Learning Words for Chinese New Year Decorations and Customs (春节, Chūn Jié)
Chinese New Year (春节, Chūn Jié), also known as the Spring Festival, is the most important traditional holiday in China. It is celebrated with family reunions, festive meals, and an array of colorful decorations that symbolize luck, happiness, and prosperity.
For expat students learning Mandarin, understanding the vocabulary related to Chinese New Year decorations and customs is not only practical but also helps you appreciate the rich culture behind the celebrations.
In this blog post, you will learn key vocabulary, sentences, and cultural explanations that will allow you to confidently describe and talk about Chinese New Year traditions in Mandarin.
Common Decorations During Chinese New Year
Decorations play a central role in Chinese New Year celebrations. They are colorful, symbolic, and full of meaning. Learning these words will help you recognize and describe them.
Spring couplets (春联, chūn lián)
Red lanterns (红灯笼, hóng dēng lóng)
Fu character (福字, fú zì)
Door gods (门神, mén shén)
Paper cuttings (剪纸, jiǎn zhǐ)
Example sentences:
家家户户都会贴春联。
Jiā jiā hù hù dōu huì tiē chūn lián.
Every household puts up spring couplets.
我们挂了红灯笼。
Wǒ men guà le hóng dēng lóng.
We hung red lanterns.
门上贴着福字。
Mén shàng tiē zhe fú zì.
The “Fu” character is pasted on the door.
Talking About Colors and Symbols
Colors are very important in Chinese New Year. They carry symbolic meanings that reflect wishes for the new year.
Useful vocabulary:
Red (红色, hóng sè) – symbolizes luck and happiness
Gold (金色, jīn sè) – symbolizes wealth and prosperity
Couplet (对联, duì lián) – poetic phrases on doors for blessings
Lucky charm (吉祥物, jí xiáng wù)
Firecrackers (鞭炮, biān pào)
Example sentences:
红色代表好运。
Hóng sè dài biǎo hǎo yùn.
Red represents good luck.
我们买了金色的饰品。
Wǒ men mǎi le jīn sè de shì pǐn.
We bought gold-colored decorations.
春节放鞭炮很热闹。
Chūn Jié fàng biān pào hěn rè nào.
Setting off firecrackers during Chinese New Year is very lively.
Chinese New Year Food Vocabulary
Food is central to Chinese New Year celebrations, and certain dishes carry symbolic meanings.
Dumplings (饺子, jiǎo zi) – symbolize wealth
Glutinous rice cake (年糕, nián gāo) – symbolize growth and progress
Fish (鱼, yú) – symbolizes abundance
Spring rolls (春卷, chūn juǎn) – symbolize wealth
Sweet rice balls (汤圆, tāng yuán) – symbolize family togetherness
Example sentences:
除夕晚上我们吃饺子。
Chú xī wǎn shàng wǒ men chī jiǎo zi.
We eat dumplings on New Year’s Eve.
年糕很甜，也很有意思。
Nián gāo hěn tián, yě hěn yǒu yì si.
Rice cakes are sweet and very interesting.
桌上一定要有鱼。
Zhuō shàng yí dìng yào yǒu yú.
There must be fish on the table.
Talking About Family Customs
Chinese New Year is a time for family gatherings, honoring ancestors, and performing traditional customs.
Family reunion (团圆, tuán yuán)
Red envelope (红包, hóng bāo) – money given to children
Ancestor worship (祭祖, jì zǔ)
Visiting relatives (拜年, bài nián)
Cleaning the house (扫房, sǎo fáng)
Example sentences:
大年三十晚上我们全家团圆。
Dà nián sān shí wǎn shàng wǒ men quán jiā tuán yuán.
On New Year’s Eve, our whole family reunites.
小孩子收到红包很开心。
Xiǎo hái zi shōu dào hóng bāo hěn kāi xīn.
Children are happy to receive red envelopes.
春节前我们要打扫房子。
Chūn Jié qián wǒ men yào dǎ sǎo fáng zi.
We clean the house before Chinese New Year.
Describing Festive Activities
There are many fun activities during the New Year celebrations. Learning to talk about them can make your Mandarin more engaging.
Watching the Spring Festival Gala (看春晚, kàn chūn wǎn)
Dragon and lion dances (舞龙舞狮, wǔ lóng wǔ shī)
Temple fairs (庙会, miào huì)
Fireworks (烟花, yān huā)
Playing games (玩游戏, wán yóu xì)
Example sentences:
我们一起看春晚。
Wǒ men yì qǐ kàn chūn wǎn.
We watch the Spring Festival Gala together.
舞龙舞狮很热闹。
Wǔ lóng wǔ shī hěn rè nào.
Dragon and lion dances are very lively.
庙会有很多好玩的东西。
Miào huì yǒu hěn duō hǎo wán de dōng xi.
Temple fairs have many fun things.
Expressing Wishes and Blessings
During Chinese New Year, people often exchange wishes and blessings for the new year.
Useful vocabulary:
Happy New Year (新年快乐, xīn nián kuài lè)
Wishing you wealth (恭喜发财, gōng xǐ fā cái)
Good luck (好运, hǎo yùn)
Health (健康, jiàn kāng)
Success (成功, chéng gōng)
Example sentences:
新年快乐！
Xīn nián kuài lè!
Happy New Year!
恭喜发财，红包拿来！
Gōng xǐ fā cái, hóng bāo ná lái!
Wishing you wealth, give me a red envelope!
祝你健康和好运。
Zhù nǐ jiàn kāng hé hǎo yùn.
Wishing you health and good luck.
Talking About Preparations and Traditions
It is also important to describe what people do to prepare for Chinese New Year.
Useful vocabulary:
Prepare (准备, zhǔn bèi)
Decorate (装饰, zhuāng shì)
Cook (做饭, zuò fàn)
Clean (打扫, dǎ sǎo)
Buy (买, mǎi)
Example sentences:
我们正在准备春节晚餐。
Wǒ men zhèng zài zhǔn bèi Chūn Jié wǎn cān.
We are preparing the New Year’s Eve dinner.
妈妈在装饰房子。
Mā ma zài zhuāng shì fáng zi.
Mom is decorating the house.
我去市场买水果和零食。
Wǒ qù shì chǎng mǎi shuǐ guǒ hé líng shí.
I go to the market to buy fruits and snacks.
Vocabulary
- 春节 (Chūn Jié) – Chinese New Year
- 春联 (chūn lián) – spring couplets
- 红灯笼 (hóng dēng lóng) – red lantern
- 福字 (fú zì) – Fu character
- 红包 (hóng bāo) – red envelope
- 年糕 (nián gāo) – glutinous rice cake
- 团圆 (tuán yuán) – family reunion
- 庙会 (miào huì) – temple fair
- 舞龙舞狮 (wǔ lóng wǔ shī) – dragon and lion dance
- 恭喜发财 (gōng xǐ fā cái) – wishing you wealth
