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Dimsum, Yum Chaa, and the "Four Heavenly Kings of Dimsum"

Previously, we have mentioned Hang Ah, the first dimsum restaurant in the US. But what exactly is dimsum, and its related activity, known as "yum chaa" (lit: drink tea, in Cantonese)? 

Dimsum is the Cantonese pronunciation of 點心 (dian-xin). One version of the origin story was that dimsum was originally meant as smaller snacks presented as thank-you gestures, from the expression gratitude 點點心意 (lit: bits of our thoughts/gratitude) which got shortened to 點心. The other version cited writing from the Tang Dynasty that used the term 點心 as a verb... "(gently) point at the heart" as in "barely fill the stomach". 

Modern dimsum is usually associated with "yum chaa" (drink tea), which is basically a "dimsum brunch". When someone told you in Cantonese "請你飲茶" (chen-nae-yum-chaa), they are not inviting you to tea, but a dimsum brunch. 

Family Style Dimsum with 9 dishes (via Wikicommons)

The term "dimsum" itself did not appear in English until the 20th century. While Hang Ah, and its East Coast counterpart, Nom Wah, claim to have been operating since 1920, the term dimsum did not appear in Western newspapers until 1939, when it was referred to as "dim sum" (with a space, in quotes), according to Richard Auffrey. It was then often referred to as a "tiffin", which is an Indian / British term that means an afternoon snack. 

San Francisco Examiner, Dec 2nd, 1939
originally discovered by Richard Auffrey

Dimsum was back then sometimes referred to as Chinese hors d'oeuvre. 

Of the dozens and dozens of dimsum available nowdays, you probably heard about four most often: 

  • Cha-siu-bao // BBQ pork bun
  • Siu-mai // Pork dumpling
  • Har-gow // Shrimp dumpling
  • Dan-tat // Egg tarts

Together, they are known as the "Four Heavenly Kings of Dimsum".  點心四大天王

(The term came from Buddism's Four Heavenly Kings but also a callback to the four CantoPop megastars of the 1990's: Jacky Cheung, Andy Lau, Aaron Kwok, and Leon Lai, who were also called four heavenly kings.)

We will go into other forms of dimsum later. Stay tuned for more adventures in Hidden Chinatown of San Francisco. 


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About the author

Kasey is a professional tour guide and amateur historian who specialized in Chinatown History and Tours. You will often find him guiding groups sampling delicious food and learning interesting historical tidbits about Chinatown most weekends.

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