In his History of Chinese Food Science, writer Hong Guang-zhu notes that the Chinese have long believed that flavors can be divided into five basic simple types: salty, sour, bitter, pungent and sweet.
《中國食品科技史》作者洪光住指出，中國自古認為味道可以區分為五種基本單味，即：鹹、酸、苦、辛、甜，即為「五味」，經過調味之後，五味可以生萬味。