Dim sum is the Cantonese phrase for a Chinese cuisine which involves a wide range of dishes served alongside Chinese tea. It includes dishes based on meat and seafood as well as vegetables, desserts and fruits. The food is usually served in small steamer baskets or on small plates.

Some of the favorite dim sums are Shrimp Dumpling (har gau), Shaomai (siu maai, small steamed dumplings with pork inside a thin wheat flour wrapper), Rice Noodle Rolls (cheong fun) and Spring Roll (cheun gyun, a roll consisting of various types of vegetables).

Yum cha (tea drinking) is the actual term used to describe the dining session, especially in contemporary Cantonese. In Hong Kong and Guangdong province, many Chinese restaurants start serving as early as five in the morning. It is a tradition for the elderly to gather to eat dim sum and drink tea after morning exercises. For many southerners in China, yum cha is treated as a weekend family day.

Dianxin, Mandarin term of dim sum in northern China refers to a variety of snacks or small food items, not necessarily the same with Cantonese dim sum.