What Are the Spring Festival Customs?
Which of the following is not associated with Spring Festival? A. 春联 (chūnlián) Spring Festival couplets
B. 鞭炮 (biānpào) firecrackers
C. 粽子 (zòngzi) rice dumplings
D. 红包 (hóngbāo) red packets
Business Chinese
How to Offer New Year’s Greetings in Chinese
Which of the following is NOT a New Year’s greeting? A. 新年好！(Xīnnián hǎo!)
B. 新年快乐！(Xīnnián kuàilè!)
C. 新年开心！(Xīnnián kāixīn!)
How Chinese People Respond to Praise?
John: Chén Wěi, nǐ nǚ péngyou zhēn piàoliang! John: 陈 伟，你 女 朋友 真 漂亮！ John: Chen Wei, your girlfriend is so beautiful! Chén Wěi: Năli năli! 陈 伟： 哪里哪里！ Which of the following did you see in this dialogue? A. Chen Wei doesn’t think his girlfriend is beautiful.…
Keywords about Spring Festival (Ⅱ) (Elementary)
In the previous issue we introduced four keywords about Spring Festival: 春运 (chūnyùn), 春晚 (chūnwǎn), 春联 (chūnlián) and 压岁钱 (yāsuìqián). Of course, there are more than 4 words to learn about Chinese New Year, so today we’ll continue our discussion to bring you up to speed.…
Keywords about Spring Festival (Ⅰ) (Elementary)
Spring Festival, 春节 (Chūnjié), also known as Chinese New Year, is just around the corner. During this time of year, people of many different walks of life, from students to migrant workers, all suddenly have the same aim: to travel back to their hometown to celebrate Spring Festival with their loved ones.…
Why does eating vinegar mean being jealous? (Elementary)
To celebrate the New Year, (Watch the video and know how Chinese people celebrate the New Year) Wang Wei invites his girlfriend Zhang Li to have dinner at a restaurant, but the two face a few challenges…
Nǐ chī cù ma? Wang Wei：你 吃醋 吗？
Wǒ bù chī.…
Are you criticizing my gift? (Elementary)
Christmas, or “圣诞节 (shèngdàn jié),” is on its way! Department stores, shopping malls and supermarkets all over China are adorned with decorations and are blasting holiday song favorites. The crinkling of wrapping paper echoes through hallways as people begin to prepare gifts for their loved ones; and the fierce stone beasts that guard city banks seem a bit merrier than usual.…
Why a clock makes a lousy gift?(Beginner)
When you’ve been invited to a social event in China, it’s courtesy to bring a special gift for the host. For this the options are nearly limitless: food, clothes, books etc. However, there are a few exceptions. For example, in China, a clock “钟(zhōng)” should never be given as a present.…
Celebrating Chinese Valentine’s Day (Beginner)
Every year on the seventh day of the seventh month of the lunar calendar (this year it falls on August 23) is Chinese Valentine’s Day “七夕节(Qīxījié).” As is the custom elsewhere in the world, this is a day devoted to romance. Chinese Valentine’s Day is fast approaching; lovers are now planning how to spend their festival.…
Wearing a Sachet on Dragon Boat Festival (Elementary)
Key Learning Points (Preview):
戴香包 (dài xiāngbāo) v. to wear the sachet
香 (xiāng) adj. fragrant/delicious
It’s widely known that people enjoy “粽子 (zòngzi) rice dumplings” and “赛龙舟 (sài lóngzhōu) dragon-boat races” during the annual Dragon Boat Festival, but amongst all the customs, the most elegant one is surely the making and adorning of a sachet.…
The meanings behind colors in Chinese
Key Learning Points (Preview):
红 (hóng) red
白 (bái) white
黑 (hēi) black
Chinese have developed a rich culture around the use of color, especially in language. Below we will explain the significance of a few colors in Chinese culture: First, something you’ll no doubt immediately notice with any exposure to the culture, Chinese people like the color red very much.…
Tomb-sweeping Day (April 4) with Tears and Laughter
Key Learning Points (Preview):
春游 (chūnyóu) n. spring outing
锻炼 (duànliàn) v. to exercise
The Tomb-sweeping Day in China is a day for ancestor worship. It falls on April 4, 2012. On this day, people go to sweep the tombs of their ancestors to show their respects.…
Eat soup with chopsticks?
Key Learning Points (Preview):
筷子 (kuàizi): n. chopsticks
简单 (jiǎndān): adj. easy/simple
Can you use “筷子 (kuàizi) chopsticks?” With the continued growing popularity of Chinese food and culture, more and more people around the world are trying to learn how to use chopsticks. Some even refuse knives and forks in Chinese restaurants for fear of missing the true experience of Chinese food.…
Lucky Number in Chinese-8
Key Learning Points (Preview):
发 (fā): v. to be lucky
最 (zuì): adv. the most (the superlative degree of an adjective)
Seeing the picture below, you may wonder why this car is special. Actually, this car is special because of its license plate number. On the car’s license plate we can see lots of 8, and undoubtedly, this would be the best license plate number in China and people will pay large amounts of money for these types of license plates.…
Chinese Culture: 二月二，龙抬头 Dragon Raising Its Head
Key Learning Points (Preview):
抬 (tái): v. to lift/raise
理发 (lǐfà): v. to have a haircut
In North China, there is a saying that goes “二月二，龙抬头 (èr yuè èr, lóng tái tóu) The Dragon Raises Its Head.” It signals the arrival of spring, the beginning of all life, and the start of the farming season.…
Why do Chinese eat fish during Spring Festival?
Key Learning Point (Preview):
年年有余 (niánniányǒuyú) May you always get more than you wish for.
The Spring Festival has come to an end and all of us have to go back to work. Thinking back to the Spring Festival, do you remember the plate of “鱼 (yú) fish” made by your mother?…
The Legend of the Lantern Festival
Key Learning Points (Preview):
元宵节 (Yuánxiāojié): n. Lantern Festival
放烟花 (fàngyānhuā): v. to set off fireworks
The “元宵节 (Yuánxiāojié) Lantern Festival” falls on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. On this day, activities such as “猜灯谜 (cāidēngmí) guessing the lantern riddles,” “吃元宵 (chī yuánxiāo) eating sweet dumplings,” and many others are held to celebrate.…
The Legend behind the Year of the Dragon
Key Learning Points (Preview):
龙 (lóng) n. dragon
代替 (dàitì) v. to take the place of/to replace
In ancient China, the “龙 (lóng) dragon” lived capable upon the earth’s land, though notably, his majestic appearance lacked its famous horns. With a strong body and the power to fly effortlessly through the heavens, he deserved for the title “兽王 (shòuwáng) king of the animals” and decided to campaign to “代替 (dàitì) take the place of” tiger.…
The Little New Year: the Kitchen God Festival
Key Learning Point (Preview):
小年 (Xiǎonián): n. the Little New Year
“小年 (Xiǎonián) The Little New Year,” also known as the “祭灶节 (Jìzào jié) the Kitchen God Festival,” is believed to take place on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month when the Kitchen God will return to the Jade Emperor in Heaven to report the activities of the households over the past year.…
Is the Year of the Dragon your birth year?
Key Learning Points (Preview): 龙年 (lóngnián): n. the Year of the Dragon
本命年 (běnmìngnián): n. one’s year of birth in relation to the Chinese Zodiac
China’s celebration of the lunar New Year, the renowned Spring Festival, is less than a month away. As the zodiac’s limelight shifts to a different animal each year, 2012 has been designated “龙年 (lóngnián) the Year of the Dragon.”…