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We've put together a complete guide for ordering steak (牛排 niú pái) in Chinese to make it simple for you!

Desired doneness

When ordering a steak in China, your server will normally ask "你要几分熟 nǐ yào jǐ fēn shú" which means, "How would you like it cooked?" To reply, use the word 熟 shú*, which literally means "cooked", followed by how many minutes (分 fēn) you want it cooked for. You can see how the number of minutes corresponds to the doneness below:

Rare: 一分熟 yī fēn shú

Medium rare: 三分熟 sān fēn shú

Medium: 五分熟 wǔ fēn shú

Medium well: 七分熟: qī fēn shú

Well done: 全熟: quán shú

* 熟 can also be pronounced as shóu.

Types of beef

Here are some of the most common types of beef you'll see:

Angus beef: 安格斯牛 Ān gé sī niú

Wagyu beef: 和牛 Hé niú

USDA beef: 美国牛肉 Měi guó niú ròu

Argentinian beef: 阿根廷牛肉 Ā gēn tíng niú ròu

Australian beef: 澳洲牛肉 Ào zhōu niú ròu

Grain-fed: 谷饲 gǔ sì

Dry aged: 干式熟成 gān shì shú chéng

Wet Aged: 湿式熟成 shī shì shú chéng

Cuts of steak

Knowing different cuts of steak in Chinese is particularly useful if you want to cook at home and need help finding the right cut on Waimai or in a local shop.

Filet: 菲力牛排 fēi lì niú pái

Rib eye: 肋眼牛排 lèi yǎn niú pái

Sirloin: 西冷牛排 xī lěng niú pái / 牛脊肉 niú jǐ ròu

T-Bone: T骨牛排 T gǔ niú pái

New York Strip: 纽约西冷牛排 Niǔ yuē xī lěng niú pái

Tomahawk: 战斧牛排 zhàn fǔ niú pái

Bone-in: 带骨牛排 dài gǔ niú pái

Short rib: 牛小排 niú xiǎo pái

Tenderloin: 牛里脊 niú lǐ jǐ / 牛柳 niú liǔ

Porterhouse: 上等牛排 shàng děng niú pái

Flank: 扇面牛腩 shàn miàn niú nǎn

Rump: 臀尖 tún jiān

Shoulder: 牛肩 niú jiān

Brisket: 胸腩 xiōng nǎn

Shank: 牛腱子 niú jiàn zi

Sauces

Lastly, here are some of the most common sauces offered to pair with your steak.

Mushroom sauce: 蘑菇汁 mó gu zhī

Black pepper sauce: 黑胡椒汁 hēi hú jiāo zhī

Mustard sauce: 芥末汁 jiè mo zhī

Bearnaise sauce: 法式伯那西酱 fǎ shì bó nà xī jiàng