What is the Chinese word for food?

Here's a breakdown:

* 食 (shí) means "to eat" or "food".

* 物 (wù) means "thing" or "object".

So, 食物 (shí wù) literally means "eating thing", which translates to "food".

There are other words that can be used for "food" in specific contexts, like:

* 饭 (fàn) means "cooked rice" and is often used to refer to a meal.

* 菜 (cài) means "vegetables" and is used to refer to dishes.

However, 食物 (shí wù) is the most general and common word for "food" in Chinese.