Hefei Expat - China
Expat English => Learning Chinese => Topic started by: Andy Woo on December 18, 2011, 12:06:01 pm
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Hi All,
It is just a little heads up to say "Merry Christmas" and "Happy New Year" to you guys.But I think you are in need of those useful expressions.Let's get started with them.
1.圣诞快乐！shèngdàn kuàilè! (Merry Christmas!)
2.这是给你的圣诞礼物！Zhè shì gěi nǐ de shèngdàn lǐwù! (This is a Christmas gift for you!)
3.圣诞节 Shèngdànjié (Christmas Festival)
4.圣诞老人 shèngdàn lǎorén (Santa Claus,"lǎorén" means "old man")
5.圣诞树 shèngdànshù(Christmas tree)
6.平安夜 Píng'ānyè (Christmas Eve,literal meaning is "safe and sound night")
7.圣诞袜 shèngdànwà(Christmas stocking)
My students always ask me "how do Chinese people celebrate Christmas(Zhōngguó rén zěnme guò shèngdàn jié)?" You guys may try asking this question. The answer may be " Wǒmen píng'ān yè chī píngguǒ（We eat apples on Christmas Eve)". We didn't celebrate it in the past because it is not a traditional Chinese festival. But you may find Christmas decoration somewhere like in the shopping mall or some stores because it is now commercialized in China. Some of you may be wondering why we eat apples. The answer is Christmas Eve is called "Píng'ānyè" in Chinese which shares the same pronunciation "Píng" with "píngguǒ"(apple).
8.祝你新年快乐! Zhù nǐ xīnnián kuàilè!(I wish you a happy New Year!)
We always say "zhù nǐ " when we want to give some wishes. Its literal meaning is "may you...". January 1st is called "Yuándàn" which means "the first moring(of the year)" based on ancient Chinese. We will have a three-day holiday, but it is not a tradional Chinese festival, either. "Chūnjié（Spring Festival）", the first day of the lunar calendar, is considered as the "Xīnnián（new year)" in China.
To be continued.