<hr />
<h2>In Short</h2>
<p><em>Variant One</em></p>
<blockquote>
<p>柴米油盐</p>
<p>Pinyin : chai2 mi3 you2 yan2</p>
</blockquote>
<p><em>Variant Two</em></p>
<blockquote>
<p>鍋碗瓢盆</p>
<p>Pinyin : guo1 wan3 piao3 pen2</p>
<p>Literally : wok, bowl, ladle and tub</p>
</blockquote>
<hr />
<h2>Detailed</h2>
<p>In my <a href="https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&amp;q=chongqing&amp;ie=UTF-8&amp;hq=&amp;hnear=0x369334baf3e64f43:0xde9f8616dc88b321,Chongqing,%20China&amp;ei=nKgRUsuWDbGYiAfV94DQCA&amp;ved=0CLwBELYD" rel="nofollow noreferrer">area</a>, sometimes we just say it that way.</p>
<p>As a Chinese, I don't quite feel like to go that deep into the source behind, nor did I really care about there're some three other characters hacked off.</p>
<p>But now, if you wanna me to say something about it, yes I can.</p>
<p>Four-character phrases, idiom or not, are pretty popular my area, pretty popular all over China too.</p>
<p>In China, people talk faster than foreigners thought, so seven character version is not so effective, it's like a poem. Four character one is welcome, and because we have hundreds of, or maybe thousands of, never count it, informal/formal four-character catch phrases.</p>
<p>For those who utter out this phrase, probably they don't care about literature, that's what used to be the paraphernalia of notable men.</p>
<p>鍋碗瓢盆 are the everyday kitchen utensils, so they match the flavors, seamless.</p>
<hr />
<h2>Update</h2>
<p>油鹽醬豉姜椒茶</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Pinyin : you2 yan2 jiang4 chi3 jiang1 jiao1 cha2</p>
<p>Literally : oil, salt, sauce, fermented soybeans, ginger, pepper, and tea</p>
</blockquote>
<p>參見<a href="http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E9%96%8B%E9%96%80%E4%B8%83%E4%BB%B6%E4%BA%8B" rel="nofollow noreferrer">此處</a>，來源於「湖海新聞夷堅續志」（元代 無名氏著），其影印本見<a href="http://ctext.org/library.pl?if=gb&amp;res=3442" rel="nofollow noreferrer">此處</a> (See <a href="http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E9%96%8B%E9%96%80%E4%B8%83%E4%BB%B6%E4%BA%8B" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>, the source (whose scan can be found <a href="http://ctext.org/library.pl?if=gb&amp;res=3442" rel="nofollow noreferrer">here</a>)「湖海新聞夷堅續志」is a collection of mysterious stories, whose author is unknown but believed to be someone living in Yuan Dynasty.)</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-19T12:19:13.010Z
Hi congliu. When providing unfamiliar translations/idioms as such, can you provide the source, pinyin, and explanation behind why this is an appropriate variation? Thank you.
user3871
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-20T01:33:39.260Z
Thanks for the answer. I am aware of the 4-character version 柴米油盐. I am particularly interested in variations of the 7-character version, do you know if there is one? As of 锅碗瓢盆, it may be equally important for daily life but it's not really a *variation* of 柴米油盐. I would prefer to say they compliment each other.
NS.X.
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-21T16:36:24.573Z
@NS.X. check out the update above
George
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-19T05:10:23.053Z
2013-09-25T12:10:59.250Z
2020-06-17T09:50:11.587Z
George
<p>as a person from China, I personally confirm this: <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_necessities" rel="nofollow">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_necessities</a></p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-21T09:20:18.747Z
Welcome to SE Allen. Elaborating on your answer will attract more +1 votes and then you can earn more reputation on this site :D If what you want to say has been already included in others' answer, just give them a +1 vote, they will like it.
Stan
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-21T22:28:10.320Z
The OP is asking about _variations_ on the 7 necessities, not the usual form.
Stumpy Joe Pete
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-24T17:18:01.930Z
As a member of stackoverflow, I know to vote up and comment. But I have no permission to do such a thing here.
Allen St.Clair
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-09-21T08:54:41.340Z
2013-09-21T08:54:41.340Z
Allen St.Clair
<p>When I was very small, my grandparents mentioned there are regional variations of the phrase <code>柴米油盐酱醋茶</code> which is widely known to the local population (instead of made up by nobody and only used by a small circle). The first 4 things are still 柴米油盐 while the last 3 things are partially or completely different to reflect the local customs. Then they brought up an example but I forgot the characters long time ago. </p>

<p>Now I search online, I couldn't find any evidence showing such variation exists. Does anyone know if there really are common variations of the phrase, and what they are?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-18T19:03:50.040Z
I'm from Guangdong and not aware of such variation for the [開門七件事 (Seven necessities)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_necessities). Adding these links for reference.
leesei
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-19T05:00:36.493Z
I've found references to [油盐酱醋](http://baike.baidu.com/view/373311.htm) and [糖米油盐酱醋茶](https://encrypted.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%E7%B3%96%E7%B1%B3%E6%B2%B9%E7%9B%90%E9%85%B1%E9%86%8B%E8%8C%B6), so at least we can say variations exist, but I have no evidence for how they came about. (We can always speculate vigorously though)
congusbongus
CC BY-SA 3.0
2013-08-19T10:26:51.140Z
@congusbongus Interesting finding! This wikipedia page also mentioned 糖米油盐酱醋茶 (at the end of the article): http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%96%8B%E9%96%80%E4%B8%83%E4%BB%B6%E4%BA%8B
NS.X.
<phrase>
Regional variations of "柴米油盐酱醋茶"
# Regional variations of "柴米油盐酱醋茶"

