Similar to people of other nationalities,ancient Chinese people grasped or tore food with their bare hands at the beginning.

与其他民族一样，中国最初的食用方法也是“以手奉饭”，也就是用手抓，或用手撕。

Chopsticks，forks， knives and spoons were used much later, of which chopsticks，with a history of thousands of years, are a wonder of Chinese dining utensils¹.

至于使用筷子、叉、刀、匙等进餐用具，则都是较晚的方法。 其中，筷子是中国进餐习俗中的一绝，至今已有数千年的历史。

Chopsticks are the dining utensils most frequently used in Chinese people’s daily life.

筷子是日常生活中经常用到的一种进餐工具，也是中国人进餐时的必备用具。

In ancient China, they were called zhu.

古代称为“箸”，今俗称筷子。

When the Chinese began to use chopsticks as an eating instrument is anybody’s guess.

中国人什么时候开始使用筷子进餐的，已经无从查起。

They were first mentioned in writing in Liji ( The Book of Rites² ), a work compiled some 2 000 years ago.

最初的记载是在2000年前所编辑的一本叫做《礼记》的书中。

Chopsticks may be made of any of several materials： bamboo, wood, gold, silver, ivory, pewter, and plastics.

筷子可以用许多材料制作，如竹筷、木筷、金筷、银筷、象牙筷、锡筷、塑料筷，等等。

In cross-section, they may be either round or square.

其形或下圆上方、或上下全圆。

Some of them are engraved³ with coloured pictures or calligraphy⁴ for decoration.

有的镶有彩色图案或书法用以装饰。

Ordinary chopsticks used in Chinese homes are of wood or bamboo, those for banquets are often ivory, whereas gold ones belonged only to the royalty⁵ and aristocracy.

现在中国家庭使用的普通筷子多以木头或竹子制成，宴会通常使用象牙筷子，古代皇宫和贵族则使用金筷。