春节的传统 · Spring Festival Traditions
Chūnjié de Chuántǒng — What Chinese New Year looks like inside a family.
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Every word shows its pinyin above the characters. The English translation follows each line.
春节是中国最重要的传统节日。
Spring Festival is the most important traditional Chinese holiday.
无论在哪里,人们都会想办法回家团圆。
No matter where they are, people try their best to go home for the reunion.
除夕晚上,全家会聚在一起吃年夜饭。
On New Year's Eve, the whole family gathers to eat the reunion dinner.
饺子是北方必吃的一道菜,象征着好运。
Dumplings are a must-have dish in the north — they symbolize good fortune.
饭后,孩子们会放鞭炮,大人则看春晚。
After the meal, kids set off firecrackers and adults watch the TV gala.
大年初一,人们互相拜年,送祝福。
On the first day of the new year, you visit relatives and offer New Year greetings.
这些风俗背后,是中国人对家庭的重视。
Behind these customs is the importance Chinese people place on family.
春节前,家家户户都要打扫房子。
Before Spring Festival, every household has to clean the house.
这叫"扫尘",意思是把旧的一年扫出去。
This is called "sweeping the dust" — it means sweeping the old year out.
门上要贴红色的春联和"福"字。
Red couplets and the character for "fortune" go up on the door.
有些人还会把"福"字倒着贴。
Some people even paste the "fortune" character upside down.
因为"倒"和"到"同音,表示福气到了。
Because "upside down" and "arrived" sound the same, it says fortune has arrived.
长辈会给孩子红包,里面装着压岁钱。
Elders give children red envelopes holding lucky money.
从初一到十五,亲戚之间互相走动。
From the first to the fifteenth, relatives visit back and forth.
一直到元宵节,春节才算真正结束。
Only at the Lantern Festival does Spring Festival truly end.
Vocabulary in this story (105 words)
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 春节 | Chūnjié | Spring Festival |
| 是 | shì | is |
| 中国 | Zhōngguó | Chinese |
| 最 | zuì | most |
| 重要 | zhòngyào | important |
| 的 | de | (of) |
| 传统 | chuántǒng | traditional |
| 节日 | jiérì | holiday |
| 无论 | wúlùn | no matter |
| 在 | zài | at |
| 哪里 | nǎlǐ | where |
| 人们 | rénmen | people |
| 都 | dōu | all |
| 会 | huì | will |
| 想 | xiǎng | want to |
| 办法 | bànfǎ | find a way |
| 回 | huí | return |
| 家 | jiā | home |
| 团圆 | tuányuán | reunite |
| 除夕 | chúxī | New Year's Eve |
| 晚上 | wǎnshang | evening |
| 全家 | quánjiā | the whole family |
| 聚 | jù | gather |
| 在一起 | zài yìqǐ | together |
| 吃 | chī | eat |
| 年夜饭 | niányèfàn | reunion dinner |
| 饺子 | jiǎozi | dumplings |
| 北方 | běifāng | northern |
| 必 | bì | must |
| 一道 | yí dào | a |
| 菜 | cài | dish |
| 象征 | xiàngzhēng | symbolize |
| 着 | zhe | (continuous) |
| 好运 | hǎoyùn | good luck |
| 饭 | fàn | meal |
| 后 | hòu | after |
| 孩子们 | háizimen | the children |
| 放 | fàng | set off |
| 鞭炮 | biānpào | firecrackers |
| 大人 | dàren | adults |
| 则 | zé | on the other hand |
| 看 | kàn | watch |
| 春 | chūn | Spring (Festival) |
| 晚 | wǎn | gala |
| 大年初一 | dànián chūyī | New Year's Day |
| 互相 | hùxiāng | each other |
| 拜年 | bàinián | pay New Year visits |
| 送 | sòng | give |
| 祝福 | zhùfú | blessings |
| 这些 | zhèxiē | these |
| 风俗 | fēngsú | customs |
| 背后 | bèihòu | behind |
| 中国人 | Zhōngguó rén | Chinese people |
| 对 | duì | toward |
| 家庭 | jiātíng | family |
| 重视 | zhòngshì | importance |
| 春节前 | Chūnjié qián | before Spring Festival |
| 家家户户 | jiājiā hùhù | every household |
| 都要 | dōu yào | has to |
| 打扫 | dǎsǎo | clean |
| 房子 | fángzi | the house |
| 这 | zhè | this |
| 叫 | jiào | is called |
| 扫尘 | sǎo chén | sweeping the dust |
| 意思是 | yìsi shì | it means |
| 把 | bǎ | (object marker) |
| 旧 | jiù | the old |
| 一年 | yì nián | year |
| 扫出去 | sǎo chūqù | sweeping out |
| 门上 | mén shàng | on the door |
| 要 | yào | one must |
| 贴 | tiē | paste |
| 红色 | hóngsè | red |
| 春联 | chūnlián | spring couplets |
| 和 | hé | and |
| 福字 | fú zì | the character fu |
| 有些人 | yǒu xiē rén | some people |
| 还会 | hái huì | even |
| 倒着 | dào zhe | upside down |
| 因为 | yīnwèi | because |
| 倒 | dào | upside down |
| 到 | dào | arrived |
| 同音 | tóngyīn | sound the same |
| 表示 | biǎoshì | it indicates |
| 福气 | fúqi | good fortune |
| 到了 | dào le | has arrived |
| 长辈 | zhǎngbèi | elders |
| 给 | gěi | give |
| 孩子 | háizi | children |
| 红包 | hóngbāo | red envelopes |
| 里面 | lǐmiàn | inside |
| 装 | zhuāng | holding |
| 压岁钱 | yāsuì qián | lucky money |
| 从 | cóng | from |
| 初一 | chū yī | the first day |
| 十五 | shíwǔ | the fifteenth |
| 亲戚 | qīnqi | relatives |
| 之间 | zhījiān | among |
| 走动 | zǒudòng | visit |
| 一直到 | yìzhí dào | right up to |
| 元宵节 | Yuánxiāo Jié | the Lantern Festival |
| 才 | cái | only then |
| 算 | suàn | counts as |
| 真正 | zhēnzhèng | truly |
| 结束 | jiéshù | ended |