hē: 喝 - To Drink

• Keywords: he pinyin, 喝 Chinese character, how to say drink in Chinese, drink verb Chinese, hē, 喝 vs 吃, 喝汤 (he tang), 喝酒 (he jiu), drink water in Chinese, Chinese drinking culture.
• Summary: Learn how to use “喝 (hē),” the essential Chinese verb for “to drink.” This comprehensive guide covers everything from ordering water (`喝水`) and tea (`喝茶`) to understanding the cultural significance of drinking alcohol (`喝酒`) in business and social settings. Discover why Chinese people “drink” soup (`喝汤`) and master one of the most fundamental words for any beginner learner.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): hē
• Part of Speech: Verb
• HSK Level: HSK 1
• Concise Definition: To ingest a liquid by swallowing; to drink.
• In a Nutshell: 喝 (hē) is the direct equivalent of the English verb “to drink.” It's used for any kind of liquid, from water and juice to coffee and alcohol. A crucial point for beginners is that 喝 is also used for thin soups and porridges, a concept different from the English “to eat soup.” It’s one of the first and most useful verbs you'll learn in Mandarin Chinese.

• 喝 (hē): This is a phono-semantic compound character, meaning it combines a meaning component with a sound component.
  • Radical (Meaning): 口 (kǒu) on the left means “mouth.” This radical indicates that the action is related to the mouth.
  • Phonetic (Sound): 曷 (hé) on the right provides the pronunciation. By itself, 曷 is an archaic character meaning “why” or “how,” but here its primary function is to give the character its sound.
• Combined Meaning: The character visually represents an action done with the mouth (口) that has the sound “he” (from 曷), logically creating the word “to drink.”

The simple act of “drinking” carries significant weight in Chinese culture, far beyond mere hydration.

• Tea Culture (喝茶 - hē chá): Offering someone a cup of tea is a fundamental gesture of hospitality, respect, and welcome in China. Business meetings often begin with tea, and inviting someone to `喝茶` can be a way to have a relaxed, serious discussion or simply to socialize. It is the default social beverage for non-alcoholic situations.
• Alcohol and Social Bonding (喝酒 - hē jiǔ): Drinking alcohol, particularly `白酒 (báijiǔ)`, is a cornerstone of building business relationships (`关系 - guānxi`) and social trust. Toasts (`干杯 - gānbēi`) are frequent at banquets, and one's capacity and willingness to drink with colleagues or clients can be seen as a sign of sincerity and camaraderie. Refusing a drink can sometimes be a delicate matter.
• Comparison to the West: While in the West, “let's get a drink” can be an ambiguous invitation for coffee or alcohol, the Chinese equivalent is more specific. `我们去喝一杯 (wǒmen qù hē yī bēi)` almost exclusively means “let's go have an alcoholic drink.” For a non-alcoholic meetup, one would more likely suggest `喝茶 (hē chá)` or `喝咖啡 (hē kāfēi)`.
• Health and Soup (喝汤 - hē tāng): In both Chinese cuisine and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), broths and soups are considered highly nutritious. Unlike in the West where thicker stews are “eaten,” in China, even substantial soups are “drunk” (`喝汤`). Furthermore, the ubiquitous advice to `多喝热水 (duō hē rèshuǐ)` or “drink more hot water” is a go-to remedy for a wide range of minor ailments, reflecting a deep-seated cultural belief in the healing properties of warm liquids.

• Daily Life: 喝 is used constantly for basic needs. You'll hear `我想喝水 (wǒ xiǎng hē shuǐ)` for “I want to drink water” or `你喝什么？ (nǐ hē shénme?)` for “What do you drink?” in any home or restaurant.
• Social Invitations: The phrase `改天一起喝一杯 (gǎitiān yīqǐ hē yī bēi)` means “Let's grab a drink together some other day” and is a common, casual way to suggest a future social meeting involving alcohol.
• On Social Media: It's common to see friends post pictures of bubble tea with captions like `今天你喝奶茶了吗？ (jīntiān nǐ hē nǎichá le ma?)` - “Did you drink your milk tea today?” It has become a modern ritual.
• Expressing Inability: When you can't drink alcohol, a vital phrase is `我不会喝酒 (wǒ bù huì hē jiǔ)` - “I can't drink alcohol / I'm not a drinker” or `我开车了，不能喝酒 (wǒ kāichē le, bù néng hē jiǔ)` - “I drove, so I can't drink.”

