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【Abstract】Chinese food enjoys great popularity worldwide and one of its characteristics is to strive for elegance in naming the dishes. The dish names reflect the traditional Chinese culture， customs and life values etc，. In the paper， the author picks out the corresponding dish names to explore the Chinese culture embodied in the dish names.
【Key Words】dish names the Chinese culture cultural connotation
【中图分类号】 G63.24 【文献标识码】 A 【文章编号】 2095-3089（2016）25-0-02
1.Introduction
Chinese food is well-known in the world. Naiji Yang （1999， p1） once said， “There are many people of other countries who don’t know the four great Chinese inventions， but fewer people who don’t know Chinese food.” Throughout the history， the Chinese have been regarding food as their primary want， which is clearly shown in the common saying， “There’re seven necessities in Chinese daily life-firewood， rice， oil， salt， sauce， vinegar and tea”. Chinese nation has been advocating the concept “Bread is the stall of life”. One of our great philosophers Confucius said， “The desire for food and sex is the nature of human beings”. Therefore it’s no wonder the splendid Chinese food culture appears in the world.
Due to its unique economic structure， mode of thinking and cultural environment， etc.， Chinese food has its own characteristics such as superior materials， good cutting skills， proper heating， various cooking methods， five flavors in harmonious proportion and elegance striving in diet utensils， dish naming and atmosphere. There is nearly no Chinese dish without a proper name. Being an important part of the dish， a marvelous name is not only a lively advertisement， but also makes people enjoy the beauty of the dish. Most Chinese dishes are named after raw materials， cooking methods， cooking utensils， ingredients， while some of them embody Chinese culture to some degree.
2.The Chinese Culture Embodied in Dish Names
2.1 The legendary creature dragon
There is no other legendary or mythological creature than dragon that is so closely linked with our country. The dragon has become the symbol of China and its culture and we Chinese proudly call ourselves “the descendant of the dragon”. For thousands of years， our ancestors have been inherently related to it. At the very beginning， it was regarded as a fetish that knew geography and astronomy， the god of blessing or auspicious omen of agriculture. Our forefathers began to worship it and it then became the totem worship. People tried to transfer its magic power that they felt or longed for to themselves， thus formed a cultural totem. In Chinese culture， it also stood for the king or the emperor. As an auspicious creature， the dragon gave rise to the saying that parents hoped their sons to become dragons （望子成龙）， that is， to be successful. As the spiritual symbol and cultural sign of the Chinese nation， the image of “dragon” which stands for good fortune and good luck has penetrated into many aspects of the Chinese society ----- it appears in artistic works， Chinese characters， weddings， holiday celebrations， etc，. Of course it also shows up in the field of food. The dish names in which there is the character “dragon” are as follows： pork rolls with glutinous rice（龙眼烧白）； green tea and bamboo shoots （龙井竹笋） ； “dragon boat” live fish （龙舟活鱼）， chicken wings inserted with sea cucumbers （龙穿凤翅）， braised asparagus and mushroom （扒龙须香菇）， shrimp with lobster sauce （龙汁虾仁） and sliced whelk with chicken liver （龙肝螺片） etc，. Obviously， some of the dishes are named according to their shapes and forms and some their auspicious omens.
Amusingly， some foods have different names with the character “dragon” on a Chinese seasonal festival. As early as in Yuan Dynasty in China， there was the record “the dragon raises its head on lunar February the second”. On that day， flour foods are eaten in many places to express their wishes to have good harvests. The ordinary long thin noodles are called Longxumian （dragon whisker noodle），pancakes Longlin （dragon squama） and dumplings Longya （dragon teeth）. There are some other food culture activities related to “dragon”， such as： on the Lantern Festival （the 15th of the 1st lunar month）， the Chinese will dance with dragon-shaped lanterns in their hands； on the Dragon Boat Festival --- the 5th day of the 5th lunar month， there are dragon-shaped boat races.
Obviously， the image of dragon in China is very different from that in Europe， where it’s a symbol of evil， a fierce destructive monster.
