Culture

Happy Dragon Boat Festival!

I always love festivals. A four-day vacation is coming because of the Dragon Boat Festival! Hooray!

Okay, let’s calm down a bit so that I can share some interesting information about this festival with you. The first thing I want to say is that the Chinese name for Dragon Boat Festival is not related to “dragons” or “boats” at all! So the Chinese name is 端午节 [duānwǔ jié]. 端 comes from 开端 [kāiduān] meaning “to start”. 午 is another name for 五月 [wǔyuè] “May”. And 节 is 节日 [jiérì] “festival”. Because this festival is on May 5th in the Lunar calendar, we call it 端午节 [duānwǔ jié]: “the festival of the start of May”.

I know that some of you might have heard the story of this festival before, but there are still many new students who might be interested, so let me briefly introduce the origin of the Dragon Boat Festival.

In 278 BC, a famous poet, 屈原 [Qūyuán], threw himself into a river on May 5th and ended his life because he was extremely saddened by the government. People were so touched by his patriotism that they established a festival to commemorate him.

Row Dragon Boats

To celebrate the festival, people would engage in many traditions. The very obvious one is to 划龙舟 [huá lóngzhōu], to row dragon boats, or 看比赛 [kàn bǐsài], to watch the competitions. But why do people row boats on that day? In the beginning, people were afraid that the fish in that river would eat 屈原’s body so they rowed boats to scare the fish away. But nowadays, it’s more for entertainment.

Eat Sticky Rice Dumplings

In the past, while rowing boats, people also threw 粽子 [zòngzi], sticky rice dumplings, into the river so that the fish would eat the dumplings instead of 屈原’s body. In the beginning, people stuffed the sticky rice in bamboos but now they wrapped the rice in leaves. Why did they change? Because someone said that 屈原 went into his dream and told him “The water dragon in the river steals all the sticky rice dumplings. Pack them with specific leaves and strings to scare it away.”

Having sticky rice dumplings is the most common activity now, so it gradually became commercialized. Nowadays, many food companies start to sell 礼盒 [lǐhé], gift box, which contains the most proper gift for certain festivals. So, during Dragon Boat Festival, you might often hear 粽子礼盒 [zòngzi lǐhé] or 端午礼盒 [duānwǔ lǐhé]. Can you believe it? Even Starbucks started to sell its own sticky rice dumplings!?

By the way, don’t think that traditional food tastes bad. Rice dumplings are really delicious. And because of the fashion trend, there are more and more flavors that are getting fancier! They could be salty, sweet, hot, or iced. They might be brown, pink, green, or any other color!

Okay, too much food. Let’s see what else do we do or what other gifts can we buy on this festival.

Make A Fragrant Sachet

For children, definitely 做香包 [zuò xiāng bāo] make a fragrant sachet and 挂香包 [guà xiāng bāo] bring it. During May, there are many mosquitoes, bugs, or snakes. To avoid them, people packed herbs into sachets. These herbs not only scare the bugs away but also smells good. So many elementary teachers would teach kids how to make one. It’s a common memory for many Chinese people.

Drink Xionhuang

For adults, alcohol is always a good choice for a gift. During Dragon Boat Festival, there’s a tradition: 喝雄黄酒 [hē xiónghuángjiǔ] to drink Xionghuang. But…don’t rush to buy it and drink it. Scientific research says that this kind of alcohol is poisonous. So we only use it to smear a bit on our face or to put it on the ground to scare mosquitoes, bugs, or snakes away. Although we can’t drink it, we can drink other alcoholic beverages; thus, people buy alcohol as a gift during this festival. Well, alcohol is kind of a great choice no matter which festival it is, isn’t it.

I only mentioned some common activities that people would do during the Dragon Boat Festival. Have you heard or seen other activities? Or how would you like to celebrate this festival? Feel free to share it with everybody. 端午节快乐！[Duānwǔ jié kuàilè!] See you in the next post!

Phrases Which Will Impress Your Chinese Friend

Phrases Which Will Impress Your Chinese Friend

Whether you are visiting China, or you are expecting a visit from Chinese friends, it is normal to want to impress them with your astonishing skills when it comes to their language.

It’s time for you to amaze. After all, as the expert writer at assignment writing services, Genista Nina says, “The limit of my language means the limit of my world.”

1. The Greeting

You can never go wrong with a pleasing greeting at the beginning of any of your conversations.

This time, instead of using the monotonous phrase “ni hao” (你好) you can now go with “Hěn gāoxìng jiàn dào nǐ” (很高兴见到你) meaning “It is great to see you”, which is a phrase much less used than the regular, boring hello.

