便饭 biànfàn an ordinary meal
an ordinary meal; simple home cooking
How to remember 便饭: 便 convenient + 饭 meal = an ordinary meal.
Characters
How it is used
- A simple, everyday meal, home-style rather than a banquet - 来家里吃顿便饭 (lái jiā lǐ chī dùn biànfàn) come over for a simple home meal.
- The 便 (biàn, convenient/casual) marks it as unpretentious; it's the humble word a host uses to downplay their hospitality.
- Note the set phrase 家常便饭 (jiāchángbiànfàn): literally home-cooked meal, figuratively 'an everyday occurrence, nothing unusual'.