bou2 sin1保鮮保鲜
Jyutpingbou2 sin1
Yalebóu sīn
Definition
To keep food fresh; to preserve freshness using a certain preservation method.
colloquialfooddaily actions
How it's used
Focuses specifically on maintaining the original quality or state of food, rather than general preservation like pickling or drying. It is frequently used as a verb in casual conversation regarding kitchen habits, but it appears most often as part of compound nouns like 保鮮紙 or 保鮮盒. Using it as a verb often implies a deliberate action taken to prevent spoilage.
Examples
These vegetables need to be put in the fridge to keep them fresh.
Have you wrapped the fruit with cling film yet?
Related words
Common mistake
Do not confuse this with 保持, which means to maintain or keep in a general sense. While 保持 can be used for abstract concepts like 保持冷靜, 保鮮 is strictly reserved for physical items, primarily food.
Grammar color guide
Noun
Verb
Adjective
Adverb
Pronoun
Classifier
Particle
Connector
Grammar guides
- Directional complementsThe small words added after a verb to show direction of movement, like up, down, out, in, and back. Common in everyday Cantonese.
- DemonstrativesThis and that with 呢 and 嗰, the personal pronouns, and how 哋 turns I, you, and he into we, you all, and they.
- Resultative complementsSticking a result word onto a verb to show how it turned out, like eat until full or look and find. A productive everyday pattern.
