Does早点 (zǎo diǎn) Mean Early?

Simon has just arrived in China for business. He loves learning Chinese; however, he only studied the language briefly before leaving for China. What will happen to him with such limited knowledge about China? How much culture shock will he face?

The first day when he got up and took a walk on the street, he was confused by all the signs he saw that read “早点 (zǎo diǎn),” which were in front of many shops and stalls along the streets. Simon thought the sign told people to get up early for work. Because of this, Simon thought that Chinese people are very diligent and hardworking.

This afternoon, while chatting with a friend, he mentioned this discovery.

              zhōng guó  rén  zhēn  qín láo
Simon：中国 人 真 勤劳。
              Chinese are really hard-working.

                  wéi shí me  zhè me  shuō
Xiao Lin：为什么 这么 说？
                 Why do you say so?

              dà jiē shàng dào chù  dōu  yǒu  “zǎo diǎn ”
Simon：大街上到处 都 有 “早点”。
             Everywher on the street there are signs saying “early”.

                   hā hā ，nà xiē “zǎo diǎn ”kě shì “zǎo cān ”de yì sī ā
Xiao Lin：哈哈，那些“早点”可是“早餐”的意思啊。
                  Haha, those signs means “breakfast”.

The signs“早点 (zǎo diǎn)” in front of the shops and stalls actually means “breakfast”, which may confuse foreigners.

The word “早点 (zǎo diǎn)”has two meanings in Chinese. First, it literally means “early,” as in early in the day. However, 早点 (zǎodiǎn) can also mean “breakfast,” being a combination of “早上” (zǎo shàng), which means“morning,” and “点心” (diǎn xīn), which means “dim sum”. 早点 (zǎo diǎn) isn’t just dim sum, though; it refers to anything you might eat in the morning. 早点 (zǎo diǎn) has the same meaning as 早餐 (zǎo cān), which is a more typical word for “breakfast.”

Example:

     Jīn tiān de zǎo diǎn hěn hǎo chī.
A:今天 的 早点 很 好吃。
    Today's breakfast is very delicious

    míng tiān  zǎo diǎn  lái chī
B:明天 早点 来吃。
    Come to eat early tomorrow.