While we’re busy prepping for our holiday season, I figured I’d post something about a Chinese holiday. This is a culturally-rich and comfortably intermediate essay describing how one family celebrates the Dragon Boat Festival (端午节 duān wǔ jié. If you’re curious what the typical Chinese household does on this late-spring holiday (held on the fifth […]
今天是端午节，我们一家人五点就起床，按照习俗上山去趟露水。一路上我用双手捧起晶莹的露珠往眼睛上抹，一时间我觉得眼睛好像亮了好多。直到坐在教室读书时还觉得眼睛特别亮，什么字都能看清楚。
放学后，我撒开腿就往家里跑。刚到门口就闻到粽子香，一进门就看见爸爸做了一桌子好菜专门等我回家吃。我洗过手来到饭桌前，先给爸爸妈妈一人解了一个粽子，撒上白糖，然后给我自己解了一个漂亮的三角粽子，撒上白糖就津津有味地吃起来。饭桌上，我们一家边吃边聊，屋子里充满了端午节的快乐气氛，弥漫着香喷喷的粽子味和浓浓的艾香。
吃完饭，妈妈给我耳朵上抹了雄黄酒，给我嘴上摸了唇膏，给我手腕上戴了红线绳，把我打扮得和粽子一样香，就让我到学校去学习。
我爱吃粽子，爱过端午节，爱享受节日的欢乐气氛。
Hover a word for its pinyin & meaning; click to pin it.
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 今天 | jīn tiān | today; the present time; now |
| 是 | shì | to be (followed by substantives only); correct; right; true; (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well; (adverb for emphatic assertion); variant of 是[shi4] |
| 端 | duān | (bound form) tip; end; extremity; (bound form) aspect; facet; (bound form) upright; proper; to hold sth level with both hands; to carry; to eliminate; to wipe out; old variant of 端[duan1]; start; origin |
| 午 | wǔ | 7th earthly branch: 11 a.m.-1 p.m., noon, 5th solar month (6th June-6th July), year of the Horse; ancient Chinese compass point: 180° (south) |
| 节 | jiē | see 節骨眼|节骨眼[jie1 gu5 yan3] |
| 我 | wǒ | I; me; my |
| 们 | men | plural marker for pronouns, and nouns referring to individuals |
| 一家人 | yī jiā rén | the whole family; (lit. and fig.) members of the same family |
| 五 | wǔ | five; 5 |
| 点 | diǎn | to touch briefly; to tap; to mark with a dot; to check off (on a list); to order (food etc); to select; to mention; to bring up (a topic or person); to hint at; to imply; to admini… |
| 就 | jìu | (after a suppositional clause) in that case; then; (after a clause of action) as soon as; immediately after; (same as 就是[jiu4 shi4]) merely; nothing else but; simply; just; precise… |
| 起床 | qǐ chuáng | to get out of bed; to get up |
| 按 | ǎn | to press; to leave aside or shelve; to restrain; to check or refer to; in the light of |
| 照 | zhào | variant of 照[zhao4]; to shine; to illuminate; according to; in accordance with; to shine; to illuminate; to reflect; to look at (one's reflection); to take (a photo); photo; as requested; as before |
| 习 | Xí | surname Xi |
| 俗 | sū | custom; popular; coarse; secular |
| 上山 | shàng shān | to climb a hill; to go to the mountains; (of silkworms) to go up bundles of straw (to spin cocoons); to pass away; (of the sun or moon) to rise |
| 去 | qù | to go; to go to (a place); (of a time etc) last; just passed; to send; to remove; to get rid of; to reduce; to be apart from in space or time; to die (euphemism); to play (a part);… |
| 趟 | tāng | old variant of 趟[tang1]; to wade; to trample; to turn the soil |
| 露水 | lù shuǐ | dew; fig. short-lasting; ephemeral |
| 一路上 | yī lù shàng | along the way; the whole way; (fig.) the whole time |
| 用 | yòng | to use; to make use of; to employ; (coverb) with; using; to need; to have to (usu. used in the negative or in questions); usefulness; utility; (bound form) expense; outlay; (courte… |
| 双手 | shuāng shǒu | both hands |
| 捧 | péng | to hold or offer with both hands; classifier for what can be held in both hands |
| 起 | qǐ | to rise; to raise; to get up; to set out; to start; to appear; to launch; to initiate (action); to draft; to establish; to get (from a depot or counter); verb suffix, to start; sta… |
| 晶 | jīng | crystal |
| 莹 | ||
| 的 | de | of; ~'s (possessive particle); (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun); (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis); (used after a noun, verb or adjective to… |
