What You Need to Know Before Celebrating Chinese Christmas

Christmas (圣诞节, shèngdànjié) is right around the corner! If you have never spent your Christmas in China these traditions will definitely make you think, and for the readers who have celebrated Chinese Christmas hopefully this post will bring about happy memories.

1. 苹果 (píngguǒ, apple)

Earlier in the month, I talked with my colleagues about the coming Christmas, and naturally packaged apples came up. These are sold all over China. Many online stores and peddlers are seen selling these packaged apples, and it made me ask, "Who would have imagined that apples are the symbol of Christmas in China?" Surprised by my question one of my colleagues asked, "Isn't eating apples on the Christmas Eve a tradition worldwide?" This is one of a few things that China does differently for 圣诞节(shèngdànjié), and the real question is, why are apples so popular in China during Christmas time? Well the simple answer is – Chinese.  

In China, apples represent "peace and security" since "píngguǒ" is composed of the same "píng" as in "平安 (píng'ān)", which means "peaceful and secured", and "果(guǒ)" meaning "fruit". Therefore, in Chinese, an apple translates to the "fruit of peace". Furthermore, "Christmas Eve" is translated as "平安夜(píng'ānyè)", which literately means "the night of peace". See the relationship now? It was only natural for the "night of peace" and "the fruit of peace" to come together. Below are a few examples of the Christmas season apples called "平安果(píng'ānguǒ)":

Or this: 

Sometimes you can even find the apple with "Merry Christmas"(圣诞快乐, shèngdàn kuàilè) on it in Chinese:

Fun Fact about "苹果(píngguǒ)": Apple, the popular electric product brand created by Jobs, is also referred to as 苹果 in China. So if your Chinese friend asks for a "苹果(píngguǒ)" as a Christmas gift, think twice before saying yes.

2. WeChat and Lucky Money (红包, hóngbāo)

WeChat (微信, wēixìn) is currently China’s most popular instant messenger with well over one hundred million downloads. Apart from serving as a communication tool in which people share pictures and status, there is an additional function called "Lucky Money". This extra setting was introduced right before the Spring Festival where it is tradition to give money to younger relatives. This remained popular after the holiday, and so to this day anyone and everyone can receive or give out a "red envelope" at any time. For some people exchanging money through “Lucky Money” has become an everyday routine.

More and more online or even offline stores have begun organizing promotions through WeChat, and Lucky Money is one of the rewards. For example, by following certain official accounts one has a chance to get a sum of “Lucky Money”. Just like in the West, Christmas is quite a huge celebration in China, and businesses of all sizes actively promote themselves by giving out “Lucky Money”. If by good fortune you are in China during Christmas, then you have a chance of getting “Lucky Money” from your Chinese friends, too. Among friends, people typically give a sum of money that corresponds to the date. For example, some friends might give 2.4 yuan because Christmas Eve falls on the 24^th, or 12.24 yuan because of the calendar date. If you manage to find someone who would give you 1214 yuan on Christmas Eve, you really are lucky then!

3. Chinese Christmas

(I call this a kind of cosplay)

To be frank, Chinese people are quite busy during the winter: Christmas, the New Year, the Spring Festival, then the Valentines' Day, a good season to spend all the money harvested in the autumn. And it's all just about to start. Western holidays in China are without a doubt celebrated differently, however there are some things that are executed just the same manner as anywhere else in the world. Two examples come to mind: putting up Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving and overly decorating everything. As soon as foreigners were done eating “fire chicken” 火鸡 (huǒjī, turkey), fake Christmas trees came up, ornaments decorated restaurants, and “Jingle Bells” began playing (albeit the lyrics are a little off). In addition, shops all over Beijing have signs posted in English reading “Merry Christmas” with good ol’ Saint Nick. Personally speaking, every day of December has shown some sign of Christmas. What is not lost in translation is the general feel for the holidays. China recognizes that the end of the calendar year is special for the West, and they want to celebrate with us! This reason alone makes Chinese Christmas worth experiencing at least once in a lifetime.

Secret of Measure Words - Do I Really Need to use them Every Time?

All Chinese students are eventually introduced to a special kind of word in Chinese called a measure word. Measure words are added between numbers and nouns in order to appropriately describe something. Initially, measure words may seem daunting, however, English does this as well - "A glass of milk", "A carton of eggs", "A pair of shoes". All Chinese learners understand the importance of measure words, however if you were to come to China and talk with Chinese people, you would find that in certain situations many people don't use measure words. Here are two exceptions where you people drop the measure word:

1. When the number is one and the measure word is 个 (gè).
All foreigners learning Chinese know that 个 (gè) is the most commonly used measure word in Chinese (and almost 100% of Chinese learners use it when they forget the correct measure word). But when the number before it is one, then 个 (gè) would not be the indispensable word any more. Let's take an example.

nà li yǒu yī gè bēizi.