2. Asking Questions, Instead of the Opposite

It is always easier to answer a question rather than to ask a question when it comes to communication in a foreign language. In this case, to really impress your Chinese buddies, take the brave step of asking instead of being asked.

Take your shot with simple questions like “Nǐ jīntiānguò dé zěnme yàng?” (你今天过得怎么样), meaning “How is your day going?”, or something more intriguing like “Shì shénme ràng nǐ de wénhuà bùtóng? (是什么让你的文化不同), meaning “What makes your culture different?”

chinese culture

Souce: https://equinoxstrategy.com/

 

3. Diving Deeper Into Their Culture

Something that will really dazzle your foreign acquaintances is being curious about their origin. Talk about the characteristics of their way of life, whether it is different or similar to your own.

You can accomplish this by using phrases such as the following-“Zhōngguó de shíwù gēng hǎo ma?” (中国的食物比较好吗) meaning “Is the food in China better?”

It is also important to introduce them to your own way of life in the city or country.

To achieve that start with informing them with some key information about the area you live in.  For example, you can say “Wǒmen yǒu yīgè hěn bàng de bówùguǎn” (我们有一个很棒的博物馆), which means “We have a great museum.”

4. Sharing Traditions!

If your Chinese friends happen to be visiting, sharing your traditions is a vital part. A combination of manners and traditions is a great choice.

To accomplish this, approach them with questions like “Nín xiǎng cháng wǒmen de chuántǒng měishí ma?” (您想尝尝我们的传统美食吗), meaning “Would you like to try some of our traditional meals?”

This will be very pleasing since they are just as curious about your culture as you are about theirs.

chinese phrases

Source: https://vidyasury.com/

 

5. Learn to Compliment

Compliments are the easiest way to someone’s heart.  Try to make compliments as personal as possible, to reveal the fact that you are not complimenting them just to impress them.

There are a few ways you can do this. For instance say “Wǒ hěn xǐhuān nǐ de yīfú” (我很喜欢你的衣服), which means “I like your clothes very much.”   To add the cherry on top, add “Nǐ zài nǎlǐ mǎi de.?” (你在哪里买的?) meaning “Where did you buy it?” so they know you are really interested.

good bye in chinese

Source: https://www.istockphoto.com/

 

6. The Goodbyes

“Goodbyes” are just as important as “Hello’s”. Leave a good impression by proving that you can maintain your excellent communication, from beginning to end. Bid your foreign acquaintance’s goodbye by making sure you leave the desire in them to come again.

Your goal will be reached with few of the following phrases:

“Zhè jǐ tiān hái hǎo ma?” (这几天还好吗？) – “How are these days?”

“Yǒu kòng zàilái..” (有空再来) – “Come again when you have time.”

“Duō bǎozhòng, bǎochí liánxì.” (多保重，保持联系) – “Take care and keep in touch.”

Learning to exchange information in multiple languages is not only going to impress your Chinese friends but will expand your own limits and knowledge.  As Federico Fellini said, “A different language is a different vision of life.”

Now that you have read this blog be sure to check out some of our other blog posts, such as ‘Why Laughing in Mandarin Could Get You in Trouble’ and ‘5 Great Wall Hikes For Every Beijing Tourist’

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Before traveling to China last year, I thought Thanksgiving was only known in America. To my surprise, my Chinese friends were eager to know what my Thanksgiving plans were as the holiday approached. They were curious to know if I was planning on traveling, eating turkey, getting together with my American friends and watching football, or getting dinner with them or simply just going to a bar. Their eyes glistened with curiosity as I explained to them the customs and traditions that revolve around Thanksgiving dinner.

       

In return, they taught me some Mandarin words.  First and foremost, of course: Thanksgiving (感恩节 gǎnēnjié)!  Then turkey (火鸡 huǒ jī) with gravy (肉汁ròuzhī), bread (面包 miànbāo), ham (火腿huǒtuǐ), corn (玉米 yùmǐ) and mashed potatoes(土豆泥 tǔdòuní). Not only did they teach me how to say the above-mentioned foods, but they also taught me how to say my favorite Thanksgiving desserts such as pumpkin pie(南瓜派 nánguā pài) and apple pie (苹果派 píngguǒpài). 


