Mandarin Chinese: Telling the Story Behind a Family Recipe
Learn to narrate a family recipe's origin in Mandarin: who created it, when and why it is made, and how it changed, using 是……的, 传下来, 后来 and 小时候.
By MarcusFood & cafés · Yapr Learn
Describing a dish is mostly vocabulary: ingredients, taste, cooking methods. Telling a recipe's origin is a story: who made it first, when your family eats it, and how it changed over time. In Mandarin, this kind of personal history leans on a few reliable patterns. Use 是……的 to highlight who or where something came from, 传下来 for things passed down, 小时候 for childhood memories, and 后来 for later changes. This lesson gives you phrases and a model conversation so you can tell the story of one family recipe in connected, natural Mandarin.
By the end, you can…
- explain who created or first cooked a family recipe and where it came from
- describe when my family usually makes this dish and why
- narrate how the recipe changed over time using 后来 and 小时候
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
这道菜是我奶奶传下来的。
This dish was passed down from my grandmother.
Zhè dào cài shì wǒ nǎi nai chuán xiàlái de.
Use 是……的 to emphasize the source. 传下来 means 'to pass down' through generations.
小时候，只有过年才吃得到。
When I was little, we could only eat it during Chinese New Year.
Xiǎoshíhou, zhǐ yǒu guònián cái chī de dào.
小时候 sets a childhood time frame; 只有……才…… means 'only when… can…'.
后来我妈妈少放了点糖。
Later my mom used a little less sugar.
Hòulái wǒ māma shǎo fàng le diǎn táng.
后来 marks a later change in the story. 少放 means 'put in less'.
这是我家的老做法。
This is our family's old way of making it.
Zhè shì wǒ jiā de lǎo zuòfǎ.
老做法 refers to a traditional method, not necessarily an old object.
每次吃这个，我就想起我奶奶。
Every time I eat this, I think of my grandmother.
Měi cì chī zhège, wǒ jiù xiǎngqǐ wǒ nǎi nai.
每次……就…… links a repeated action to a memory or result.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The pattern 是……的 highlights specific information about a past event, especially who, where, or how. For a recipe origin: 这道菜是我奶奶传下来的。To ask about it: 这道菜是谁传下来的？You can also say 这个做法是从南方带来的 ('This method was brought from the south'). The 是 comes before the highlighted information and 的 comes at the end. Do not use 是……的 for simple new information; it works best when both speakers already know the dish or event exists and you are adding the key detail.
When to use it
Use 小时候 when you want to set a childhood scene: 小时候，我们每年冬天都做这个。Use 后来 when the story moves to a later change: 后来我搬到北京，就很少做了。Use 每次……就…… for repeated memories: 每次闻到这个味道，我就想起我奶奶。These time markers keep a personal history clear. If you are simply describing taste, use different language: 这个菜很辣 ('This dish is very spicy'). The story patterns are for origin, time, and change, not for basic description.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
你上次说的那道菜，是你奶奶传下来的吗？
That dish you mentioned last time, was it passed down from your grandmother?Nǐ shàng cì shuō de nà dào cài, shì nǐ nǎi nai chuán xiàlái de ma?对，是我奶奶传下来的。小时候，只有过年才吃得到。
Yes, it was passed down from my grandmother. When I was little, we could only eat it during Chinese New Year.Duì, shì wǒ nǎi nai chuán xiàlái de. Xiǎoshíhou, zhǐ yǒu guònián cái chī de dào.后来做法有变化吗？
Did the method change later?Hòulái zuòfǎ yǒu biànhuà ma?后来我妈妈少放了点糖，不过还是我家的老做法。
Later my mom used a little less sugar, but it's still our family's old way of making it.Hòulái wǒ māma shǎo fàng le diǎn táng, búguò hái shì wǒ jiā de lǎo zuòfǎ.A little context goes a long way
Family recipes in Chinese families are often tied to festivals, regions, or a specific relative. When telling the story, naming the person matters: 我奶奶传下来的 sounds warmer and more precise than 家里传下来的. In many families, the cook who holds the recipe is respected, so 老做法 can carry pride. Avoid claiming a dish is 'authentic' for everyone; say 我家的做法 ('our family's way') to keep the story personal rather than universal.
One thing to watch for
这道菜传下来我奶奶。
Try this instead: Use 是……的 and the correct order: 这道菜是我奶奶传下来的。The person who passed it down comes after 是, and 的 closes the pattern. If you want to say 'from my grandmother,' you can also use 从: 这个做法是从我奶奶那儿传下来的。
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How would you say 'This dish was passed down from my grandfather' using 是……的?
Show a sample answer
这道菜是我爷爷传下来的。
This uses 是 before 我爷爷 and 的 at the end. 传下来 means 'pass down.' You could also say 这道菜是从我爷爷那儿传下来的, which adds 从……那儿 for 'from my grandfather.'
2Which time word fits a childhood memory: 后来 or 小时候? Complete: ____，我们只有过年才吃这个。
Show a sample answer
小时候
小时候 sets a childhood time frame, so it fits the memory. 后来 would mean 'later' and would not match 只有过年才吃这个 as a childhood habit.
3Change this sentence to show a later change: 我妈妈做这个菜。
Show a sample answer
后来我妈妈做这个菜，少放了点糖。
Adding 后来 marks a later stage in the story. The second clause shows the change. Other valid answers include 后来我妈妈少放了点糖 or 后来做法变了, as long as 后来 introduces a later development.
To tell a family recipe's origin, start with 是……的 for who or where it came from, use 小时候 and 后来 to move through time, and keep the story personal with 我家的做法.
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