Four little grains that become rice, porridge and flour

Where the picture shows up in 米

1. 1

   grain cooked into a bowl

   我要一碗米饭。

   wǒ yào yì wǎn mǐfàn

   A bowl of rice, please.

   Swollen grains from the pot piled high into a bowl

   米饭 is cooked rice; 饭 alone can mean the meal itself.

2. 2

   raw grain in the sack

   家里的大米快吃完了。

   jiā lǐ de dàmǐ kuài chī wán le

   We're almost out of rice at home.

   A hand sweeping the last grains together at the bottom of a sack

   大米 is uncooked rice — the state before the pot.

3. 3

   grain set on a cob

   我煮了两个玉米。

   wǒ zhǔ le liǎng ge yùmǐ

   I boiled two ears of corn.

   Rows of grains fixed along a long cob, the husk being peeled back

   玉米 is jade grain — 米 is the grain half of it.

4. 4

   grain dissolved in water

   早上喝点粥吧。

   zǎoshang hē diǎn zhōu ba

   Have some porridge in the morning.

   Grains boiled in water long enough to lose their shape

   米 sits right in the middle of 粥.

5. 5

   grain crushed to dust

   先把面粉称一下。

   xiān bǎ miànfěn chēng yíxià

   Weigh out the flour first.

   Grain crushed between stones, pouring out as white powder

   The left half of 粉 is 米 — 面粉 and 奶粉 are both powders.