炒 chǎo to boil
to boil; to fry; to roast; to sauté; to trade stock; to stir-fry
How to remember 炒: 火 fire + 少 few = to boil. Over a roaring fire the street cook tosses a few prawns in his wok, ready to boil whatever the crowd orders.
Component breakdown
炒 = 火 fire + 少 few
- 火 fire
- 少 few
Over a roaring fire the street cook tosses a few prawns in his wok, ready to boil whatever the crowd orders.
How it is used
- The everyday cooking verb for stir-frying, central to Chinese home cooking: 炒菜 chǎocài "to stir-fry dishes/cook a meal," 炒饭 chǎofàn "fried rice."
- Extended to finance and media: 炒股 chǎogǔ means to speculate/trade in stocks (casual, slightly risky-sounding), and 炒作 chǎozuò means to hype something up in the media (a company or celebrity "stirring the pot" for attention) - often used critically.
- Distinguish from 煮 zhǔ (boil), 煎 jiān (pan-fry), and 蒸 zhēng (steam) - 炒 specifically implies quick cooking in oil with constant tossing in a wok.