逐日消息NO.2

呆萌梁瘪瘪丶

Spring Festival is around the corner！

春节就要来啦！

  ☞ be around the corner : 即未来临，很大概发生。
   eg: When anything goes this well, a major setback can be just around the corner.一件事过于顺遂的时间，很大概不久就会有大波折。

1

Origin




In ancient China there lived a monster named Nian who was extremely ferocious. Nian lived deep at the bottom of the sea all the year round and climbed up to the shore only on New Year's Eve to devour the cattle and kill people. Thereupon on the day of every New Year's Eve people from all villages would flee to the remote mountains so as to avoid the monster.


相传，我国古代有一只叫做“年”的猛兽，它非常暴虐。常年居住在海底深处，但在除夕夜这一天，它会爬登陆吃光牲口，杀害村民。因此，每年除夕夜，全部村民都会逃到偏远的山村来躲避它。




☞ ferocious：暴虐的
☞ all the year round:常年，整年
☞ devour ：狼吞虎咽地吃光
eg: Finally, making a dreadful mess, they devour the fruit.末了，他们狼吞虎咽地吃起了水果，果汁滴得随处都是。



Then, one New Year's Eve, the villagers were getting ready to hide when there came from outside the village an old beggar with a stick in his hand and a bag hanging upon his arm. His eyes twinkled like stars and his beard was silver.


但就在某个除夕的夜晚，当村民们像往常一样摒挡东西为避难做预备时，村里来了位老托钵人，他拄着拐杖，背着包，眼睛亮闪如星，胡子洁白如银。



Seized with panic, the villagers were in a great hurry to run away so no one was in the mood to care for the beggar. Only a grandmother gave the old man some food and advised him to flee to the mountains to avoid the monster. But the old man stroked his beard and said with a smile, "If you allow me to stay at your home for the night, I'm sure to drive away the monster Nian." She looked at him unbelievingly only to find that, with white hair and ruddy complexion, the old man had a bearing out of the ordinary. She went on to persuade him to take flight. But he only smiled without reply. Thereupon the grandmother could not help but leave her home and flee to the mountains.


张皇的村民们马不绝蹄地预备着逃跑，没心情剖析他。只有一位妻子婆给了他点食品并让他逃到山里躲避猛兽。但是他轻抚着胡子，笑着说道：“假如您今晚肯让我待在您家里，我敢包管我能把“年”这只猛兽赶走。”妻子婆不可思议地看向他，惊奇地发现他头发洁白，面色红润，竟有种超乎寻人的气势。她接着劝他逃脱，但他笑而不语。无奈之下，她只好留下他，本身逃到山里去。




  ☞ be in the mood to do sth. : 故意情做某事
   eg：I’m not in the mood to talk. 我如今没心情发言。


☞ stroke ： 轻抚（v.）
eg: He walked forward and embraced him and stroked his tousled hair.她走上前拥抱他并轻抚他缭乱的白发。
 
☞ drive away: 驱散，把...驱走
eg: The fresh morning air seemed to drive away all his sombre passions.清晨清新的氛围仿佛驱散了全部那些阴郁的动机 。
 
☞ ruddy complexion : 红润的气色
 
☞ bearing : 仪态
eg: He has a military bearing, never failing to carry himself erect.他有一种武士的风姿，身板总是挺得笔挺。
 
☞ take flight : 逃跑
eg: Most prisoners will take flight if given the chance.假如有时机，大部门逃犯都会逃脱。





Around midnight the monster Nian rushed into the villages. He found the atmosphere was quite different from that of the previous year. The house of the grandmother in the east end of the village was brilliantly illuminated, with bright red paper stuck on the doors. Greatly shocked, the monster gave a strange loud cry. The monster stared angrily at the house for a moment and then, howling furiously, made a charge at it. As he approached the door, there suddenly came the sounds of explosions. Trembling all over, the monster dared not take a step forward.