| 露珠 | lù zhū | dewdrop |
| 往 | wǎng | to go (in a direction); to; towards; (of a train) bound for; past; previous; old variant of 往[wang3] |
| 眼睛 | yǎn jing | eye; CL:隻|只[zhi1],雙|双[shuang1] |
| 上 | shǎng | used in 上聲|上声[shang3 sheng1] |
| 抹 | mó | to wipe |
| 一时间 | yī shí jiān | for a moment; momentarily |
| 觉得 | jué de | to think that ...; to feel that ...; to feel (uncomfortable etc) |
| 好 | hǎo | good; appropriate; proper; all right!; (before a verb) easy to; (before a verb) good to; (before an adjective for exclamatory effect) so; (verb complement indicating completion); (… |
| 像 | xiàng | to resemble; to be like; to look as if; such as; appearance; image; portrait; image under a mapping (math.) |
| 亮 | liàng | bright; light; to shine; to flash; loud and clear; to show (one's passport etc); to make public (one's views etc) |
| 了 | le | (completed action marker); (modal particle indicating change of state, situation now); (modal particle intensifying preceding clause); (bound form) clear in one's mind; to understand clearly |
| 好多 | hǎo duō | many; quite a lot; much better |
| 直到 | zhí dào | until |
| 坐 | Zuò | surname Zuo |
| 在 | zài | to exist; to be alive; (of sb or sth) to be (located) at; (used before a verb to indicate an action in progress) |
| 教室 | jiào shì | classroom; CL:間|间[jian1] |
| 读书 | dú shū | to read a book; to study; to attend school |
| 时 | shí | old variant of 時|时[shi2]; surname Shi |
| 还 | Huán | surname Huan |
| 特别 | tè bié | unusual; special; very; especially; particularly; expressly; for a specific purpose; (often followed by 是[shi4]) in particular |
| 什 | shén | what |
| 么 | má | exclamatory final particle; variant of 麼|么[me5] |
| 字 | zì | letter; symbol; character; word; CL:個|个[ge4]; courtesy or style name traditionally given to males aged 20 in dynastic China |
| 都 | Dū | surname Du |
| 能 | Néng | surname Neng |
| 看清 | kàn qīng | to see clearly |
| 楚 | Chǔ | surname Chu; abbr. for Hubei 湖北省[Hu2 bei3 Sheng3] and Hunan 湖南省[Hu2 nan2 Sheng3] provinces together; Chinese kingdom during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States Periods (722–22… |
| 放学 | fàng xué | to dismiss students at the end of the school day |
| 后 | Hòu | surname Hou; back; behind; rear; afterwards; after; later; post- |
| 撒 | sa | to let go; to let loose; to give expression to |
| 开 | kāi | to open (transitive or intransitive); (of ships, vehicles, troops etc) to start; to turn on; to put in operation; to operate; to run; to boil; to write out (a prescription, check, … |
| 腿 | tuǐ | leg; CL:條|条[tiao2]; hip bone; old variant of 腿[tui3] |
| 家里 | jiā lǐ | home |
| 跑 | páo | (of an animal) to paw (the ground) |
| 刚 | gāng | (literary) hard; firm; strong; exactly; precisely; barely; only just; just; only a short while ago |
| 到 | dào | to reach; to arrive; to leave for; to go to; to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point); (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point); considerate; thoug… |
| 门口 | mén kǒu | doorway; gate; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 闻到 | wén dào | to smell; to sniff sth out; to perceive by smelling |
| 粽 | ||
| 子 | zǐ | son; child; seed; egg; small thing; 1st earthly branch: 11 p.m.–1 a.m., midnight, 11th solar month (7th December to 5th January), year of the rat; viscount, fourth of five orders o… |
| 香 | xiāng | fragrant; sweet smelling; aromatic; savory or appetizing; (to eat) with relish; (of sleep) sound; perfume or spice; joss or incense stick; CL:根[gen1] |
| 一 | yī | one; single; a (article); as soon as; entire; whole; all; throughout; "one" radical in Chinese characters (Kangxi radical 1); also pr. [yao1] for greater clarity when spelling out … |
