Archive for February, 2011
Stay in Tone! Posted by sasha on Feb 14, 2011
When it comes to learning Chinese, understanding how to 读 and 写 the thousands upon thousands of 汉字 is obviously the most difficult part of the learning process. However, if you are simply interested in learning how to 说中文, you will probably encounter the most difficulty whilst attempting to learn the four 声调 (shēng diào…
Year of the Rabbit (今年兔) Posted by Stephen on Feb 6, 2011
Enter The Rabbit: With the passing of the Chinese New Year festivities, we usher in The Year of the Rabbit or 今年兔 (jīn nián tù) in 2011. The Rabbit (兔子 or tù zi) is the fourth animal in the 12-year cycle of the Chinese zodiac. After 12 years of waiting, the elusive rabbit has emerged from his burrow…
Spring Festival – Part Three Posted by sasha on Feb 6, 2011
For the third and final post on Spring Festival, we’re going to look at some of the traditions and customs of the first few days of the New Year. As I mentioned in Part One, we are now in the year of the rabbit, having said 再见 to 2010 and the year of the tiger…
Red Envelopes 红包 (hóng bāo) Posted by Stephen on Feb 4, 2011
The Red Envelope or 红包 (hóng bāo) is a monetary gift which is given during holidays or special occasions, especially during the Lunar New Year and Spring Festival. The red color of the envelope symbolizes good luck and is supposed to ward off evil spirits. During the Lunar New Year, red envelopes are typically given…
Spring Festival – Part Two Posted by sasha on Feb 4, 2011
Now that we’ve learned some of the history of the Spring Festival, let’s focus more on the customs and traditions that go along with this holiday. In the days leading up to the official New Year celebration, there are many things to do. Many of the modern day preparations for Chinese New Year can also…
Happy New Year！ (新年快乐） Posted by Stephen on Feb 3, 2011
Hey everyone, Happy New Years or 新年快乐 (xīn nián kuài lè)! It’s around this time of year that everyone in China celebrates the Lunar New Year. It’s a happy time, where the daily grind of China life is placed on the back burner for mutual enjoyment and celebration. People wish each other prosperity and…
Spring Festival – Part One Posted by sasha on Feb 2, 2011
It’s that time of the year again – time for the most important Chinese holiday of them all – the Spring Festival (春节 – chūn jié). Also known around the world as Chinese New Year (农历新年 – nóng lì xīn nián), this holiday begins on the first day of the first month (正月 – zhēng…