半夜时分，“年”兽冲进了村落，但它发现这次的氛围差别于以往。妻子婆的屋子在村落的最东边，刺眼地闪着亮赤色的光，门上还贴着红纸。被此场景吓坏了的 “年”兽发出一声诡异的嚎叫,怒冲冲地瞪着门好一会儿，然后它嚎叫一声，狞恶地向门撞去。当它再次靠近门时，屋子里连续传来爆炸的声响，年兽满身打颤，不敢靠近房门半步。





☞ brilliantly：辉煌光耀地，出色地
eg: It’s a brilliantly sunny morning.这天上午阳光辉煌光耀。
eg: The shops were brilliantly lit up.那些市肆灯火通明。
eg: It is a very high quality production, brilliantly written and acted.其制作水准很高，脚本和演出都很出色。
 
☞ illuminate: 照明，分析(v.)
Eg：No streetlights illuminated the street.这条街上没有照明的路灯。
Eg: Our interesting teacher could illuminate almost any subject we studied.我们这位风趣的老师险些能表明清晰我们所学的全部科目。


☞ howl：(狼狗等)长嚎， （人因疼痛，愤怒而）哀嚎


☞ furiously：狂怒的，急躁的


☞ charge: 猛冲
Eg : He charged through the door to my mother’s office.他冲出门，往我母亲的办公室跑去。
eg:He ordered us to charge.他下令我们冲锋。



It turned out that the color red, flames, and explosions were what Nian feared the most. And when the door of the grandmother's house was thrown open and an old man in a red robe burst out laughing in the courtyard, the monster Nian was scared out of his wits and fled helter-skelter.


原来赤色，火焰和爆炸声是年兽最畏惧的东西。当房门推开时，老人身穿大红长袍，在屋前的庭院开怀大笑，年兽畏于老人的聪明匆忙地逃脱了。





   ☞ helter-skelter：匆忙的（地）; 紊乱无章的eg: He now faces another crisis in his helter-skelter existence. 他乱糟糟的生存中如今又面对着另一个危急。



The next day was the 1st of the first lunar month. When people came back from their hideouts and found everything safe and sound, they were quite surprised. The old woman suddenly realized what had happened and told the villagers about the old beggar's promise. The villagers swarmed into the grandmother's house, only to find that the doors were covered with red paper, that the embers from a pile of bamboo were still giving out exploding sounds in the courtyard, and that a few candles were still glowing in the room...


第二天是夏历正月月朔。当村民从山上遁迹返来后，他们惊奇地发现统统居然安然无恙。妻子婆忽然意识到了事变的来龙去脉，并告诉村民那位老托钵人许下的答应。于是村民们一窝蜂地涌进妻子婆家，却只看到面前的情形：门上贴着红纸，庭院里竹子的余火还在发出爆裂的声响，房里的蜡烛散发着薄弱的光芒……






☞ hideouts：躲藏处
☞ safe and sound：安全无事，安然无恙
Eg: I’m glad to see you home safe and sound. 看到你安全回家，我很高兴。
 
☞ swarm into: 涌入
 
☞ glow : 红光（n.）   发光，喜形于色（v.）
Eg: A pale reddish glow lit the sky.略带赤色的淡淡光辉照亮了天空。
Eg: She felt a glow of satisfaction at her son’s achievements.她因儿子的成绩而感到心满足足。

2

Customs & Activities 






Spring Festival is a 15-day festival in traditional custom. It can be generally divided into three periods：the days preceding the festival, the festival days and the days after the Spring Festival Day. There are different customs related to each period:


春节在传统习俗中是有15天的，它大要上可以被分为这三个阶段：节前，过节，节后。每个阶段都有它特有的习俗。

1

Preceding Days



Cleaning and Purchasing:扫旧及置办年货

The grounds, the walls, and every corner of the house need to be cleaned. In Chinese, “Dust” is a homophone for the word “old” (陈)； thus cleaning means to drive the bad luck or the old things away from the house. After cleaning people will go shopping and buy new clothes for the festival ,which symbolizes welcoming new things and getting ready for a new start.


