Chinese · Intermediate (B1) · Chapter 7 of 12
Culture and traditions
节日和传统Jiérì hé chuántǒng
Talk about Spring Festival and other customs in Chinese: what people usually do, 除了…以外 (besides, except), longer 的-phrases and festival greetings.
In this chapter you'll learn to
- Say what people usually do with 人们, 一般 and 每…都…
- Say “besides” and “except” with 除了…以外
- Describe things with longer 的-phrases (除夕晚上吃的饭)
- Give the right greeting at Chinese festivals
Listen
At an office in Suzhou, Shen Li explains Spring Festival customs to her new colleague Lucas, who is from France and speaks Chinese. Listen to the whole dialogue first, then line by line.
Lucas
沈丽，快过年了吧？
Shěn Lì, kuài guònián le ba?
Shen Li, it's nearly New Year, isn't it?
Shen Li
对，下个星期就是春节。春节是中国人最重要的传统节日。
Duì, xià ge xīngqī jiù shì Chūnjié. Chūnjié shì Zhōngguórén zuì zhòngyào de chuántǒng jiérì.
Yes, Spring Festival is next week. It's the most important traditional festival for Chinese people.
Lucas
过年的时候，大家一般做什么？
Guònián de shíhou, dàjiā yìbān zuò shénme?
What do people usually do at New Year?
Shen Li
最重要的是回家团圆。每年过年，人们都要回家跟家人在一起。
Zuì zhòngyào de shì huí jiā tuányuán. Měi nián guònián, rénmen dōu yào huí jiā gēn jiārén zài yìqǐ.
The most important thing is going home to be together. Every year at New Year, people go home to be with their families.
Lucas
我听说除夕晚上要吃饺子，对吗？
Wǒ tīngshuō chúxī wǎnshang yào chī jiǎozi, duì ma?
I've heard you eat dumplings on New Year's Eve, is that right?
Shen Li
北方人一般吃饺子。我们苏州人除了吃鱼以外，还吃年糕。
Běifāngrén yìbān chī jiǎozi. Wǒmen Sūzhōurén chúle chī yú yǐwài, hái chī niángāo.
People in the north usually eat dumplings. Here in Suzhou we have fish, and rice cakes as well.
Lucas
除夕晚上一家人一起吃的饭叫什么？
Chúxī wǎnshang yì jiā rén yìqǐ chī de fàn jiào shénme?
What do you call the meal the family eats together on New Year's Eve?
Shen Li
叫年夜饭。吃完年夜饭，爷爷奶奶会给孩子们红包。
Jiào niányèfàn. Chīwán niányèfàn, yéye nǎinai huì gěi háizimen hóngbāo.
It's called the New Year's Eve dinner. After the dinner, the grandparents give the children red envelopes.
Lucas
我看到很多门上都贴着红色的东西。那是什么？
Wǒ kàndào hěn duō mén shang dōu tiēzhe hóngsè de dōngxi. Nà shì shénme?
I've seen red things stuck on lots of doors. What are they?
Shen Li
那是春联，上面写着对新年的希望。以前大家还放鞭炮，现在城里很多地方不让放了。
Nà shì chūnlián, shàngmiàn xiězhe duì xīnnián de xīwàng. Yǐqián dàjiā hái fàng biānpào, xiànzài chéng li hěn duō dìfang bú ràng fàng le.
Those are spring couplets. They have wishes for the new year written on them. People used to set off firecrackers too, but now they're not allowed in many parts of the city.
Lucas
这些习俗真有意思。过年的时候，我应该跟别人说什么？
Zhèxiē xísú zhēn yǒu yìsi. Guònián de shíhou, wǒ yīnggāi gēn biérén shuō shénme?
These customs are really interesting. What should I say to people at New Year?
Shen Li
你可以说“新年快乐”或者“过年好”。除夕你来我家吃年夜饭吧。
Nǐ kěyǐ shuō “xīnnián kuàilè” huòzhě “guònián hǎo”. Chúxī nǐ lái wǒ jiā chī niányèfàn ba.
You can say “Happy New Year” or “Happy Spring Festival”. Come to my family's place for dinner on New Year's Eve.