2.2 The color of “red”
The Chinese like the color of red and we even call ourselves as Chizi （赤子）， which means a patriot. The beautiful ladies are called confidant （红颜）. As the most perfect color in the Chinese’s eyes， it symbolizes happiness and power. There are no bribes in China who aren’t in red and the Chinese character signifying double happiness used for wedding is red. Red is used not only on wedding days but also on festivals. On the most important festival --- Spring Festival， the old give red envelops filled with money （红包） to children as gifts and wishes for the new year. Red robes were worn by the officials in many dynasties and the different shades of red on the official caps in Qing Dynasty demonstrated different rankings. Headlines of official documents are often printed in red and are therefore called “read-head documents”. In China， red is also said to have the function of frightening away evil spirits and disease. Red has become the color of the nation. Due to different cultural atmosphere and ecological environment， the color of red may convey strikingly different association in the west， where it’s usually connected with blood， violence and caution. One of the characteristics of Chinese dish is its beautiful color， which is reflected in the dish name. When we read such kind of dish name， what appears before us is the appealing colors of the dishes. Our mouths will be watering even without tasting it. The following dish names are the ones in which there is the color of red： fish soup with tomato （红鱼汤）， diced chicken with pepper sauce （红鱼鸡丁）， sliced pig’s ear in chili oil （红油耳片）， steamed patties of crab meat and minced shrimp with crab roe on top （白雪映红梅）.
As one of the external symbol s of food， the color of red conveys other information. Those who gave birth to babies will give eggs dyed in red to their friends， workmates and relatives to express their happiness. In some places， the eggs dyed in different shades of red represent the babies of different sexes. If a boy was born， the eggs will be dyed in dark red， otherwise in light red.
2.3 The Official Rank
In the traditional Chinese society， people of all levels to some degree had a desire for wealth and honors. The latter can be achieved through advancement in official ranks. As early as in the Wei and Jin dynasty in China， the official ranks were divided into nine grades （品）， the first grade was the highest while the ninth was the lowest. Some dish names related to the first grade of the official ranks symbolize people’s desire for it. Confucius， the founder of Confucianism， had been highly admired by the emperors for 2，000 years. The mansion of Kong Family was regarded as the official one of the first grade official in the Qing Dynasty. The first grade casserole by the mansion of Kong Family （孔府一品锅）is the dish whose name was given by the emperor. The soup is made of some costly materials such as chicken， duck， trotter， sea cucumber and maw. It later became a famous dish in the mansion of Kong Family and those of other first grade officials. There is a well-known flour food in Kaifeng in Henan province which is named the first grade steamed stuffed bun （一品包子）. Actually， it’s just ordinary steamed bun which dated back to the Song Dynasty. Musu Zhu， the 5th son of the 1st emperor of the Ming dynasty， liked to have it and used to treat the officials to Kaifeng. He was the 1st grade official， therefore， the name of the common bun was changed into a more royal one. There are other dishes names in which there are the official ranks， such as chicken cake （一品鸡糕）， three kinds of meat in hot pot （三品炖鸡）. People’s life value to strive for dignitary may be clearly seen. Beggar’s Chicken （叫化鸡） There is a legendary story connected to it. Long， long ago there was a beggar. One day he stole a chicken and was pursued by the owner. He was almost caught when he suddenly hit upon a good idea. He smeared the chicken all over with clay which he could found nearly and threw it. After a long while， the beggar removed the mud-coated chicken from the fire. When he cracked open the clay， he found， to his astonishment， that the clay together with the feather had formed a hard shell in which the chicken had been baked into a delicious dish with wonderful flavor. That night he had a very enjoyable mea. Hence the name of the dish. （ Chen Genpei， 1990， p.181）
3.Conclusion
Almost all the dishes in the menus of other countries are named after the ingredients or cooking methods， which is just like what appears in The James Beard Cookbook. Most Chinese dishes are also named like this， while some of their names embed Chinese culture， which is shown above. “It’s no wonder some Americans say that eating Chinese food is really an enjoyment. You can not only reward yourself and repay others， but also have a chance to appreciate the dish names.” （Xu Xiong， 2001， p.2） Maybe I should add one： you can also have a chance to know a little about Chinese culture. To study the Chinese dish names enables to help people know not only the cultural connotation of the Chinese food culture but also the traditional Chinese culture， customs， life values， etc，. Therefore， how to translate the related dish names properly so as to spread the Chinese culinary culture is what a good translator should be concerned about.
References：
Basil Hatim. （2001）. Communication across Cultures. Shanghai： Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
James Beard， Isabel E. Callvert. （1982）. The James Beard Cookbook. New York： Dell Publish Co.， Inc.
居阁时、翟明安（2001）.中国象征文化.上海：上海人民出版社.
兰保荣（1985）.汉英筵席菜名手册.北京：中国旅游出版社.
徐熊（2001）.美国饮食文化趣谈.北京：人民军医出版社.
杨乃济（1993）.吃喝玩乐---中西文化比较谈.北京：中国旅游出版社.
