A meal in Chinese culture is typically seen as consisting of two general components: (1) a carbohydrate source or starch, known as 主食 in the Chinese language (Pinyin: zhǔshí; lit. "main food", staple)- typically rice, noodles, or mantou (steamed buns), and (2) accompanying dishes of vegetables, fish, meat, or other items, known as 菜 (Pinyin: cài; lit. "vegetable") in the Chinese language.

A Chinese meal is consisted of two parts: staple food, normally made of rice, noodles or steamed buns, and ts'ai, vegetable and meat dishes. (This is different from Western meals, which take meat or animal protein as main dish). The primary eating utensils are chopsticks (for solid foods) and ceramic spoon (for soups and congees).

A traditional Chinese meal typically consists of several shared dishes accompanied by steamed rice. The dishes are served all at once and are meant to be shared among the diners. Cold Dishes, Meat/Seafood, Vegetables, Soups, and Tea are commonly served during a traditional Chinese meal.