How to say "informal dinner" in Chinese
便宴
biàn yàn
food · restaurant · beginner · casual
When To Use It
"informal dinner" maps to 便宴 (biàn yàn), a casual food phrase for restaurant situations.
Use it with servers, vendors, or food-stall staff when ordering, clarifying ingredients, or managing a meal politely.
Practice it first exactly as written, then swap in your own people, places, or objects so it becomes part of your active speaking repertoire.
Tone And Delivery
The register is casual, so it sounds best with friends, peers, or relaxed service interactions rather than formal customer-service scripts.
Because this is marked beginner, you should aim to recognize it instantly and reuse it with your own names, nouns, locations, or numbers.
A good practice target is the example sentence 便宴 (biàn yàn). Once that feels natural, shorten your pause and try it at conversation speed.
Practice Ideas
This phrase becomes more useful when you learn it as part of a mini-sequence. After saying it, a natural next step could be 真好吃 (zhēn hǎochī).
A second nearby phrase to review is 再来一碗米饭 (zài lái yī wǎn mǐfàn), which helps you stay in the same topic instead of translating from scratch again.
- Read the example “informal dinner” aloud, then replace one detail with your own information.
- Pair it with “Delicious” next so your conversation does not stop after a single line.
- Match the phrase to your tone of voice: soft for polite requests, flatter and quicker for routine daily use.
- If you hear a slightly different version in the wild, compare the tone and context before treating it as interchangeable.
Examples
便宴
biàn yàn
informal dinner
Related
- delicious — 真好吃 (zhēn hǎochī)
- one more bowl of rice — 再来一碗米饭 (zài lái yī wǎn mǐfàn)
- "fish" battle formation in ancient times: chariots in front, infantry behind — 鱼丽 (yú lì)
- "leicha", a beverage or gruel made from tea leaves, roasted peanuts and herbs etc ground into a powder, traditionally consumed by Hakka people and in the north of Hunan province — 擂茶 (lèi chá)
Explore more phrases on the How to say index or try the Chinese Name Generator.
Phrase FAQ
How do you say "informal dinner" in Chinese?
便宴 (biàn yàn).
When should I use this phrase?
Use it in restaurant situations where a casual tone fits. Because it is tagged beginner, it is meant to be practical and reusable rather than literary or highly specialized.
Is pronunciation included?
Yes. Every phrase page includes pinyin with tone marks, plus example sentences so you can hear how the wording expands in real use.
What should I learn next after this phrase?
A useful follow-up is 真好吃 (zhēn hǎochī) — "delicious". Studying connected phrases in small clusters makes them easier to recall in conversation.