味道

Chinese

		taste	direction; way; method direction; way; method; road; path; principle; truth; reason; skill; Tao (of Taoism); a measure word; to say; to speak; to talk
trad. (味道)		味	道
simp. #(味道)		味	道
Literally: “to savour the principles”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): wèidào

  (Zhuyin): ㄨㄟˋ ㄉㄠˋ

  (Chengdu, Sichuanese Pinyin): wei⁴ dao⁴

  (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): видо (vido, III-I) / видо (vido, III-0)

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): mei⁶ dou⁶

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): mei⁵ au⁵

• Gan (Wiktionary): ui⁵ tau
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): mi-tho

  (Meixian, Guangdong): mi⁴ tau⁴

• Jin (Wiktionary): vei³ dau²
• Northern Min (KCR): mī-dàu
• Eastern Min (BUC): ê-dô̤
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): bī-tō͘ / bī-tō / bi-tǎu

  (Teochew, Peng'im): bhi⁷ dao⁶

• Wu (Wugniu)
  • (Northern): ⁶mi-dau
• Xiang (Changsha, Wiktionary): uei⁵ dau⁴

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: wèidào → wèidao (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Zhuyin: ㄨㄟˋ ㄉㄠˋ → ㄨㄟˋ ˙ㄉㄠ (toneless final syllable variant)
    • Tongyong Pinyin: wèidåo
    • Wade–Giles: wei⁴-tao⁵
    • Yale: wèi-dau
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: wey.daw
    • Palladius: вэйдао (vɛjdao)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /weɪ̯⁵¹⁻⁵³ tɑʊ̯⁵¹/ → /weɪ̯⁵¹ d̥ɑʊ̯¹/

Note: The verb sense is only read with the reading "wèidào", with emphases on both syllables.

• • (Chengdu)
    • Sichuanese Pinyin: wei⁴ dao⁴
    • Scuanxua Ladinxua Xin Wenz: uidao
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /uei²¹³ tau²¹³/
  • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic and Wiktionary: видо (vido, III-I) / видо (vido, III-0)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /vi⁴⁴ tɔ²⁴/, /vi⁴⁴ tɔ⁰/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: mei⁶ dou⁶
    • Yale: meih douh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: mei⁶ dou⁶
    • Guangdong Romanization: méi⁶ dou⁶
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mei̯²² tou̯²²/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: mei⁵ au⁵
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ᵐbei³² au³²/
• Gan
  • (Nanchang)
    • Wiktionary: ui⁵ tau
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ui¹¹ tʰau¹/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: mi-tho
    • Hakka Romanization System: mi to
    • Hagfa Pinyim: mi⁴ to⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /mi⁵⁵ tʰo⁵⁵/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: mi⁴ tau⁴
    • Sinological IPA: /mi⁵³⁻⁵⁵ tʰau⁵³/
• Jin
  • (Taiyuan)⁺
    • Wiktionary: vei³ dau²
    • Sinological IPA (old-style): /vei⁴⁵ tau⁵³/
• Northern Min
  • (Jian'ou)
    • Kienning Colloquial Romanized: mī-dàu
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /mi⁵⁵ tau⁴²/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: ê-dô̤
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /i²⁴²⁻⁵³ ^(t-)lɔ²⁴²/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bī-tō͘
    • Tâi-lô: bī-tōo
    • Phofsit Daibuun: bixdo
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /bi⁴¹⁻²² tɔ⁴¹/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bī-tō
    • Tâi-lô: bī-tō
    • Phofsit Daibuun: bixdoi
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /bi²²⁻²¹ to²²/
  • (Hokkien: Longyan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: bi-tǎu
    • Tâi-lô: bi-tǎu
    • IPA (Longyan): /bi³³⁴ tau⁵³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: bhi⁷ dao⁶
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: bī tău
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /bi¹¹ tau³⁵/
• Wu
  • (Shanghai):
    • Wugniu: ⁶mi-dau
    • MiniDict: mi^去 dau
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³mi-dau
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /mi²² dɔ⁴⁴/
• Xiang
  • (Changsha)
    • Wiktionary: uei⁵ dau⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /u̯e̞i̯²¹⁻¹¹ tɒu̯⁴⁵/

---

• Middle Chinese: mj+jH dawX

Rime
Character	味	道
Reading #	1/1	1/1
Initial (聲)	明 (4)	定 (7)
Final (韻)	微 (21)	豪 (89)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)	Rising (X)
Openness (開合)	Closed	Open
Division (等)	III	I
Fanqie	無沸切	徒晧切
Baxter	mj+jH	dawX
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/mʉiH/	/dɑuX/
Pan Wuyun	/mʷɨiH/	/dɑuX/
Shao Rongfen	/miuəiH/	/dɑuX/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/mujH/	/dawX/
Li Rong	/miuəiH/	/dɑuX/
Wang Li	/mĭwəiH/	/dɑuX/
Bernard Karlgren	/mwe̯iH/	/dʱɑuX/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	wèi	dào
Expected Cantonese Reflex	mei6	dou6