| 进门 | jìn mén | to enter a door; to go in; to learn the basics of a subject; to join one's husband's household upon marriage |
| 看见 | kàn jiàn | to see; to catch sight of |
| 爸爸 | bà ba | (coll.) father; dad; CL:位[wei4] |
| 做 | zuò | to make; to produce; to write; to compose; to do; to engage in; to hold (a party etc); (of a person) to be (an intermediary, a good student etc); to become (husband and wife, frien… |
| 桌子 | zhuō zi | table; desk; CL:張|张[zhang1],套[tao4] |
| 菜 | cài | vegetable; greens (CL:棵[ke1]); dish (of food) (CL:樣|样[yang4],道[dao4],盤|盘[pan2]); (of one's skills etc) weak; poor; (coll.) (one's) type |
| 专 | zhuan | for a particular person, occasion, purpose; special; particular (to sth); specialized |
| 门 | Mén | surname Men |
| 等 | děng | to wait for; to await; by the time; when; till; and so on; etc.; et al.; (bound form) class; rank; grade; (bound form) equal to; same as; (used to end an enumeration); (literary) (… |
| 回家 | huí jiā | to return home |
| 吃 | chī | to eat; to consume; to eat at (a cafeteria etc); to eradicate; to destroy; to absorb; to suffer (shock, injury, defeat etc); variant of 吃[chi1] |
| 洗 | xǐ | to wash; to bathe; to develop (photographs); to shuffle (cards etc); to erase (a recording) |
| 过 | Guō | surname Guo |
| 手 | shǒu | hand; (formal) to hold; person engaged in certain types of work; person skilled in certain types of work; personal(ly); convenient; classifier for skill; CL:雙|双[shuang1],隻|只[zhi1] |
| 来 | lái | to come; (used as a substitute for a more specific verb); hither (directional complement for motion toward the speaker, as in 回來|回来[hui2 lai5]); ever since (as in 自古以來|自古以来[zi4 gu3… |
| 饭桌 | fàn zhuō | dining table |
| 前 | qián | front; forward; ahead; first; top (followed by a number); future; ago; before; BC (e.g. 前293年); former; formerly |
| 先 | xiān | beforehand; first; earlier; at first; originally; for the time being; for now; (prefix) my late (in referring to deceased relatives older than oneself) |
| 给 | gěi | to; for; for the benefit of; to give; to allow; to do sth (for sb); (grammatical equivalent of 被); (grammatical equivalent of 把); (sentence intensifier) |
| 妈妈 | mā ma | mama; mommy; mother; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4] |
| 人 | rén | person; people; CL:個|个[ge4],位[wei4],名[ming2] |
| 解 | Xiè | surname Xie |
| 一个 | yī ge | a; an; one; the whole (afternoon, summer vacation etc) |
| 白糖 | bái táng | (refined) white sugar |
| 然 | rán | correct; right; so; thus; like this; -ly |
| 自己 | zì jǐ | oneself; (attributive) one's own |
| 漂 | piāo | to float; to drift |
| 三角 | sān jiǎo | triangle; (math.) trigonometry (abbr. for 三角學|三角学[san1 jiao3 xue2]) |
| 津 | jin | abbr. for Tianjin 天津[Tian1 jin1] |
| 有 | yǒu | to have; there is; (bound form) having; with; -ful; -ed; -al (as in 有意[you3 yi4] intentional) |
| 味 | wěi | taste; (fig.) (noun suffix) feel; sense |
| 地 | de | -ly; structural particle: used before a verb or adjective, linking it to preceding modifying adverbial adjunct |
| 一家 | yī jiā | the whole family; the same family; the family ... (when preceded by a family name); group |
| 边 | biān | side; edge; margin; border; boundary; CL:個|个[ge4]; simultaneously |
| 聊 | liāo | (coll.) to chat; (literary) somewhat; slightly |
| 屋子 | wū zi | house; room; CL:間|间[jian1] |
| 里 | lǐ | variant of 裡|里[li3]; lining; interior; inside; internal; also written 裏|里[li3]; surname Li |
| 充 | chong | sufficient; full; to serve as; to act as |
| 满 | Mǎn | Manchu ethnic group |
| 快 | kuài | rapid; quick; speed; rate; soon; almost; to make haste; clever; sharp (of knives or wits); forthright; plainspoken; gratified; pleased; pleasant |
| 乐 | Lè | surname Le |
| 气氛 | qì fēn | atmosphere; mood |
