Phrase guide

General Tso's chicken

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

A sweet and spicy dish of deep-fried chicken, popular in Chinese restaurants in North America.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: uncountable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: General's chicken, General Tao chicken

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

Named after Chinese general and statesman Tso Tsung-tang (Zuǒ Zōngtáng in pinyin) in late Qing dynasty, though there is no evidence connecting him with the dish. A deeper discussion of the timeframe and possible motivations behind the naming is given in the Wikipedia article.

Across languages

Translations

9 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Chinese Mandarin: 左宗棠雞 /左宗棠鸡 (zuǒzōngtángjī) — sweet and spicy dish
  • Finnish: kenraali Tson kana — sweet and spicy dish
  • French: poulet du Général Tao — sweet and spicy dish
  • French: poulet Général Tao — sweet and spicy dish
  • French: Général Tao — sweet and spicy dish
  • Russian: цыплёнок генерала Цо (cypljónok generala Co) — sweet and spicy dish
  • Spanish: pollo General Tao — sweet and spicy dish
  • Spanish: pollo General Tsao — sweet and spicy dish
  • Spanish: pollo General Gau — sweet and spicy dish