(Asked by: username_0 on 2013-08-16)

When I was very small, my grandparents mentioned there are regional variations of the phrase `柴米油盐酱醋茶` which is widely known to the local population (instead of made up by nobody and only used by a small circle). The first 4 things are still 柴米油盐 while the last 3 things are partially or completely different to reflect the local customs. Then they brought up an example but I forgot the characters long time ago.

Now I search online, I couldn't find any evidence showing such variation exists. Does anyone know if there really are common variations of the phrase, and what they are?

**Tags:** phrase
> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: I'm from Guangdong and not aware of such variation for the [開門七件事 (Seven necessities)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_necessities). Adding these links for reference.  
> **username_2**: I've found references to [油盐酱醋](http://baike.baidu.com/view/373311.htm) and [糖米油盐酱醋茶](https://encrypted.google.com/search?hl=en&q=%E7%B3%96%E7%B1%B3%E6%B2%B9%E7%9B%90%E9%85%B1%E9%86%8B%E8%8C%B6), so at least we can say variations exist, but I have no evidence for how they came about. (We can always speculate vigorously though)  
> **username_0**: @congusbongus Interesting finding! This wikipedia page also mentioned 糖米油盐酱醋茶 (at the end of the article): http://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E9%96%8B%E9%96%80%E4%B8%83%E4%BB%B6%E4%BA%8B  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2013-08-19. Score: 2

---

## In Short

*Variant One*

> 柴米油盐
>
> Pinyin : chai2 mi3 you2 yan2

*Variant Two*

> 鍋碗瓢盆
>
> Pinyin : guo1 wan3 piao3 pen2
>
> Literally : wok, bowl, ladle and tub

---

## Detailed

In my [area](https://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=chongqing&ie=UTF-8&hq=&hnear=0x369334baf3e64f43:0xde9f8616dc88b321,Chongqing,%20China&ei=nKgRUsuWDbGYiAfV94DQCA&ved=0CLwBELYD), sometimes we just say it that way.

As a Chinese, I don't quite feel like to go that deep into the source behind, nor did I really care about there're some three other characters hacked off.

But now, if you wanna me to say something about it, yes I can.

Four-character phrases, idiom or not, are pretty popular my area, pretty popular all over China too.

In China, people talk faster than foreigners thought, so seven character version is not so effective, it's like a poem. Four character one is welcome, and because we have hundreds of, or maybe thousands of, never count it, informal/formal four-character catch phrases.

For those who utter out this phrase, probably they don't care about literature, that's what used to be the paraphernalia of notable men.

鍋碗瓢盆 are the everyday kitchen utensils, so they match the flavors, seamless.

---

## Update

油鹽醬豉姜椒茶

> Pinyin : you2 yan2 jiang4 chi3 jiang1 jiao1 cha2
>
> Literally : oil, salt, sauce, fermented soybeans, ginger, pepper, and tea

參見[此處](http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E9%96%8B%E9%96%80%E4%B8%83%E4%BB%B6%E4%BA%8B)，來源於「湖海新聞夷堅續志」（元代 無名氏著），其影印本見[此處](http://ctext.org/library.pl?if=gb&res=3442) (See [here](http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/%E9%96%8B%E9%96%80%E4%B8%83%E4%BB%B6%E4%BA%8B), the source (whose scan can be found [here](http://ctext.org/library.pl?if=gb&res=3442))「湖海新聞夷堅續志」is a collection of mysterious stories, whose author is unknown but believed to be someone living in Yuan Dynasty.)

> **Comments:**
> **username_4**: Hi congliu. When providing unfamiliar translations/idioms as such, can you provide the source, pinyin, and explanation behind why this is an appropriate variation? Thank you.  
> **username_0**: Thanks for the answer. I am aware of the 4-character version 柴米油盐. I am particularly interested in variations of the 7-character version, do you know if there is one? As of 锅碗瓢盆, it may be equally important for daily life but it's not really a *variation* of 柴米油盐. I would prefer to say they compliment each other.  
> **username_3**: @NS.X. check out the update above  

---

### Answer by username_5 on 2013-09-21. Score: -1

as a person from China, I personally confirm this: <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_necessities>

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: Welcome to SE Allen. Elaborating on your answer will attract more +1 votes and then you can earn more reputation on this site :D If what you want to say has been already included in others' answer, just give them a +1 vote, they will like it.  
> **username_7**: The OP is asking about _variations_ on the 7 necessities, not the usual form.  
> **username_5**: As a member of stackoverflow, I know to vote up and comment. But I have no permission to do such a thing here.  

---

