Used about food, especially Chinese food cooked for Western customers: the sauce tastes sweet and sour at the same time. The sweet part is usually sugar; the sour part is vinegar or something like pineapple or tomato. The sauce is often orange or red, thick and shiny.

Used about food, especially Chinese food cooked for Western customers用來形容食物，尤其是做給西方顧客吃的中式料理: the sauce tastes sweet and sour at the same time醬汁同時嚐起來又甜又酸。The sweet part is usually sugar甜的部分通常是糖; the sour part is vinegar or something like pineapple or tomato酸的部分是醋，或是鳳梨、番茄之類的東西。The sauce is often orange or red, thick and shiny醬汁通常是橘色或紅色，濃稠又油亮

You almost always see this word in front of another food word: sweet-and-sour pork, sweet-and-sour chicken, sweet-and-sour sauce. It is the name of a whole style of cooking, not a description someone made up on the spot — so a British person who has never cooked Chinese food still knows exactly what to expect when they read it on a menu.

You almost always see this word in front of another food word你幾乎都會看到這個字放在另一個食物詞前面: sweet-and-sour pork, sweet-and-sour chicken, sweet-and-sour sauce像sweet-and-sour pork、sweet-and-sour chicken、sweet-and-sour sauce。It is the name of a whole style of cooking這是一整套烹飪風格的名稱, not a description someone made up on the spot不是有人臨時想出來的描述 — so a British person who has never cooked Chinese food所以就算是一個從沒煮過中式料理的英國人 still knows exactly what to expect when they read it on a menu在菜單上看到這個詞也會知道會吃到什麼

That is worth knowing, because in Britain and America "sweet and sour" is one of the two or three dishes that stand for Chinese food, the way people here think of 牛肉麵 as standing for Taiwan. The version they know is often sweeter and heavier than what you would eat here.

That is worth knowing這點值得知道, because in Britain and America因為在英國和美國 "sweet and sour" is one of the two or three dishes that stand for Chinese food「sweet and sour」是代表中式料理的兩三道招牌菜之一, the way people here think of 牛肉麵 as standing for Taiwan就像這裡的人會把牛肉麵當作代表台灣的食物一樣。The version they know is often sweeter and heavier他們熟悉的版本通常更甜、味道更重 than what you would eat here比你在這裡吃到的還重

People also use the phrase outside food, without the hyphens, for a feeling that is happy and sad together — "the last day of school was sweet and sour" — though for that feeling most people say bittersweet.

People also use the phrase outside food這個詞也會被用在食物以外的地方, without the hyphens不加連字號, for a feeling that is happy and sad together用來形容一種又開心又難過的感覺 — "the last day of school was sweet and sour"像「the last day of school was sweet and sour」 — though for that feeling most people say bittersweet不過那種感覺大部分人會說bittersweet