快过年了!跟着我们一起来学红包、鞭炮、团圆饭、恭喜发财红包拿来的英文,今年就试着用用英文来说吉祥话吧。

新年快乐! 春节可是华人地区一年中最重要的大事之一,开心吃饭团圆领红包的同时,有想过可以怎么跟外国人介绍农历年吗?今天 VoiceTube 教大家几句好用的句子,还有过年你不可不知的基本单字!在进入主题前,问问大家有没有新年新希望? 小编每年也都有新希望,但都说得容易做得难啊! 来看看有没有什么小技巧,捍卫自己的新年愿望,充满干劲的开始新的一年!

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PART 1. What's Chinese New Year? 中国新年是什么?

Chinese New Year, also known as Spring Festival, is an important traditional Chinese holiday.
中国新年,也就是春节,是很重要的中国节日。

Chinese New Year celebrations traditionally run from Chinese New Year's Eve, the last day of the last month of the Chinese calendar, to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the first month, making the festival the longest in the Chinese calendar. 传统上,中国新年庆祝活动从除夕开始到元宵节结束,也就是农历十二月最后一天到新年的一月十五号,所以中国新年是农历当中最长的节日。(过年要知道的都在过年特辑

PART 2. The origin of Chinese New Year and Mythology. 中国新年的起源与传说

According to tales and legends, the beginning of Chinese New Year started with a mythical beast called Nian. Nian would come on the first day of New Year to eat livestock, crops, and even villagers, especially children. To protect themselves, the villagers would put food in front of their doors at the beginning of every year. It was believed that after Nian ate the food they prepared, it wouldn't attack any more people.

上古传说,中国新年起源于一种叫“年”的野兽,年兽总是在新年第一天出没,年兽十分凶残会吃掉牲畜、作物,甚至是村民还有小孩子,为了躲避年,村民新年会在门前放食物,因为传说年会吃掉他们准备的食物,就不会攻击人们了。    

One day a villager decided to take action. A god visited him and told him to put red paper on his house and to place firecrackers in front. The villagers then understood that Nian was afraid of the color red. When the New Year was about to come, the villagers would hang red lanterns and red spring scrolls on windows and doors. People also used firecrackers to scare Nian away. From then on, Nian never came to the village again. Nian was eventually captured by Hongjun Laozu, an ancient Taoist monk and became his mount.

有一天,有人打算报复年兽,神明便拜访这位村民,并叫他准备红纸还有鞭炮。村民们便了解年兽虽猛,但惧怕红色、火光和巨响。年兽要来的时候,家家户户挂起红灯笼,在门口和窗上贴红春联,放炮竹以吓走年兽,从此之后,年兽就不赶再靠近,年兽最后还是被道士洪钧老祖抓起来,并成为洪钧老祖的坐骑。

PART 3. What We Do on Chinese New Year. 新年要干嘛?

The evening preceding Chinese New Year's Day is an occasion for Chinese families to gather for the annual reunion dinner. 新年的前一天,家人团聚一起吃一年一度的团圆饭。

It is also traditional for every family to thoroughly clean the house, in order to sweep away any ill fortune and to make way for incoming good luck. 另一项传统则是大扫除,彻底打扫家里,扫去恶运,迎接好运。

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Windows and doors will be decorated with red paper-cuts and couplets with popular themes of "good fortune", "happiness", "wealth", and "longevity." 窗上和门上则会贴上红纸,还有对句,上面写着常见的好运、快乐、财富、长寿等吉祥话。

Other activities include lighting firecrackers and giving money in red paper envelopes. 其他活动包括放鞭炮,还有发红包。

PART 4. Must-know Vocab for Chinese New Year. 你不可不知的新年单字

  • Chinese New Year’s Eve 除夕夜
  • Red envelopes/ Red packets 红包
  • Reunion dinner 团圆饭
  • Firecrackers 鞭炮
  • Dragon dance 舞龙舞狮
  • Lantern 灯笼
  • Ask the gods for a prophecy 求神问卜
  • Spring rolls 春卷
  • Steamed fish 蒸鱼
  • Incense 香
  • Play mahjong 打麻将
  • Worship ancestors 祭祖

过年吃胖胖之余,别忘记把这些单字记下来喔! 新的一年,除了增岁之外,也要增长英文上的智慧!

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