汤圆 tāngyuán sweet rice balls
boiled or deep-fried balls of glutinous rice flour, usually eaten during Lantern Festival
How to remember 汤圆: 汤 soup + 圆 circle = sweet rice balls.
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How it is used
- Glutinous rice-flour balls (often sweet-filled) in soup - 吃汤圆 (chī tāngyuán) eat tangyuan.
- A traditional food eaten especially at the Lantern Festival (元宵节) and Winter Solstice, symbolizing family reunion (团圆) via the 圆 pun.
- Culturally specific; similar to but distinct from 元宵 (yuánxiāo), the northern rolled version.