地板，墙壁和家里的每个角落都要被扫除得干干净净，因“尘”与“陈”谐音，新春扫尘有“除陈”的涵义，寓意着把旧物和坏运气一起扫出去。扫除事后，人们会置办年货和买新衣，这寓意着接待新事物及为新的开始做好预备。




☞ homophone：同音异形字

Pasting the “Fu”, and Spring Festival Couplets: 贴 “福”字和对联

people usually paste couplets（also called “桃符”）on doorways and “Fu” on gates or some furniture in the house during the Chinese New Year. Pasting the “Fu” upside down, meaning the arrival of happiness or good fortune, is a widely accepted and popular custom among Chinese people.


在春节期间，人们把对联（桃符）贴在门口，把福字贴在大门或是其他的家具上。在中国，把福字倒过来贴的习俗已经深入民气，由于它寓意着幸福和洽运的到来。
 

☞ paste： 粘贴（v.）
☞ upside down : 颠倒(adv.)

2

Festival Time


Reunion Dinner: 年夜饭（团圆饭）


It is very large and includes fish， meat， dumpling, New Year Cake(年糕) ,spring rolls（春卷），rice dumpling（元宵）and so on. The most important food is dumpling. Because their shape resembles Yuanbao (a kind of money used in ancient times), dumplings are eaten to bring wealth in the coming year. The pronunciation of fish makes it a homophone for ‘surpluses’ and the fish is not eaten completely, as the Chinese phrase “may there be surpluses every year” sounds the same as “let there be fish every year” in Chinese pronunciation.


这是一场食品盛宴，此中不乏鱼，肉，饺子，年糕，春卷 等等美食。此中最紧张的食品当属饺子了。由于它的形状酷似元宝（一种古代利用的货币），以是吃了它来年就可以招财进宝。 “鱼”与 “余”谐音，而且鱼不能被全部吃完，为的是“年年有余”。巧的是，它与“年年有鱼”谐音。




☞ New Year Cake:年糕
☞ resemble:与...相像
☞ surplus：多余的（adj.） 盈余（n.）


CCTV New Year's Gala:  看春晚


This is a comprehensive art and performance event on the festival's eve. Since it was first broadcasted in 1983, it has become a beloved performance for most Chinese people. Performances include basic elements such as skits, cross talk (Xiangsheng), acrobatics, songs and dances. Recently more and more foreign artists are appearing which provides Chinese people a window into western cultures. The performance always ends with the song “Cannot Forget Tonight”.


春晚是一场集综合艺术及演出于一身的除夕夜视觉盛宴。自1983年开播以来，它就受到广泛中国人民的喜好。根本节目包罗??，相声，杂技，歌唱和舞蹈。比年来，越来越多的外国艺术家出如今春晚的舞台上，这为中国人民打开了一扇相识西方艺术的窗。春晚总是以歌曲【难忘今宵】末端。




☞ acrobatics：杂技


Red Envelope: 红包


Red envelope, also known as lucky money, is prepared for children by adults and the elderly and given after the reunion dinner. In folk culture, the children will live safe and sound for the whole year if they get lucky money. This custom still remains and the amount of money is increasing. Children use their money to buy books or other school supplies.


“红包”也被熟知为 “压岁钱”，是大人或尊长在吃完年夜饭后包给孩子的。在民风文化中，假如孩子们拿到了压岁钱，就会整年平安全安。这个习俗被保存至今而且压岁钱的金额也在逐年增长。孩子们可以用钱买书或是学习用品。
 
Firecrackers and Fireworks: 放烟花爆竹

Firecrackers are always set off at midnight. In some places, people also set off firecrackers on the morning of the first day. The use of firecrackers can be traced to the legend of the Monster Nian in 2,000 years ago, when people threw bamboo into the fire to drive away the monster. After gunpowder was invented, firecrackers replaced the bamboo.


在大多数环境下，人们只在半夜放爆竹。但在某些地方，人们也在新年的第一天放爆竹。关于爆竹的利用可以追溯到2000年前谁人年兽的传说：其时人们把竹子放在火中烧以发出爆裂的声响来驱逐年兽。但是当炸药被发明出来后，爆竹就取代了竹子。

3

Following Days


 Visiting Friends and Relatives: 走亲访友

People drop in at relatives and friends' houses, greeting one another with 'Happy New Year'. In some rural places, where families have many relatives, this activity lasts for several days. It is impolite to visit someone without a gift. Therefore, special local products, fruits, desserts, wines and other small gifts should be taken when you visit others.


