However, according to the records in Kangxi Dictionary, this usage existed as early as the ancient book Shi Shuo Xin Yu in the Southern and Northern Dynasties. The original excerpt is as follows:
"And" Zengyun "is also a storage and a place to stay. Sui Shu? Every place in Yang Di Ji needs to set a meal in several ways.
Zeng Yun is also the second time. Eat it again. Shi Shuo Xin Yu traveled to Luoyang, trying to wait for someone to beg. To go to Taipi, the master asked him why he was here. A: Wenqing Temple wants to beg for food. Du Fu's Poems eats yellow croaker at every meal. "
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I infer that this word first means "place to stay (place to sleep and eat)", then "things needed for staying and eating", then "times of eating" and then "times of reprimanding, persuading, beating and cursing (such as scolding)".
Different from quantifiers that emphasize capacity and weight (such as "a bowl of rice" and "a couple of meals"), "dun" emphasizes the number of times and has no fixed number. When used as a quantifier, its synonym is "rice".
Example: three meals a day