那里有一个杯子。There is a cup.

nà li yǒu yī bēizi.

那里有一杯子。There is a cup.

These two sentences practically have the same meaning apart from the second one sounding more casual than the first one.

2. When you use 俩 (liǎ, two) or 仨 (sā, three).

You hear these two words all the time in China. The reason that you can drop the measure word when using them is actually quite simple; they are the combination of the number and measure word. In Chinese, 俩 (liǎ) = 两 (liǎng) + 个 (gè) = two of something, 仨 (sā) = 三 (sān) + 个(gè) = three of something. So when you use 俩 (liǎ) or 仨 (sā) before nouns, the measure word 个 (gè) is dropped. Still, only 个 (gè) can be omitted under this case. For example,

wǒ yǒu liǎ mèimei.

我有俩妹妹。I have two younger sisters.

tā yǒu sā shǒujī.

他有仨手机。He has three cell phones.

As convenient as this is, one through three are special cases.There are no such words used for four, five, six… So, everyone will have to face the fact that describing anything larger than three requires a measure word.

It is worth learning these two rules because it will make your Chinese sound more authentic even if there is no measure word in the sentence. Now you know that the number one, two and three are special in Chinese, and that you can drop the measure word 个 (gè) if you know when to do so.

How could you response to a waiter's question "几位(jǐ wèi)"?

Most of us know the measure word for people is "个(gè)", for example 一个人(yí gè rén)，一个孩子(yī gè háizi). You may also know "口(kǒu)" for the sentence: 你家有几口人(nǐ jiā yǒu jǐ kǒu rén)？ If I ask for one more, you will probably give me "位(wèi)".

As a measure word for people, "位(wèi)" is used to express respect. One good example is when you go to restaurant, waiter usually asks "几位(jǐ wèi)？" In order to show his/her respect,  "位(wèi)" is used here. Then how do you response?  "两位(liǎng wèi)" is the most common one I hear. Unfortunately it's wrong. The correct one should be "两个(liǎng gè)". If we think about it,  "respect" is for others while "humility" is for oneself. So how could you use "位(wèi)" for yourself?  "个(gè)" is the appropriate word here.

The good news is even Chinese make that mistake often. It's so smooth to use "位(wèi)" here. So even if you did it, don't feel too bad. Just try to be right next time.

Emoji in Chinese

Recently I read an article about emoji on different platforms. The author says "But different platforms display the same emoji specification in different ways…That can lead to all kinds of misunderstanding." This makes me think it's not only a problem caused by different devices, it might cause more misunderstanding due to different cultures. One example is

This emoji is always used as "pray" in China because it looks like a "pray" sign in Buddhism while it's "high five" in Western. So I try to find some emoji on QQ (the most popular IME in China) and see how it's different from the version you are familiar with.



QQ version: 吓(xià) - appalled
什么鬼(shénme guǐ)！What the hell is it?



QQ version: 奋斗(fèndòu) – try the best!!!!
我绝不放弃(wǒ jué bù fàngqì)! I will never give up!


QQ version: 闭嘴(bìzuǐ) – shut your mouth
Although 闭嘴(bìzuǐ) literally used to ask others to shut up, this emoji is always used to express oneself won't say a word.


QQ version: 困(kùn) - so tired, sleepy.
我困死了(wǒ kùn sǐ le). I am tired to death.


QQ version: 惊恐(jīngkǒng) – so scared
I can't find "scream". Maybe we are too scared to scream.


QQ version: 抓狂(zhuākuáng) – freak out
我要抓狂了(wǒ yào zhuākuáng le)。I freak out!


QQ version: 发怒(fānù) – rage
Nothing to say. I am just on fire.


QQ version: 流汗(liúhàn) – sweat screaming
This is quite similar as others.


QQ version: 色(sè) – lustful.
It's interesting that although most Chinese use this one to express "like, love, fond of", the official specification is pretty negative.
There is one that isn't mentioned in the article but I have to show you. 无语(wúyǔ) – don't know what to say. I think it's more like "翻白眼(fānbáiyǎn) - roll one's eye".

我室友说我很喜欢翻白眼(wǒ shìyǒu shuō wǒ hěn xǐhuan fānbáiyǎn)。 My roommate says that I like to roll my eyes.

Come on, who cares.