Chinese New Year

Hello English learners! Welcome to EnglishPod! My name is Marco.

And I’m Erica.

And today we have a very special guest in our studio – Daini.

Hi everyone, I’m Daini.

Daini is part of our EnglishPod team and today she’s gonna help us with this Chinese New Year’s lesson. It’s an intermediate lesson, but it has a lot of cultural aspects about Chinese New Year. So, that’s what Daini’s gonna help us out with today.

Yes, today we’re going to learn a little bit about Chinese New Year in English. And we’re also going to learn some language for describing things that we’re exited about.

Okay, yeah! I’m exited to hear this show.

Okay, so, let’s listen to the dialogue now and then when we come back, we’ll explain everything.

Okay, so, Chinese New Year; a lot of exiting vocabulary here.

Uhu.

Right.

Before we get into describing it, let’s look at the vocabulary that we saw… in “language takeaway”. Voice: Language takeaway.

The first word on language takeaway – dumplings.

Dumplings.

Dumplings.

Dumplings.

Well, in Chinese we call it Shuijiao…

Uhu.

Um, and it’s a very traditional Chinese food. And it’s getting very famous now.

Yes, so, it’s basically small pieces of dough with…

Uhu.

Maybe some meat or some vegetables inside.

And then they are boiled.

Usually in a soup.

In a soup.

Uhu.

But you can also have fried dumplings.

Yeah-yeah, that’s right.

Which are really good.

Yeah.

Yeah.

So, if you know Italian food, they’re really similar to a tortellini.

Uh, exactly.

Uhu.

Ah.

Or in Latin America it’s very similar to maybe an empanada.

Alright.

It’s like a small, little empanada.

Okay. Marco, what’s our next word?

Alright, our next word – firecrackers.

Firecrackers.

Firecrackers.

Firecrackers.

This is a firecracker. Sound of a firecracker.

Firecrackers are so common in China. We use it all the time in all occasions.

Yep.

And especially on the New Year’s Eve, um…

Uhu.

Traditionally people use it to scare off the… evil…

Evil spirits.

The evil spirits.

So, they…

Yeah.

Oh-okay.

Yeah.

So, on Chinese New Year, there are millions of firecrackers.

Millions of firecrackers.

Yeah.

Uhu.

Now, there’re also a lot of fireworks.

Fireworks.

Fireworks.

Fireworks.

So, fireworks are similar to firecrackers.

But they have lots of light.

Light.

Yeah.

They… they go up in the air and explode and you see lots of nice colors.

Beautiful colors.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Very popular in Fourth of July in the United States.

Or New Year’s Eve.

New Year’s Eve.

Uhu.

Uhu.

Fireworks. Okay, now let’s look at our last word.

Set off.

Set off.

Set off.

Set off.

Set off.

So, this is the verb you would use with firecrackers.

Yeah, it means like explode the firecracker.

Right, set off the firecracker.

Set off the bomb.

Set off fireworks.

Well, let’s listen to our dialogue a second time and this time it’ll be a little bit slower, so that you can understand the language a bit better. DIALOGUE, SECOND TIME (slow)

Okay, so, we saw some really great phrases of describing excitement.

Uhu.

Right? So, let’s start with “fluency builder”. Voice: Fluency builder.

We have four phrases for you today. And the first one is I’m so excited about.

I’m so excited about.

I’m so excited about.

So, when you say “I’m so excited”, it means that you are…

Like really happy…

That something is gonna happing.

Yeah, so happy you can’t relax.

Hehe. Right, so, you could say “I’m so excited about our vacation next month”.

I’m so excited about opening all my presents.

Exactly, so, excited. Now, we also saw another really great word, very similar to I’m so exited.

Yeah.

I’m really looking forward to.

I’m really looking forward to.

I’m really looking forward to.

I’m really looking forward to.

So, this is a little bit less than excited, right?

A bit less strong.

Right.

Yeah.

So, you would say “oh, I’m really looking forward to meeting your new girlfriend”.

Or you can say “I’m really looking forward to seeing that movie”.

Exactly.

Uhu.

So, it means you’re a little bit excited, but not SO excited.

Yeah, you’re happy about something that’s going to happen in the future.

