新年用語大集合

The most important holiday in China is the Lunar New Year(農曆年). Since it is based on the lunar calendar(農曆), it comes about a month later than the Western New Year. The Chinese New Year season traditionally lasts about a month. The period has now been reduced to a week or less. There are some parallels(相似之處) with the Western New Year: houses are cleaned thoroughly, for instance , and families all get together for the festivities(慶祝活動). All debts (債務) must be paid off (還清)so that new year can be started with a fresh beginning. Feasts (盛宴) are enjoyed with family and friends, and there are lively dragon and lion dances(舞龍，舞獅) in the streets. Everywhere there is the sound of fire cracker explosions(放爆竹，鞭炮). Children receive gifts of little red envelopes(紅包) with money inside them.

*Lunar New Year's Eve 農曆新年除夕；New Year's Eve dinner 年夜飯；family reunion dinner 團圓飯

*Lunar New Year Festival 農曆春節；Chinese Spring Festival 中國春節；Chinese New Year中國新年

*red envelope（lucky red envelope）；red packet（lucky red packet）紅包；lucky money 壓歲錢

Many superstitions(迷信) are related to the celebration of the Chinese New Year. No sweeping (掃地)must be done in case the family's good fortune will be swept out the door(掃出門) with the trash(垃圾). One should be especially careful not to break any dishes, for such an accident is believed to bring about (造成) serious problems between members of the family throughout the coming year. Conservative families(保守家庭) send their kitchen god (灶神)off to make his annual (一年一次的) report in heaven on New Year's Eve. This god is worshipped (拜神) in the form of a paper portrait (紙晝)of the god pasted on(貼在) the kitchen wall. There he keeps an eye on(監看) his human family throughout the year, and goes back to heaven to report on (就...提出報告)  what he has seen. To send him on his trip, he is taken off the wall and burned, but not before some sweet paste(甜糊，通常用麥芽糖放在灶口) and wine are spread over his mouth to make sure that he gives a good report about the family.

*fish (yu)魚：represent having enough to spare
代表有足夠的東西可分讓出來（年年有餘）
*garlic chives (jiou cai)韭菜：stand for "everlasting"
（大蒜蔥）代表「永永遠遠的」
*turnips (cai tou)菜頭：mean "good omens"
（甘藍菜）意思是指「好預兆、好兆頭」
*fish balls (yu wan) 魚丸and meat balls (rou wan)肉丸：
represent "reunion." 代表「團圓、團聚」
*rice cake 、 glutinous rice flour pudding (nian-gao) 年糕、發糕：
makes people "advance toward higher positions and prosperity step by step."
讓人們「逐步晉升到更高的職位與興旺」
*dumplings (shuei jiao) 水餃：eat them to amass fortunes and wealth.
吃水餃累積好運與財富

At New Year's time most Chinese families paste signs (貼對聯)  on and around the front doors of their homes. These signs consist of (由...組成)  black or gold Chinese characters (中文字) written on squares(方塊)  or strips(長條) of red paper, because red is a happy color which brings good luck. The New Year sayings written on them are usually good luck phrases(吉祥語句), or words related to spring—a symbol or new growth, new hope, new beginnings—since in China the New Year also marks the beginning of spring. 

*spring couplets春聯 （couplet對句、雙韻）
= red Couplets
= New Year couplets
= red-paper couplets

On New Year's Day(大年初一) people dress in their best clothes to go visiting relatives (親戚) and friends, wishing everyone they meet a Happy New Year. Most shops are closed on this day; some stay closed for three days some up to a week, and then open their doors to the new year with the explosion of long strings (長串) of fire crackers. Daughters always return to parents’ home on the second day of the Lunar New Year.

--- from pp.118-119, Breakthrough 3 by Oxford University Press 1978