| 弥 | mí | full; to fill; completely; more; brimming or overflowing |
| 漫 | mǎn | free; to inundate |
| 着 | zhāo | variant of 著|着[zhao1]; a move in chess (Taiwan pr. [zhuo2]); trick; tactic; (dialect) okay; all right; (dialect) to put in; to add |
| 喷 | pen | to spout; to spurt; to spray; to puff |
| 和 | hé | old variant of 和[he2]; surname He; (literary) harmonious (variant of 和[he2]) |
| 浓 | nōng | concentrated; strong (smell etc) |
| 艾 | ||
| 吃完 | chī wán | to finish eating |
| 饭 | fàn | cooked rice; CL:碗[wan3]; meal; CL:頓|顿[dun4]; (loanword) fan; devotee |
| 耳 | ěr | ear; handle (archaeology); and that is all (Classical Chinese) |
| 朵 | duó | flower; fig. item on both sides |
| 雄黄酒 | xíong huáng jǐu | realgar wine (traditionally drunk during the Dragon Boat Festival 端午節|端午节[Duan1 wu3 jie2]) |
| 嘴 | zuǐ | mouth; beak; nozzle; spout (of teapot etc); CL:張|张[zhang1],個|个[ge4] |
| 摸 | mo | to feel with the hand; to stroke; to steal |
| 唇膏 | chún gāo | lip balm; lipstick |
| 腕 | ||
| 戴 | Dài | surname Dai |
| 红线 | hóng xiàn | red line |
| 绳 | shéng | rope; CL:根[gen1] |
| 把 | bǎ | to hold; to grasp; to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate; handlebar; classifier: handful, bundle, bunch; classifier for things with handles; (used to put the ob… |
| 打 | dá | (loanword) dozen; Taiwan pr. [da3] |
| 扮 | bǎn | to disguise oneself as; to play (a role) |
| 得 | dé | to obtain; to get; to gain; to catch (a disease); proper; suitable; proud; contented; to allow; to permit; ready; finished |
| 样 | yàng | manner; pattern; way; appearance; shape; classifier: kind, type |
| 让 | ràng | to yield; to permit; to let sb do sth; to have sb do sth; to make sb (feel sad etc); by (indicates the agent in a passive clause, like 被[bei4]) |
| 学校 | xué xiào | school; CL:所[suo3] |
| 学习 | xué xí | to learn; to study |
| 爱 | ài | to love; to be fond of; to like; affection; to be inclined (to do sth); to tend to (happen) |
| 享 | xiǎng | to enjoy; to benefit; to have the use of; old variant of 享[xiang3] |
| 受 | shòu | to receive; to accept; to suffer; subjected to; to bear; to stand; pleasant; (passive marker); (LGBT) bottom |
| 节日 | jié rì | holiday; festival; CL:個|个[ge4] |
| 欢 | huān | variant of 歡|欢[huan1]; joyous; happy; pleased; hubbub; clamor; variant of 歡|欢[huan1]; a breed of horse; variant of 歡|欢[huan1] |
Today is the Dragon Boat Festival, my family got out of bed at 5:00, and in accordance with local customs, when up the mountain to wade in the dew. On the road, I used both hands to cup sparkling dewdrops and smear them on my eyes, for a moment I felt as if they [my eyes] were considerably brightened. I felt they remained extremely bright as I sat in the classroom and read books; I could see every word clearly.
When school let out, I let my legs loose and ran towards home. As soon as I reached the door I could smell the scent of zongzi, and as I entered I saw my father had made a whole table of delicious food that was just waiting for me to come home and eat it. I washed my hands and went to the dining table, first I broke open one zongzi each for father and mother and sprinkled them with white sugar, then I broke open a beautiful triangular zongzi for myself, sprinkled it with white sugar and heartily began eating. At the dining table, our family ate and chatted, the woom was full of Dragon Boat Festival good cheer, suffused with the savory smell of zongzi and thick with the smell of wormwood.
After we’d had eaten, mother spread realgar wine on my ears, put lipstick on my lips, placed [bracelets of] red rope around my wrists, and made sure I smelled as sweetly as a zongzi, then sent me off back to school to study.
I love eating zongzi, I loved the Dragon Boat Festival, and I love enjoying the holiday cheer.