月饼(yuè bǐng) - mooncake in Mandarin

月饼 (yuèbǐng) is a "mooncake": 月 (yuè) means "moon" and 饼 (bǐng) means "a flat cake or pastry". It is the signature food of 中秋节 (Zhōngqiūjié), the Mid-Autumn Festival, and is round to echo the shape of the full moon.

A traditional 月饼 (yuèbǐng) has a thin pastry shell wrapped around a dense sweet filling, often 豆沙 (dòushā), "red bean paste", or lotus seed paste with a salted egg yolk in the centre to represent the moon. Modern versions stretch to ice cream, chocolate and fruit fillings.

月饼 (yuèbǐng) are rich, so they are eaten in small slices and shared rather than finished in one sitting. Giving a box of 月饼 (yuèbǐng) as a gift ahead of 中秋节 (Zhōngqiūjié) is a common courtesy among friends, neighbours and colleagues.