汤匙 (tāng chí) literally means 'soup spoon' — 汤 (tāng) means 'soup' or 'broth', and 匙 (chí) means 'spoon'. Together, they refer to a medium-sized spoon traditionally used for serving or eating soup, but in modern everyday usage, it’s the standard term for a tablespoon — the largest common spoon used in Chinese households for cooking, serving, and sometimes eating. It’s distinct from 小勺 (xiǎo sháo), a smaller teaspoon, and from 筷子 (kuài·zi), chopsticks.

This word is widely used in cooking instructions, recipes, and dining contexts. In China, measuring spoons are often labeled in 'spoons' (e.g., 一汤匙盐 — one tablespoon of salt), making 汤匙 an essential unit in kitchen communication. Though originally tied to soup, its functional meaning has broadened to denote volume (≈15 mL) as well as the physical utensil itself — much like 'tablespoon' in English.