• Example 1:
  • 我很渴，想喝水。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ hěn kě, xiǎng hē shuǐ.
  • English: I'm very thirsty and want to drink water.
  • Analysis: This is the most basic and common use of 喝, expressing a simple need. `渴 (kě)` is the adjective “thirsty.”
• Example 2:
  • 你喜欢喝茶还是喝咖啡？
  • Pinyin: Nǐ xǐhuān hē chá háishì hē kāfēi?
  • English: Do you like to drink tea or coffee?
  • Analysis: Demonstrates how 喝 is used with different types of beverages in a typical “A or B” question structure (`还是 - háishì`).
• Example 3:
  • 在中国，人们通常用勺子喝汤。
  • Pinyin: Zài Zhōngguó, rénmen tōngcháng yòng sháozi hē tāng.
  • English: In China, people usually use a spoon to drink soup.
  • Analysis: This sentence highlights the key cultural and linguistic point that soup is “drunk” (`喝`), not “eaten” (`吃`).
• Example 4:
  • 医生说我应该多喝热水，少喝冰水。
  • Pinyin: Yīshēng shuō wǒ yīnggāi duō hē rèshuǐ, shǎo hē bīngshuǐ.
  • English: The doctor said I should drink more hot water and less ice water.
  • Analysis: This reflects the common cultural advice related to health and Traditional Chinese Medicine.
• Example 5:
  • 他酒量很好，很会喝酒。
  • Pinyin: Tā jiǔliàng hěn hǎo, hěn huì hējiǔ.
  • English: He can really hold his liquor; he's very good at drinking alcohol.
  • Analysis: `会喝 (huì hē)` here means “to be skilled at” or “able to” drink, referring to alcohol tolerance. `酒量 (jiǔliàng)` means “alcohol capacity.”
• Example 6:
  • 我们昨天晚上喝了很多啤酒。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen zuótiān wǎnshàng hēle hěn duō píjiǔ.
  • English: We drank a lot of beer last night.
  • Analysis: Shows the use of 喝 in the past tense, indicated by the time phrase `昨天晚上 (zuótiān wǎnshàng)`. The particle `了 (le)` can be added but is often omitted when a specific time is mentioned.
• Example 7:
  • 对不起，我开车，所以不能喝酒。
  • Pinyin: Duìbùqǐ, wǒ kāichē, suǒyǐ bù néng hējiǔ.
  • English: Sorry, I'm driving, so I can't drink alcohol.
  • Analysis: A crucial and practical phrase for politely refusing an alcoholic drink in a social situation.
• Example 8:
  • 这杯药太苦了，我不想喝。
  • Pinyin: Zhè bēi yào tài kǔ le, wǒ bù xiǎng hē.
  • English: This cup of medicine is too bitter, I don't want to drink it.
  • Analysis: Demonstrates that 喝 is used for liquid medicine (`喝药 - hē yào`).
• Example 9:
  • 他失业了，现在只能在家喝西北风。
  • Pinyin: Tā shīyè le, xiànzài zhǐ néng zài jiā hē xīběi fēng.
  • English: He lost his job and can only “drink the northwest wind” at home now (meaning: he has no money and nothing to eat).
  • Analysis: This is a common idiom (`成语 - chéngyǔ`). It's a figurative use of 喝 to mean surviving on nothing but air.
• Example 10:
  • 下班后我们去喝一杯，怎么样？
  • Pinyin: Xiàbān hòu wǒmen qù hē yī bēi, zěnmeyàng?
  • English: How about we go for a drink after work?
  • Analysis: `喝一杯 (hē yī bēi)`, literally “drink one glass,” is a fixed phrase used to invite someone for an alcoholic beverage.

• 喝 (hē) vs. 吃 (chī) - The Golden Rule: This is the most common point of confusion for learners.
  • 喝 (hē): For liquids. Water, juice, tea, alcohol, milk, and most importantly, soup (汤 tāng) and porridge/congee (粥 zhōu).
  • 吃 (chī): For solids. Rice, bread, meat, vegetables, and fruit. It is also used for pills/solid medicine (吃药 chī yào).
  • Example of Error: A learner might say `我想吃汤 (wǒ xiǎng chī tāng)`.
  • Correction: The correct way is `我想喝汤 (wǒ xiǎng hē tāng)`. Remember: you drink soup in Chinese.
• General “Drinking” vs. “Drinking Alcohol”:
  • In English, “He drinks a lot” often implies he drinks a lot of alcohol.
  • In Chinese, `他喝很多 (tā hē hěn duō)` is ambiguous. It could just mean he drinks a lot of water. To be specific about alcohol, you must say `他喝很多酒 (tā hē hěn duō jiǔ)` or `他很会喝酒 (tā hěn huì hējiǔ)`.
• Liquid Medicine vs. Solid Medicine:
  • You 喝 (hē) liquid medicine: `喝中药 (hē zhōngyào)` - drink Chinese herbal medicine.
  • You 吃 (chī) pills or capsules: `吃感冒药 (chī gǎnmào yào)` - take cold medicine pills.

• 吃 (chī) - To eat. The direct counterpart to 喝, used for solid foods. Understanding the distinction is essential.
• 喝水 (hē shuǐ) - To drink water. The most basic and frequent combination.
• 喝酒 (hē jiǔ) - To drink alcohol. A phrase loaded with cultural and social significance.
• 喝茶 (hē chá) - To drink tea. Represents hospitality, relaxation, and a social activity.
• 饮料 (yǐnliào) - Noun: beverage, drink. This is the general category of things that you 喝.
• 汤 (tāng) - Soup. The most notable food item that is “drunk” (喝) instead of “eaten” (吃).
• 干杯 (gānbēi) - “Cheers!”; “Bottoms up!” A verb used during toasts, directly related to the culture of `喝酒`.
• 渴 (kě) - Adjective: thirsty. The state that prompts the action to `喝`.
• 酒 (jiǔ) - Alcohol; wine; liquor. The substance often drunk in social or business settings.
• 喝西北风 (hē xīběi fēng) - An idiom, “to drink the northwest wind,” meaning to have no food or income.