Lesson 171 Happy Spring Festival! (3)

Yajie:  Thanks for spending your spring festival with us, and welcome to Chinese Studio.  Wo shi Yajie. 
Cam:  And wo shi Cam.  Yajie, tell me more about China’s biggest celebration…
YJ:  Well, New Years day is often spent visiting neighbours, family and friends.  And we are going to learn more about that today.

Key words of the day
the first day of the lunar New Year,大年初一 give New Year’s greetings 拜年. Happy Spring festival 春节快乐。I wish you earn more money 恭喜发财，I wish you good health, 身体健康, all the best. 万事如意 all in today’s Chinese Studio.

C: Yajie, is there any Chinese name for the first day of the lunar New Year?
Y: sure. it’s zheng1 yue4 chu1 yi1. 
C: zheng1 yue4 chu1 yi1
Y: zheng1 yue4 means lunar January 
C: zheng1 yue4, 
Y: chu1 yi1, means the beginning of the lunar New Year
C: chu1 yi1.
Y: zheng1 yue4 chu1 yi1. The first day of the lunar New Year
C: zheng1 yue4 chu1 yi1. 正月初一
Y: you can also say da4 nian2 chu1 yi1, 大年初一
C: da4 nian2 chu1 yi1. Then what do you usually do on the first day of the lunar New Year?
Y: usually we are dressed in new clothes and dro by to greet neighbors, friends and colleagues. we call it bai4 nian2 拜年
C: bai4 nian2.
Y: bai4 means to pay a visit
C: bai4
Y: nian2 means new year
C: nian2
Y: bai4 nian2, give spring festival greetings 
C: bai4 nian2

Conversation1: 
１）A: 今天是大年初一。我给大家拜年了。
B: 谢谢。 也给你拜个年！

C: then what should I say when giving New Year’s greetings?
Y: there are many choices… for a fairly easy one, you can say chun1 jie2 kuai4 le4.春节快乐。
C: chun1 jie2 kuai4 le4.
Y: chun1 jie2, spring festival,
C: chun1 jie2 
Y: kuai4 le4 means happy,
C: kuai4 le4 
Y: chun1 jie2 kuai4 le4 Happy Spring Festival. 
C: chun1 jie2 kuai4 le4

Conversation 2 
A:  祝您春节快乐！
B:　也祝您全家春节快乐！　

C: what else do you have for greetings? 
Y: There is another common one in Mandarin it’s: "Gong1 Xi3 Fa1 Cai2" 
C: "Gong Xi Fa Cai", what does it mean?恭喜发财，
Y: it means I wish you earn more money, 
C: that must be a very good greeting for merchants. 
Y: You bet. It’s also popular to say it in Cantonese: "Kung Hei Fat Choi"
C:  "Kung Hei Fat Choi"
Y: if you want to wish someone good health, you can say “shen1 ti3 jian4 kang1.”
C: shen1 ti3 jian4 kang1.身体健康,
Y: shen1 ti3 means body,
C: shen1 ti3
Y: jian4 kang1, healthy,
C: jian4 kang1
Y: shen1 ti3 jian4 kang1 I wish you a fit body. 
C: shen1 ti3 jian4 kang1 Yajie, is there a Chinese equivalent for “All the best” ?
Y: That’s the next greeting that I’m going to tell you. In Chinese it’s “wan4 shi4 ru2 yi4”
C: “wan4 shi4 ru2 yi4” 万事如意。
Y: wan4 shi4 means everything, the all,  
C: wan4 shi4,
Y: ru2 yi4 means as one’s wishes,
C: ru2 yi4 
Y: “wan4 shi4 ru2 yi4” All the best. 
C: “wan4 shi4 ru2 yi4”

Conversation 3:  
A:　恭喜发财，生意兴隆。
B: 祝您身体健康，万事如意。