Food pairing as balance
A host may worry if a meal has only fried dishes, only cold dishes, or no soup. That worry reveals a system of balance.
A meal is a composition
Many Chinese meals combine staple food, vegetables, protein, soup, and small contrasts in texture. Crunchy and soft, rich and clear, warm and refreshing can all appear together.
This is why people may say a dish is good but the meal is still missing something.
What to avoid
Hot/cold food language is not universal nutrition science. It is traditional vocabulary that people use when making everyday food choices.