14 - 纯素食 - chún sù shí - Vegan / vegetarian

It is pretty hard to find a clear way to express whether you are vegan or vegetarian. Chinese doesn't really have a word to specifically explain vegan or veggie. You will have to use one of the words below, then explain exactly what you do eat or do not eat.

They may ask you whether you eat specific veggies like garlic, onions, and also alcohol...
This is due to local Buddhist traditions which sometimes exclude these foods and drinks. 
For them, the chinese words below may encompass these foods and drinks "vegetarian".

Vocab:

纯素食
chún sù shí
· vegan / vegetarian food

斋
zhāi
·Buddhist food (in general vegan, could contain eggs or milk, no alcohol)
· to fast or abstain from meat, wine etc
· vegetarian diet
· study room
· building
· to give alms (to a monk)

Etymology of the Word 斋 - zhāi

素食者
sù shí zhě
Vegan and Vegetarian (need to clarify if eat eggs, milk, etc) (Formal)









 
It says : gǎi chi su, duo huo 30 nian
"改吃素， 多活30年"
"Change to veggie, you will live 30 years more."

Example:

我是素食者 


I am vegan / vegetarian.


我吃素的
wo chi sù de
I am vegetarian / vegan (Oral way)

我吃斋
wo chi zhāi
I eat on a Buddhist diet

李连杰吃斋。

Lǐ Liánjié (Jet Lee) is vegetarian.

  

More info on vegetarianism in China : http://vegetarian-china.info/

Components:

纯
chún
· pure
· simple
· unmixed
· genuine

食
shí
· to eat
· food
· animal feed
· eclipse

素
sù
· raw silk
· white
· plain, unadorned
· vegetarian (food)
· essence
· nature
· element
· constituent
· usually
· always
· ever