张目（1997）.中国菜系---川菜.济南：山东科学技术出版社.
周生俊、彭鹏、林红.（1996）.川菜精华图.成都：四川科学技术出版社.
【Key Words】dish names the Chinese culture cultural connotation
【中图分类号】 G63.24 【文献标识码】 A 【文章编号】 2095-3089（2016）25-0-02
1.Introduction
Chinese food is well-known in the world. Naiji Yang （1999， p1） once said， “There are many people of other countries who don’t know the four great Chinese inventions， but fewer people who don’t know Chinese food.” Throughout the history， the Chinese have been regarding food as their primary want， which is clearly shown in the common saying， “There’re seven necessities in Chinese daily life-firewood， rice， oil， salt， sauce， vinegar and tea”. Chinese nation has been advocating the concept “Bread is the stall of life”. One of our great philosophers Confucius said， “The desire for food and sex is the nature of human beings”. Therefore it’s no wonder the splendid Chinese food culture appears in the world.
Due to its unique economic structure， mode of thinking and cultural environment， etc.， Chinese food has its own characteristics such as superior materials， good cutting skills， proper heating， various cooking methods， five flavors in harmonious proportion and elegance striving in diet utensils， dish naming and atmosphere. There is nearly no Chinese dish without a proper name. Being an important part of the dish， a marvelous name is not only a lively advertisement， but also makes people enjoy the beauty of the dish. Most Chinese dishes are named after raw materials， cooking methods， cooking utensils， ingredients， while some of them embody Chinese culture to some degree.
2.The Chinese Culture Embodied in Dish Names
2.1 The legendary creature dragon
There is no other legendary or mythological creature than dragon that is so closely linked with our country. The dragon has become the symbol of China and its culture and we Chinese proudly call ourselves “the descendant of the dragon”. For thousands of years， our ancestors have been inherently related to it. At the very beginning， it was regarded as a fetish that knew geography and astronomy， the god of blessing or auspicious omen of agriculture. Our forefathers began to worship it and it then became the totem worship. People tried to transfer its magic power that they felt or longed for to themselves， thus formed a cultural totem. In Chinese culture， it also stood for the king or the emperor. As an auspicious creature， the dragon gave rise to the saying that parents hoped their sons to become dragons （望子成龙）， that is， to be successful. As the spiritual symbol and cultural sign of the Chinese nation， the image of “dragon” which stands for good fortune and good luck has penetrated into many aspects of the Chinese society ----- it appears in artistic works， Chinese characters， weddings， holiday celebrations， etc，. Of course it also shows up in the field of food. The dish names in which there is the character “dragon” are as follows： pork rolls with glutinous rice（龙眼烧白）； green tea and bamboo shoots （龙井竹笋） ； “dragon boat” live fish （龙舟活鱼）， chicken wings inserted with sea cucumbers （龙穿凤翅）， braised asparagus and mushroom （扒龙须香菇）， shrimp with lobster sauce （龙汁虾仁） and sliced whelk with chicken liver （龙肝螺片） etc，. Obviously， some of the dishes are named according to their shapes and forms and some their auspicious omens.
Amusingly， some foods have different names with the character “dragon” on a Chinese seasonal festival. As early as in Yuan Dynasty in China， there was the record “the dragon raises its head on lunar February the second”. On that day， flour foods are eaten in many places to express their wishes to have good harvests. The ordinary long thin noodles are called Longxumian （dragon whisker noodle），pancakes Longlin （dragon squama） and dumplings Longya （dragon teeth）. There are some other food culture activities related to “dragon”， such as： on the Lantern Festival （the 15th of the 1st lunar month）， the Chinese will dance with dragon-shaped lanterns in their hands； on the Dragon Boat Festival --- the 5th day of the 5th lunar month， there are dragon-shaped boat races.
Obviously， the image of dragon in China is very different from that in Europe， where it’s a symbol of evil， a fierce destructive monster.
