Four Words for Every Child’s Merry Christmas
Christmas is coming along with everybody’s favorite jolly fat man! In today’s lesson, we’ll take a look at the four most popular Chinese words for kids during Christmas time. And for any kids reading: study hard, be kind and we’ll all keep our fingers crossed that no one finds any lumps of coal in their stockings this year.
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圣诞老人 (Shèngdàn lǎorén) Santa Claus
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"圣诞 (Shèngdàn)" is the term for Christmas and "老人 (lǎorén)" means "old person." So when you say "Santa" in Mandarin, it's a bit like saying "圣诞老人 (Shèngdàn lǎorén)."
Example
Shèngdàn lǎorén huì sònggěi wǒ shénme lǐwù ne? Hǎo qīdài ya!
圣诞 老人 会 送给 我 什么 礼物 呢?好 期待 呀!
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What’ll Santa bring me? Whatever it is, I’m definitely looking forward to it!
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圣诞树 (Shèngdàn shù) Christmas tree
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"树 (shù)" means "tree."
Example:
Wǒ gěi shèngdàn shùshang guàmǎnle tángguǒ.
我 给 圣诞 树上 挂满了 糖果。
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I usually hang up all kinds of treats on the Christmas tree.
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圣诞袜 (Shèngdàn wà) Christmas stockings
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"袜 (wà)" is the short form for "袜子 (wàzi)," both of which mean "socks." When you talk about your holiday stockings in Mandarin, you're actually saying "圣诞袜 (Shèngdàn wà)."
Example:
Wǒ de shèngdàn wà lǐ zhuāngmǎnle lǐwù.
我 的 圣诞 袜里 装满了 礼物。
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My stocking’s filled with goodies!
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圣诞帽 (Shèngdàn mào) Santa hat
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"帽 (mào)" is the short form for "帽子 (màozi)." They both mean "hat."
Example:
Mèimei chuānzhe fěnsè de qúnzi, dàizhe Shèngdàn mào, kě'ài jí le.
妹妹 穿着 粉色 的 裙子,戴着 圣诞 帽, 可爱极了。
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How cute! My little sister is wearing her pink dress with her Santa hat.
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