• Old Chinese

  (Baxter–Sagart): /*m[ə]t-s  [kə.l]ˤuʔ/

  (Zhengzhang): /*mɯds  l'uːʔ/

Baxter–Sagart system 1.1 (2014)
Character	味	道
Reading #	1/1	2/2
Modern Beijing (Pinyin)	wèi	dào
Middle Chinese	‹ mjɨjH ›	‹ dawX ›
Old Chinese	/*m[ə]t-s/	/*[kə.l]ˁuʔ/
English	taste (n.)	way
Notes for Old Chinese notations in the Baxter–Sagart system: * Parentheses "()" indicate uncertain presence; * Square brackets "[]" indicate uncertain identity, e.g. *[t] as coda may in fact be *-t or *-p; * Angle brackets "<>" indicate infix; * Hyphen "-" indicates morpheme boundary; * Period "." indicates syllable boundary.

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	味	道
Reading #	1/1	1/1
No.	12918	11669
Phonetic component	未	首
Rime group	隊	幽
Rime subdivision	1	1
Corresponding MC rime	未	道
Old Chinese	/*mɯds/	/*l'uːʔ/

Noun

味道

1. flavour; taste

   品嘗味道／品尝味道  ―  pǐncháng wèidào  ―  to taste the flavour

   味道有點怪。／味道有点怪。  ―  Wèidào yǒudiǎn guài.  ―  It tastes funny.

   要什麼味道的冰淇淋？ [MSC, trad.]
   要什么味道的冰淇淋？ [MSC, simp.]

   Yào shénme wèidào de bīngqílín? [Pinyin]

   What flavour of ice cream would you like?

   1. (figurative) taste of cooking; food

      媽媽的味道／妈妈的味道  ―  māma de wèidào  ―  the taste of mum's cooking

2. smell; odour (Classifier: 股 m)

   菜有股味道。  ―  Cài yǒu gǔ wèidào.  ―  The dish smells rotten.

3. (figurative) interest

   越看越有味道  ―  yuè kàn yuè yǒu wèidào  ―  the more one reads, the more intriguing [the book] becomes

4. (figurative) particular sense or feeling

   有點諷刺的味道／有点讽刺的味道  ―  yǒudiǎn fěngcì de wèidào  ―  have a touch of sarcasm

Synonyms

• (flavour):

Dialectal synonyms of 味道 (“taste; flavour”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Classical Chinese		味
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		滋味, 味道, 風味, 口味
Mandarin	Beijing	味兒
	Taiwan	味道, 味
	Jinan	味兒
	Xi'an	味道
	Wuhan	味口, 味
	Chengdu	味道
	Guilin	味道
	Yangzhou	味道
	Hefei	味道
	Singapore	味道, 味
Cantonese	Guangzhou	味道, 味
	Hong Kong	味道, 味
	Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)	味道
	Yangjiang	味
	Singapore (Guangfu)	味道, 味
Gan	Nanchang	味道
Hakka	Meixian	味道
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	味緒, 味道
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	味緒, 味道
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	味緒, 味道
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	味緒, 味道
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	味緒, 味道
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	味素, 味緒, 味道
	Hong Kong	味
	Singkawang	味
Jin	Taiyuan	味兒, 味道
Northern Min	Jian'ou	味道
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	味
Southern Min	Xiamen	味, 味素
	Quanzhou	味, 味素
	Zhangzhou	味, 味素
	Penang (Hokkien)	味素
	Singapore (Hokkien)	味素, 味
	Manila (Hokkien)	味, 味素
	Chaozhou	味素, 味道, 味
	Jieyang	味, 味素
Wu	Shanghai	吃口
	Suzhou	味道
	Wenzhou	味道
Xiang	Changsha	味道
	Shuangfeng	味道

• (smell):

Dialectal synonyms of 氣味 (“smell; odour”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		氣息, 臭味, 氣
Mandarin	Beijing	味兒
	Taiwan	味
	Jinan	味兒
	Xi'an	味兒, 味氣
	Wuhan	氣味, 氣色
	Chengdu	氣氣, 味道
	Yangzhou	味道
	Hefei	味道, 氣味
	Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan)	味味子, 味味兒
Cantonese	Guangzhou	味, 𡃴
	Hong Kong	味, 𡃴
	Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)	𡃴
	Yangjiang	味, 𡃴
Gan	Nanchang	氣味
Hakka	Meixian	味道, 氣味
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	味道, 氣味
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	味道, 氣味
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	味道, 氣味
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	味道, 氣味
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	味道, 氣味
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	味道, 氣味
	Hong Kong	味
Jin	Taiyuan	味氣
Northern Min	Jian'ou	味道, 氣色
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	味
Southern Min	Xiamen	味, 味素
	Quanzhou	味, 味素
	Zhangzhou	味
	Singapore (Hokkien)	味, 味素, 峇羽
	Manila (Hokkien)	味, 味素
	Chaozhou	味, 味素, 羶, 氣味
Wu	Suzhou	味道, 氣味
	Wenzhou	氣道
Xiang	Changsha	氣色, 味道, 氣味
	Shuangfeng	氣色, 氣

Verb

味道

1. (Classical) to observe the rules; to savour the reasons; to perceive the truth