人们会去亲戚或是朋侪的家里拜访并带上一句 “新年快乐”。在一些农村地域，由于亲戚较多，以是走亲访友这项运动大概会连续好几天。去拜访时肯定要记得带上礼品，否则很不规矩，礼品的选择可以是本地的土特产，水果，电信，酒或是其他小礼品。

3

Taboos:禁忌



As the start of a whole year round, the Chinese New Year weighs a lot in Chinese people's minds. People regard their daily practice as an omen of luck prediction for the coming year. Not only observing the festival by adhering to ancient and interesting traditions, they would also try to avoid violating various taboos. Some of those taboos will only sustain for first few days of the New Year, while others may be kept till the 15th of the lunar January (Lantern Festival) or even for a whole month.


春节最为一整年的开端，在中国人民的心中有着举足轻重的职位。人们把本身的一样平常举动看作是对来年好运的预示。过年不紧急遵照古老而风趣的传统，更要只管制止冒犯各种各样的禁忌。一些禁忌大概只需在过年期间遵照几天，但有一些却要不停遵照直到正月十五（元宵节），更晚的乃至连续一整个月。

1

Taboo Words
隐讳语



Words with negative meaning should be avoided in daily conversation, such as breaking, running out, death, ghost, killing, sickness, pain, losing, and poverty. All these words should be replaced by euphemisms during the whole of Spring Festival.


在春节期间，一样平常对话应该制止利用像 衰，光，死，鬼，杀，病，痛，失，穷等这类带有负面寄义的词，而且用相应的婉转语替换他们。

2

 
  Breaking 
摔碎东西



Never break a bowl, plate, glass, vase, or mirror, because breaking may result in money loss and family split in the future. If shattering one unheedingly, the fragments should be collected and wrapped by a red paper or cloth, and then littered on the fifth day of the New Year. Another remedy is to say, “Sui Sui Ping An,” which means safe and sound every year. The pronunciation of Chinese character Year (岁 Sui) and Broken (碎 Sui) are the same, so people use the homophones to expel bad luck.


记着万万不要摔碎碗，盘子，花瓶或是镜子，由于这大概会导致财帛的流失或是家庭的反面睦。但是假如一不留心真摔碎了什么，就得把碎片网络起来并用红纸或是布包起来，然后比及新年的第五天再把它抛弃。听说别的一种调停方法是说“碎碎安全”这是每年都平安全安的意思，由于“岁”与“碎”谐音，以是这个谐音可以用来驱逐厄运。





  3   


Sweeping and Dumping 扫地和倒垃圾



On the first day of the New Year, it is a taboo to sweep the house or dump the trash. otherwise, all the savings and valuables will be swept away. If it is really necessary, the house owner should start the sweeping from outside to inside of the house, which intimates collecting money


在新年第一天，扫地和倒垃圾是个禁忌。假如你违背了禁忌，那么你全部的财物或是贵重的东西都会被你扫走。假如你肯定要扫地的话，记得是从屋子外往里扫，由于这动作像是集钱。

4

     


Lending and Borrowing乞贷和还钱




Do not lend or borrow anything on the first day of lunar January, especially money. Lending money is an unlucky omen, which means economical loss, so people should not offend friends or neighbors by borrowing something from them. Asking for return of debts owed is also a taboo.


新年第一天万万不要借东西或是还东西，尤其是钱。乞贷被看作是一个欠好的征兆，由于这意味着经济丧失，以是在那一天，最好不要向你的朋侪或是邻人借东西。同样的，要债也是一大禁忌。

5

Married Daughter Returning Home:

嫁出去的女儿回外家





If a woman gets married and lives apart with her husband's parents, she cannot visit her own parents on the first day of the New Year. Daughters are viewed as outsiders after they get married. If they return home on the first day, their parents would be stricken by poverty.


一旦女人完婚而且反面父母住在一起后，她就不能在大年月朔这一天回外家。嫁出去的女儿就被当作泼出去的水。假如她们在大年月朔回了外家，外家就会被她吃穷。

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