飲食是僧取出家生活中的一重要環節，戒律中不少條文都涉及飲食規範'律藏更闢「藥健度」專章處理。印度佛教入草，受到異地文化和環境的約制，乞食維生一向少見，僧取更從事耕種，在寺中儲糧煮食，透露出對律制的選擇性跟從;又棄肉食蔬，把佛教慈悲精神落實到飲食上。本文主要依據〈高僧傳〉等史料，探討三至五世紀時間中國佛教僧眾的飲食形態，期望除加深對漢僧生活的了解外，也借飲食為題，顯示佛教傳入中國後的適應和轉化。

Diet is an important aspect of monastic life. Numerous rules regulate
monks’ diets. The Vinaya even gives a particular chapter on medicine and food. With the spread of Indian Buddhism into China, Chinese monks were under confinement of foreign cultures and environments. Begging then turned rare.
The monks even participated into farming, stored up food and cooked inside monasteries, showing that they followed rules selectively. In addition, meat gave way to vegetable, thereby, the monks projected the spirit of benevolence of Buddhism on their diets. Based on Biographies of Eminent Monks and other historic materials, this essay investigates the dietary culture of early Chinese Buddhist monks, with a view to advance knowledge about the life of Chinese monks and how Buddhism adjusted and transformed itself following its spread to China