Understand
What people usually do
To talk about customs, use (rénmen), people, or (dàjiā), everyone, with (yìbān) or (tōngcháng), usually, before the verb: (guònián de shíhou, dàjiā yìbān zuò shénme?), what do people usually do at New Year?
(měi), every, almost always needs (dōu) before the verb: (měi nián guònián, rénmen dōu yào huí jiā), every year at New Year, people go home. (měi tiān), (měi ge rén) and (měi nián) work the same way.
- 过年的时候，人们一般穿新衣服。Guònián de shíhou, rénmen yìbān chuān xīn yīfu.At New Year, people usually wear new clothes.
- 每个人都会收到一个红包。Měi ge rén dōu huì shōudào yí ge hóngbāo.Everyone gets a red envelope.
除了…以外: besides and except
(chúle … yǐwài) has two meanings, and the word in the second half tells you which. With (hái) or (yě), it means besides, as well as: (chúle chī yú yǐwài, hái chī niángāo), besides fish, we also eat rice cakes.
With (dōu) it means except: (chúle wǒ yǐwài, dàjiā dōu huí jiā le), everyone went home except me. (yǐwài) can be left out in speech: (chúle yú, hái yǒu niángāo).
- 除了春节以外，我还喜欢中秋节。Chúle Chūnjié yǐwài, wǒ hái xǐhuan Zhōngqiūjié.Besides Spring Festival, I also like the Mid-Autumn Festival.
- 除了星期天，我每天都上班。Chúle xīngqītiān, wǒ měi tiān dōu shàngbān.I work every day except Sunday.
Longer 的-phrases and festival greetings
Everything before (de) describes the noun after it, however long it is. In English the description often comes after the noun: (chúxī wǎnshang yì jiā rén yìqǐ chī de fàn), the meal (that) the family eats together on New Year's Eve. (mén shang tiē de chūnlián), the couplets stuck on the door.
At festivals, people greet each other with a set phrase. (kuàilè) means “happy” and works with most festivals.
| Greeting | When |
|---|---|
| (Xīnnián kuàilè!) | New Year, 1 January or Spring Festival |
| (Guònián hǎo!) | Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) |
| (Gōngxǐ fācái!) | Spring Festival: “wishing you wealth” |
| (Zhōngqiūjié kuàilè!) | Mid-Autumn Festival |
| (Shēngrì kuàilè!) | birthdays |
More in the grammar: 的: possession and describing
New words
- 过年guòniánto celebrate the New Year (Spring Festival)
- 春节ChūnjiéSpring Festival, Chinese New Year · in January or February, by the lunar calendar
- 传统chuántǒngtradition; traditional
- 节日jiérìfestival, holiday
- 一般yìbānusually, generally; ordinary
- 团圆tuányuánto be together again (as a family)
- 除夕chúxīNew Year's Eve (Spring Festival)
- 除了…以外chúle … yǐwàibesides; except · “besides” with (hái) or (yě), “except” with (dōu)
- 年夜饭niányèfànNew Year's Eve family dinner · often with (yú), fish, and in the south (niángāo), New Year rice cake
- 红包hóngbāored envelope (with money in it) · also sent as money on WeChat
- 贴tiēto stick, to put up (on a wall or door)
- 春联chūnliánspring couplets (red paper strips with New Year wishes) · (shàngmiàn xiězhe …), on it is written …; (xiě), to write
- 放鞭炮fàng biānpàoto set off firecrackers
- 习俗xísúcustom
Practise
1.How do you say “Everyone likes dumplings except my sister”?
2.Put the words in order.
Tap the words below in the right order.Every year at Spring Festival, people go home to be with their families.
3.Match the Chinese with the English.
Pick a word on the left, then its meaning on the right.
4.It's the Mid-Autumn Festival. What do you say to your colleagues?
5.What does (wǒ zuótiān mǎi de chūnlián) mean?
0 of 5 exercises done.
Say it out loud
新年快乐！
Xīnnián kuàilè!
Happy New Year!
Listen, then say it out loud, as close to the recording as you can.
Check
Five questions on this chapter. Then mark it as finished to add its words to your review deck.
0 of 5 answered.