蒸饺 (zhēng jiǎo) literally means 'steamed dumpling' — 蒸 (zhēng) means 'to steam', and 饺 (jiǎo) is short for 饺子 (jiǎozi), meaning 'dumpling'. Unlike boiled (水饺, shuǐjiǎo) or pan-fried (煎饺, jiānjiǎo) dumplings, 蒸饺 are cooked by steaming, resulting in tender, slightly translucent wrappers and juicy fillings, often made with pork, shrimp, or vegetables. They are a staple in northern Chinese cuisine and commonly served as breakfast, dim sum, or a light meal.

Steamed dumplings are especially popular in restaurants and home kitchens across China and overseas Chinese communities. They’re frequently found on dim sum menus in Cantonese-speaking regions (where they may be called 'siu mai' if open-topped, though true 蒸饺 are usually sealed crescents). The term always refers to the cooking method first — so even if the filling changes, as long as it’s steamed and shaped like a traditional dumpling, it qualifies as 蒸饺.