Choi Sum
/ˌtʃɔɪ ˈsʌm/noun
A Chinese leafy vegetable with tender stems and small yellow flowers, commonly used in stir-fries and soups.
Did you know?Choi sum is Cantonese 菜心, referring to the tender inner shoots or “heart” of the plant; the vegetable is often harvested while flowering.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese
Old Chinese
菜心
“The vegetable’s inner shoot or tender center; the compound combines “vegetable” and “heart.””
Middle Chinese
Middle Chinese
tshojH sim
“The historical pronunciations underlying the Cantonese forms for “vegetable” and “heart.””
19th–20th Century
Cantonese
coi3 sam1
“Literally “vegetable heart,” the name for a tender-stemmed flowering green.”
20th Century
English
choi sum
“A Cantonese loanword used in English for the vegetable.”
Modern English
English
choi sum
“A leafy Chinese green with edible stems, leaves, buds, and yellow flowers.”