Chinese people are tireless workers, and taking time for a leisurely lunch is a luxury few can afford.

And since freshly-prepared food is preferred over a “brown bag” lunch prepared in the morning, most Chinese workers buy a “lunch box” consisting of rice, meat, and vegetables – ►biàn dāng in Mandarin Chinese.

Biàn dāng has two characters: 便當. The first one, biàn, means “ordinary,” or “plain.” The second character, dāng, has many meanings, including “to be,” “manage,” and “equal.”
Examples of Bian Dang

► Nèigè lǎobǎn yǒu mài hěn hǎo chī de biàn dāng.
那個老闆有賣很好吃的便當｡
那个老板有卖很好吃的便当｡
That shopkeeper sells very good lunch boxes.

► Nǐ de biàn dàng hěn xiāng.
你的便當很香｡
你的便当很香｡
Your lunch box smells very good.