichuan or Szechuan cuisine
底牌
dǐ pái
  1. 1 cards in one's hand
  2. 2 (fig.) undisclosed strength or information
  3. 3 hidden trump

Idioms (20)

又想当婊子又想立牌坊
yòu xiǎng dāng biǎo zi yòu xiǎng lì pái fāng
  1. 1 lit. to lead the life of a whore but still want a monument put up to one's chastity (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. to have bad intentions but still want a good reputation
  3. 3 to want to have one's cake and eat it too
小菜一碟
xiǎo cài yī dié
  1. 1 a small appetizer
  2. 2 a piece of cake; very easy (idiom)
招兵买马
zhāo bīng mǎi mǎ
  1. 1 to recruit soldiers and buy horses (idiom); to raise a large army
  2. 2 fig. to expand business
  3. 3 to recruit new staff
招摇过市
zhāo yáo guò shì
  1. 1 to parade oneself ostentatiously about town (idiom)
招财
zhāo cái
  1. 1 lit. inviting wealth
  2. 2 We wish you success and riches (cf idiom 招財進寶|招财进宝[zhāo cái jìn bǎo])
招财进宝
zhāo cái jìn bǎo
  1. 1 ushering in wealth and prosperity (idiom and traditional greeting, esp. at New Year); We wish you wealth and success!
招贤纳士
zhāo xián nà shì
  1. 1 invite the talented and call the valorous (idiom); to recruit talent
招降纳叛
zhāo xiáng nà pàn
  1. 1 to recruit surrendered enemy and deserters (idiom); to gather together a gang of villains
招风惹草
zhāo fēng rě cǎo
  1. 1 to stir up trouble (idiom)
  2. 2 to sow discord
捡到篮里就是菜
jiǎn dào lán lǐ jiù shì cài
  1. 1 all is grist that comes to the mill (idiom)
树大招风
shù dà zhāo fēng
  1. 1 lit. a tall tree attracts the wind (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. a famous or rich person attracts criticism
满招损，谦受益
mǎn zhāo sǔn , qiān shòu yì
  1. 1 (idiom) complacency leads to loss, modesty brings profit
  2. 2 pride comes before a fall
目挑心招
mù tiǎo xīn zhāo
  1. 1 the eye incites, the heart invites (idiom); flirtatious
  2. 2 making eyes at sb
看人下菜碟儿
kàn rén xià cài dié r5
  1. 1 (dialect) to treat sb according to their social status, relationship with them etc (idiom)
  2. 2 not to treat everyone equally favorably
看菜吃饭
kān cài chī fàn
  1. 1 to eat depending on the dish (idiom); fig. to act according to actual circumstances
  2. 2 to live within one's means
看菜吃饭，量体裁衣
kān cài chī fàn , liáng tǐ cái yī
  1. 1 eat depending on the dish, cut cloth according to the body (idiom); to fit the appetite to the dishes and the dress to the figure
  2. 2 to act according to actual circumstances
  3. 3 to live within one's means
花枝招展
huā zhī zhāo zhǎn
  1. 1 lit. lovely scene of blossoming plants swaying in the breeze (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. gorgeously dressed (woman)
萝卜白菜，各有所爱
luó bo bái cài , gè yǒu suǒ ài
  1. 1 one man's meat is another man's poison (idiom)
  2. 2 to each his own
迎风招展
yíng fēng zhāo zhǎn
  1. 1 to flutter in the wind (idiom)
黄花菜都凉了
huáng huā cài dōu liáng le
  1. 1 lit. the dishes are cold (idiom)
  2. 2 fig. to arrive late
  3. 3 to take one's sweet time

Sample Sentences

这是这家的招牌菜，你尝尝。
zhèshì zhè jiā de zhāopáicài ，nǐ cháng cháng 。
This is the restaurant’s signature dish. Give it a try.
Go to Lesson 
服务员，请问你们这儿的招牌菜是哪一道？
fúwùyuán ，qǐngwèn nǐmen zhèr de zhāopai cài shì nǎ yī dào ？
Waiter, may I ask which is your signature dish?
Go to Lesson 
我可不要做电灯泡。我们点龙虾吧，听说是这里的招牌菜。
wǒ kě bùyào zuò diàndēngpào 。wǒmen diǎn lóngxiā ba ，tīngshuō shì zhèlǐ de zhāopai cài 。
I don’t want to be a third wheel. Let’s order the lobster! I’ve heard that it’s the specialty dish here.
Go to Lesson 
是啊，我有一次和一个外国同事吃广东点心，他再三强调不能点凤爪。说看了就头皮发麻。结果搞得我们错过了一道招牌菜。哎，你吃过最古怪的东西是什么？
shì ā ，wǒ yǒu yī cì hé yī ge wàiguó tóngshì chī Guǎngdōng diǎnxīn ，tā zàisān qiángdiào bùnéng diǎn fèngzhuǎ 。shuō kàn le jiù tóupí fāmá 。jiéguǒ gǎo de wǒmen cuòguò le yīdào zhāopáicài 。āi ，nǐ chī guo zuì gǔguài de dōngxi shì shénme ？
Yeah. I ate Cantonese dim sum with a foreign colleague once. He made a big deal out of the fact that we couldn't order chicken feet. He said that he got the heebie-jeebies just looking at it. In the end, I missed the chance to order the dish the restaurant was famous for! Hey, what's the strangest thing you've eaten?
Go to Lesson