Learn Chinese: Seasonal Greetings
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2019年7月26日
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2019年7月26日
In China the countdown to the holiday season starts from September. Kicking off the festivities is 中秋节 Zhōng qiū jié (Mid-Autumn festival) which takes place around the mid-end of September. Immediately following is 国庆节 guó qìng jié— China’s National day which is celebrated for an entire week from October 1-7. It really is the season for festivities with a number of auspicious days also taking place—making it the preferred wedding season for Chinese people—Halloween, and plenty of sales happening in the shops! If you’re learning Mandarin and want to impress your Chinese friends or get involved in the conversation during this time, here are some phrases which you can use:
Before the holidays
We are engaged in a lot of planning for the upcoming festivities. We will usually book time off work and make plans prior to the holidays. You’ll usually find someone who’s stressed out if their plans don’t match up with their work schedule. Try this sentence:
Chinese |
Pinyin |
Translation |
| 这个假期你们放几天假？ | zhègè jiàqī nǐmen fàng jǐtiān jià? | How many days will you be off for this holiday? |
| 为什么你宁愿在家? | wèishénme nǐ nìngyuàn zàijiā? | Why do you prefer to be at home? |
| 你们有什么计划？ | nǐmen yǒu shénme jìhuà? | What’s your plan? |
We also have other similar ways to ask about schedules:
Chinese |
Pinyin |
Translation |
| 你们去哪里玩？
|
nǐmen qù nǎlǐ wán?
|
Where are you going to play?
|
| 你们有什么节目？
|
nǐmen yǒu shénme jiémù?
|
What’s your schedule like?
|
| 你们有什么安排
|
nǐmen yǒu shénme ānpái?
|
What plans do you have?
|
| 旅游的东西准备好没有?
|
lǚyóu de dōngxi zhǔnbèi hǎo méiyǒu?
|
Did you get the travel preparations done？
|
Vocabulary list:
Chinese |
Pinyin |
Translation |
| 放假 | fàngjià | go on to holiday |
| 计划 | jìhuà | plan |
| 节目 | jiémù | program; show |
| 安排 | ānpái | arrangement |
| 旅游 | lǚyóu |
to travel |
On holidays
We are occupied with family meeting, traveling, shopping, attending wedding parties, and connecting with acquaintances. Beside meeting friends in person, we also love to text a lot during the holidays. You can start up conversations with:
Chinese |
Pinyin |
Translation |
| 节日快乐！ | jiérì kuàilè!
|
Happy Holidays！
|
| 你 在 做什么？
|
nǐ zài zuò shénme ?
|
what are you doing now？
|
| 那里 有没有 堵车？
|
nàlǐ yǒu měiyǒu dǔchē?
|
Was there any traffic jam？
|
| 你 有没有 发发 朋友圈？
|
nǐ yǒuméiyǒu fāfā péngyǒuquān?
|
Have you posted anything on WeChat moments
|
| 你们 家庭聚会 通常 做 什么？
|
nǐmen jiātíng jùhuì tōngcháng zuò shénme ?
|
What are your common family reunion activities?
|
| 你有没有上网买东西？
|
nǐ yǒuméiyǒu shàngwǎng mǎi dōngxi?
|
Did you shop online?
|
| 我 听说 很多人 要 参加 婚礼。你呢? | wǒ tīngshuō hěnduō rén yào cānjiā hūnlǐ, nǐ ne?
|
I heard that quite a lot of people are attending wedding parties. What about you?
|
Vocabulary list
Chinese |
Pinyin |
Translation |
| 堵车 | dǔchē | Traffic jam |
| 朋友圈
|
péngyǒu quān
|
WeChat moments |
| 家庭聚会
|
jiātíng jùhuì
|
family gathering
|
| 参加
|
cānjiā
|
participate
|
| 婚礼 | hūnlǐ
|
wedding ceremony
|
End of Holiday
As the holidays come to an end, we can greet people with “Hello” in the way of “How was your holiday?” or “Where did you go for the vacation?”
Chinese |
Pinyin |
Translation |
| 你的假期过得怎么样？
|
nǐ de jiàqī guòde zěnme yàng ?
|
How was your holiday? |
| 你假期去了哪里？
|
nǐ jiàqī qùle nǎlǐ?
|
Where did you go on holiday? |
Chinese |
Pinyin |
Translation |
| 我要上班 了
|
wǒ yào shàngbān le.
|
I need to go to work.
|
| 我胖了
|
wǒ pàng le.
|
I got fat .
|
| 我黑了
|
wǒ hēi le.
|
I got tanned.
|
| 我的卡刷 爆了
|
wǒ de kǎ shuā bào le.
|
My credit card is maxed out.
|
Besides that, friends love to talk about their fears after holidays. What’s the most common fears after holiday？It’s a great opportunity to use “了” le- which indicates the changed status to past tense.
What about you? What do you fear the most after holidays? Would you like to share with us in Chinese?