During this conversation, I emphasized the importance of gratuity, and how Thanksgiving was an opportunity to have precious moments away from all the fuzz and buzz of a busy life.  Americans use this holiday to reflect on how grateful we are and to take time to be with our families. Since my Chinese friends seemed so curious and eager to know more about Thanksgiving, I decided to have a Thanksgiving dinner with them. What I had in mind was, of course, something like this:

But in reality, we had this instead:

Source: Wikipedia Commons

It was a pleasant and entertaining dinner.   All types of pizzas were being passed around the table, such as pineapple pizza (菠萝比萨 bōluó bǐsà), cheese pizza (芝士披萨 zhīshì pīsà), pepperoni pizza (意大利辣香肠比萨 yìdàlì là xiāngcháng bǐsà) et cetera.  My friends tried hard to cut the pizza with their chopsticks (yes chopsticks are at times provided in some western joints!), just for the sake of laughter. I asked my friends, “Why the Chinese don’t eat much turkey at all?”  No one seemed to have an answer to it, so we looked it up in Baidu (the Chinese version of Google) and that is when I realized that turkeys are native to North America. And since Americans don’t export their cuisine as the French and Spanish do, there has not been much exposure to turkey in Chinese cooking. Nevertheless, we laughed until our stomachs couldn’t take it anymore.  The best part of it all is that we only spoke in Mandarin! It was a truly unforgettable Thanksgiving and one that will forever be ingrained in my heart, or as the chengyu says (刻骨铭心 kègǔmíngxīn).

Spending an American holiday with someone from another culture is truly special. I encourage every American who finds themself in a foreign country to have some foreign friends over for Thanksgiving dinner. Not only does it enrich your holiday experience, but you will also be able to learn things outside of a language. 

 

I want to wish everybody a Happy Thanksgiving (感恩节快乐 gǎnēnjiékuàilè)!

International Women’s Day doesn’t need these two words

International Women’s Day doesn’t need these two words

On March 8th, the accomplishments and continued challenges of women around the world take center stage on a day globally recognized as International Women’s Day (Fùnǚ jié | 妇女节). While themes vary around the world and also vary year to year, the common message of the day is always an underlying focus on women’s long journey towards respect and equality in society, and the continued struggles that modern women face. Actions may speak louder than words, but we must also remember that the choice of one single word in our daily Mandarin vocabulary also carries with it the profound weight of hidden meanings and implications that guide the thoughts and actions of those around us. In reference to two intriguing and informative ChinesePod lessons on the topic of women, below are three ways you can change your Mandarin vocabulary to show your respect towards women, and not just on International Women’s Day, but every day of the year.

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China’s Valentine’s Day

China’s Valentine’s Day

Happy Valentine’s Day! 情人节快乐 (qíng rén jié kuài lè)!

To help you get in the mood, check out our YouTube Page and view our Valentine’s Day Playlist.  We’ve added a couple of new videos that haven’t been posted on YouTube before!

February 14th is widely recognized around the world as the day to celebrate love.  Its history can be traced back to Roman times in the 3rd century AD when St. Valentine was executed on this day (a rather tragic story that has turned to a celebration of love).  Today the younger generations in China celebrate the Western Valentine’s Day like most of the world, but the Chinese had their own celebration of love before Cupid started making his rounds.  The Qixi Festival or 七夕 is on the seventh night of the seventh lunar month (August 9th this year). Also known as Double Seventh Festival and the Seventh Night Festival, it can be traced all the way back 2000 years, to the Han Dynasty (BCE 206 – AD 220).

To learn more about the ancient celebration and the Qixi Festival check out this past blog on this special day.

If you and your Significant Other are celebrating the traditional Valentine’s Day, you may give chocolates or flowers, but if you want to add a Chinese flare to your gift, choose a pair of Mandarin Ducks. You don’t have to adopt live ones as pets, find ceramic or carved accent pieces. A decorative pair placed in the home is said to enhance and attract love!

https://chinesepod.com/blog/2017/02/13/what-do-ducks-have-to-do-with-love/#more-6012

This year February 14th falls on the 10th day of the Chinese New Year celebration. Everyone is already celebrating in China, so they will continue their New Year’s Celebration.  Don’t feel slighted if your Chinese Significant Other forgets to give you a Valentine’s Day gift.  There are so many festivals and parties for the New Year, it’s easy to overlook this day. If you want to study lessons about the Chinese New Year, visit our YouTube and see the Chinese New Year playlist.

There’s one more day for lovers to look forward to – May 20th. The Chinese like to match dates or numbers with phrases that have similar pronunciation. 520 in Chinese is “five-two-zero” and sounds like “I love you.  So 520 is pronounced wǔ èr líng has become a special day (May 20) because it sounds like “wǒ ài nǐ “  (I love you). Learn more about this newest holiday for lovers here.  

Also be sure to check out this blog post on “How to Say I Love You” if you need to be prepared to profess your love to your date this week!  

Not a fan of Valentine’s Day? Single? Don’t worry, the Chinese have a Single’s Day for you 11/11. Hang in there, your day will be here in November!

If you liked this blog post. Check out  “Valentine’s Day Video Playlist,”  “What Ducks have to do with Love,”  and “6 Simple Ways Anyone Can Celebrate Chinese New Year.”

 

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