{"id":14551,"date":"2018-10-23T15:57:05","date_gmt":"2018-10-23T19:57:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/?p=14551"},"modified":"2018-10-23T15:57:05","modified_gmt":"2018-10-23T19:57:05","slug":"talking-about-halloween-in-chinese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/chinese\/talking-about-halloween-in-chinese\/","title":{"rendered":"Talking About Halloween in Chinese"},"content":{"rendered":"

While it\u2019s not high up on the list of holidays in China<\/a>, Halloween is one of my favorites, and it is gaining popularity in the Middle Kingdom. This is especially true among the younger generation of Chinese, who learn about the holiday from their foreign English teachers or American movies and take an interest in the strange customs. Let’s learn a little bit of Chinese vocabulary for the holiday, starting with the name.<\/p>\n

Chinese Name for Halloween<\/h2>\n

The Chinese name for\u00a0Halloween <\/strong>\u00a0(\u4e07\u5723\u8282 \u2013 w\u00e0n sh\u00e8ng ji\u00e9) literally translates to \u201c10,000 Saints Festival,\u201d which makes one think that China got October 31st confused with November 1st, which is All Saints Day. Close enough, though.<\/p>\n

Halloween History and Customs<\/h2>\n
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Chinese schoolchildren zombies.<\/p><\/div>\n

Halloween is believed to have originated from the Celtic festival of Samhain, which marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter. During this festival, people thought that the door to the great beyond opened just wide enough for the spirits of the dead to return.<\/p>\n

While some spirits were welcomed (and even given a spot at the dinner table), others were thought to be evil. Thus, people began to wear\u00a0costumes<\/strong>\u00a0(\u670d\u88c5 \u2013 f\u00fa zhu\u0101ng) to disguise themselves from the spirits. Leading up to the festival, boys would go door-to-door collecting food or fuel for the feast. The modern-day custom of\u00a0trick-or-treating<\/strong>\u00a0(\u4e0d\u7d66\u7cd6\uff0c\u5c31\u6417\u86cb \u2013 b\u00f9 g\u011bi t\u00e1ng, ji\u00f9 d\u01ceo d\u00e0n) \u2013 where children knock on doors in their neighborhood in search of candy and other treats \u2013 must have evolved from this.<\/p>\n

Young children dress up as their favorite cartoon<\/strong> (\u5361\u901a – k\u01ce t\u014dng) characters,\u00a0superheroes<\/strong>\u00a0(\u8d85\u7ea7\u82f1\u96c4 \u2013 ch\u0101o j\u00ed y\u012bng xi\u00f3ng), or something scary, such as a\u00a0vampire<\/strong>\u00a0(\u5438\u8840\u9b3c \u2013 x\u012b xu\u00e8 gu\u01d0),\u00a0zombie<\/strong>\u00a0(\u50f5\u5c38 \u2013 ji\u0101ng sh\u012b), or\u00a0werewolf<\/strong>\u00a0(\u72fc\u4eba \u2013 l\u00e1ng r\u00e9n). College students, meanwhile, love to party on Halloween. Back in my day, we\u2019d even go out three or four nights in costume to various house parties or bars to celebrate. Guys try to be funny<\/strong> (\u597d\u7b11 – h\u01ceo xi\u00e0o), while girls shoot for sexy<\/strong> (\u6027\u611f – x\u00ecng g\u01cen) with their costumes.<\/p>\n