Now, let’s look at our next phrase and it’s very similar to excited – I can’t wait.

I can’t wait.

I can’t wait.

I can’t wait.

So, this is very, very similar to I’m so exited.

Yes, when you’re so exited for something, you can’t wait for it.

Right, let’s listen to some more examples of I can’t wait. Voice: Example one.

I’m so excited I can’t wait to see you. Voice: Example two.

Hm, smells delicious, I can’t wait for dinner. Voice: Example three.

I can’t wait to open my presents.

So, we can use it again the same way: I can’t wait to go on vacation next month.

I can’t wait to open all my presents.

Exactly. Now, our last phrase – I bet.

I bet.

I bet.

I bet. B-E-T. Bet.

Bet. So, when you say I bet it means that you’re pretty sure about something.

Uhu. You predict it will happen.

Right, so, let’s listen to some more examples of I bet. Voice: Example one.

I bet I’m going to get so much money for Chinese New Year. Voice: Example two.

Robert’s late, where do you think he is?

I bet he’s stuck in traffic. Voice: Example three.

I bet the boss is gonna give us a big bonus this year.

Well, I guess we’re ready to listen to our dialogue for the third time and then when we come back, Daini’s gonna tell us all about Chinese New Year.

So, Daini, what are these red packets of money about?

So, in Chinese we call it Hong Bao…

Yeah.

And it’s basically a bag full of money.

Wow!

Why do you get money?

As a gift.

As a gift.

Yeah.

Wow. The children get it, though?

Only children get it.

Wow.

Or if you’re a university student and you haven’t got a job yet, then you can still ask for Hong Bao from your parents.

Really?

Or your relatives.

So, is there some meaning to this gift of money?

Well, it is believed that children have to put these red envelopes under their pillow…

Yep.

On New Year’s Eve.

Yep.

To scare away the evil spirits.

Okay.

Again like the firecrackers.

Again evil spirits… a lot of evil spirits in China.

Hehe.

Hehe.

So, Daini, how much money would a kid get for Chinese New Year?

Well, when I was little…

Yeah.

The best year I got was three thousand RMB.

Which is like… almost…

Five hundred dollars.

Wow.

Yeah.

Almost five hundred.

Yeah, I was so rich at that time.

Wow, amazing.

Aha.

What about this game Mahjong?

Mahjong?

Mahjong.

Have you played that?

No.

No, um, at the end again it’s a very traditional Chinese game and…

Uhu.

Uh, you will see senior people s… always gathering along the table…

So, old people.

Old people.

Yeah.

So, it’s like a board game, kind of like chess?

It’s kind of like chess, but they have like special… specially made chess.

Oh.

It’s very different.

Okay.

So, I wanna know more about these, uh, the fireworks and firecrackers on Chinese New Year.

Okay, usually we buy firecrackers.

Yep.

I believe firework… fireworks are more expensive.

Uhu.

Uhu.

So, we play firecrackers Bao Jung, uh, and then usually we do it, uh, right after the midnight.

Uhu.

Uhu.

So, twelve o’clock.

Yep.

This’s very loud and…

Yeah.

Um, say for example, I personally don’t even dare to stay close when they set off the firecrackers, because…

Yeah.

It’s just way too loud.

Yeah.

Hehe. It’s… and everyone starts to light them…

Yeah.

So, it’s like…

No, it’s amazing.

The city…

I… um, I’ve… I’ve seen Chinese New Year three times in China…

Uhu.

And each time I’ve just been amazed like… it’s so, so cool and so noisy and so awesome. I mean, you’ve got to visit China to see this.

Yeah, yeah, it’s a really cool festival.

Yeah.

And definitely playing with firecrackers is always fun, so…

Yeah.

Maybe a little bit dangerous.

Yeah.

Well ,everyone, uh, we’ve just learned about how New Year’s is celebrated in China. And we wanna know how do you celebrate New Year’s in your country?

Exactly, how do you welcome the New Year? How do you scare away evil spirits?

Yeah.

Right?

Yeah. So, come to our website at englihpod.com and leave us your comments.

That’s right, Daini, Erica and I will be there to answer all you questions. So, be sure to send us some comments.

Well, everyone, thanks for listening and until next time… Good bye!

Bye!

Bye!