2.2 The color of “red”
The Chinese like the color of red and we even call ourselves as Chizi （赤子）， which means a patriot. The beautiful ladies are called confidant （红颜）. As the most perfect color in the Chinese’s eyes， it symbolizes happiness and power. There are no bribes in China who aren’t in red and the Chinese character signifying double happiness used for wedding is red. Red is used not only on wedding days but also on festivals. On the most important festival --- Spring Festival， the old give red envelops filled with money （红包） to children as gifts and wishes for the new year. Red robes were worn by the officials in many dynasties and the different shades of red on the official caps in Qing Dynasty demonstrated different rankings. Headlines of official documents are often printed in red and are therefore called “read-head documents”. In China， red is also said to have the function of frightening away evil spirits and disease. Red has become the color of the nation. Due to different cultural atmosphere and ecological environment， the color of red may convey strikingly different association in the west， where it’s usually connected with blood， violence and caution. One of the characteristics of Chinese dish is its beautiful color， which is reflected in the dish name. When we read such kind of dish name， what appears before us is the appealing colors of the dishes. Our mouths will be watering even without tasting it. The following dish names are the ones in which there is the color of red： fish soup with tomato （红鱼汤）， diced chicken with pepper sauce （红鱼鸡丁）， sliced pig’s ear in chili oil （红油耳片）， steamed patties of crab meat and minced shrimp with crab roe on top （白雪映红梅）.
As one of the external symbol s of food， the color of red conveys other information. Those who gave birth to babies will give eggs dyed in red to their friends， workmates and relatives to express their happiness. In some places， the eggs dyed in different shades of red represent the babies of different sexes. If a boy was born， the eggs will be dyed in dark red， otherwise in light red.
2.3 The Official Rank
In the traditional Chinese society， people of all levels to some degree had a desire for wealth and honors. The latter can be achieved through advancement in official ranks. As early as in the Wei and Jin dynasty in China， the official ranks were divided into nine grades （品）， the first grade was the highest while the ninth was the lowest. Some dish names related to the first grade of the official ranks symbolize people’s desire for it. Confucius， the founder of Confucianism， had been highly admired by the emperors for 2，000 years. The mansion of Kong Family was regarded as the official one of the first grade official in the Qing Dynasty. The first grade casserole by the mansion of Kong Family （孔府一品锅）is the dish whose name was given by the emperor. The soup is made of some costly materials such as chicken， duck， trotter， sea cucumber and maw. It later became a famous dish in the mansion of Kong Family and those of other first grade officials. There is a well-known flour food in Kaifeng in Henan province which is named the first grade steamed stuffed bun （一品包子）. Actually， it’s just ordinary steamed bun which dated back to the Song Dynasty. Musu Zhu， the 5th son of the 1st emperor of the Ming dynasty， liked to have it and used to treat the officials to Kaifeng. He was the 1st grade official， therefore， the name of the common bun was changed into a more royal one. There are other dishes names in which there are the official ranks， such as chicken cake （一品鸡糕）， three kinds of meat in hot pot （三品炖鸡）. People’s life value to strive for dignitary may be clearly seen. Beggar’s Chicken （叫化鸡） There is a legendary story connected to it. Long， long ago there was a beggar. One day he stole a chicken and was pursued by the owner. He was almost caught when he suddenly hit upon a good idea. He smeared the chicken all over with clay which he could found nearly and threw it. After a long while， the beggar removed the mud-coated chicken from the fire. When he cracked open the clay， he found， to his astonishment， that the clay together with the feather had formed a hard shell in which the chicken had been baked into a delicious dish with wonderful flavor. That night he had a very enjoyable mea. Hence the name of the dish. （ Chen Genpei， 1990， p.181）
3.Conclusion
Almost all the dishes in the menus of other countries are named after the ingredients or cooking methods， which is just like what appears in The James Beard Cookbook. Most Chinese dishes are also named like this， while some of their names embed Chinese culture， which is shown above. “It’s no wonder some Americans say that eating Chinese food is really an enjoyment. You can not only reward yourself and repay others， but also have a chance to appreciate the dish names.” （Xu Xiong， 2001， p.2） Maybe I should add one： you can also have a chance to know a little about Chinese culture. To study the Chinese dish names enables to help people know not only the cultural connotation of the Chinese food culture but also the traditional Chinese culture， customs， life values， etc，. Therefore， how to translate the related dish names properly so as to spread the Chinese culinary culture is what a good translator should be concerned about.
References：
Basil Hatim. （2001）. Communication across Cultures. Shanghai： Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press.
James Beard， Isabel E. Callvert. （1982）. The James Beard Cookbook. New York： Dell Publish Co.， Inc.
居阁时、翟明安（2001）.中国象征文化.上海：上海人民出版社.
兰保荣（1985）.汉英筵席菜名手册.北京：中国旅游出版社.
徐熊（2001）.美国饮食文化趣谈.北京：人民军医出版社.
杨乃济（1993）.吃喝玩乐---中西文化比较谈.北京：中国旅游出版社.
张目（1997）.中国菜系---川菜.济南：山东科学技术出版社.
周生俊、彭鹏、林红.（1996）.川菜精华图.成都：四川科学技术出版社.