01.Lantern Festival
The Lantern Festival or the Spring Lantern Festival is a Chinese festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunar calendar. Usually falling in February or early March on the Gregorian calendar, it marks the final day of the traditional Chinese New Year celebrations.
中國的傳統節(jié)日在英文中通常都叫做festival:
Lantern Festival: 元宵節(jié)
Spring Festival: 春節(jié)
Dragon Boat Festival: 端午節(jié)
Mid Autumn Festival: 中秋節(jié)
陰歷正月十五是中國的元宵節(jié):
Lunar: 月亮的,陰歷的
Solar: 太陽的
The lunar calendar: 陰歷
但人們通常不會把陽歷稱為“solar calendar” ?,正確的說法是:
The Gregorian calendar: /ɡr??ɡ??r.i.?n/ 公歷,陽歷 ?
It had become a festival with great significance. During the Lantern Festival, children go out at night carrying paper lanterns and solve riddles on the lanterns.
傳統節(jié)日對于每一個中國人來說都有重大意義,“有意義”除了meaningful也可以用 significant/significance 來表達:
It is significant
It has great significance
這個詞大家最熟悉的意思是“重要的”,但它在形容customs(風俗)和heritage(傳統)的深遠意義時也經常被使用。
各種各樣精彩的燈謎是元宵節(jié)不可缺少的環(huán)節(jié):
Riddles: 燈謎
“猜”燈謎的英語可不是“guess”riddles ?,正確說法是:
Solve riddles: 猜燈謎 ?
02.Tangyuan
Tangyuan, literally: "soup ball" is a Chinese dessert made from glutinous rice flour mixed with a small amount of water to form balls and then either cooked and served in boiling water with fermented glutinous rice, or sweet syrup (sweet ginger syrup, for example), or deep fried.
Glutinous rice: 糯米,或者也可以說sticky rice。
Tangyuan can be either small or large, and filled or unfilled. They are traditionally eaten during Yuanxiao or the Lantern Festival, but also served as a dessert on Chinese wedding day, Winter Solstice Festival, and any occasions such as family reunion, because of a homophone for union.
湯圓有各種不同的餡料,點心里的餡料:
Filling: 餡
感恩節(jié)火雞肚子里的餡料:
Stuffing: 填充物,餡
Filling也可以做形容詞,表示某個東西吃完后讓人感覺很飽:
It is very filling.
除了元宵節(jié),一些地區(qū)的人們也會在冬至端上一碗湯圓:
Winter Solstice: 冬至
Summer Solstice: 夏至
湯圓的發(fā)音和“團圓”相似,還蘊含著家人團聚,和睦美滿之意:
Homophone: 同音詞(讀音相同,意義不同)
03.Different fillings
甜味湯圓:
Chocolate paste: 巧克力餡
Fruit preserves: 水果餡
Black sesame paste: 黑芝麻餡
Red bean paste: 紅豆沙
Taro paste: 香芋餡
Crushed peanuts: 花生碎
還有一種沒有餡料的小湯圓,通常配上醪糟食用:
Fermented glutinous rice: 醪糟,酒釀
Unfilled tangyuan are served as part of a sweet dessert soup: 糖水中配以無餡料的小湯圓
用salty形容食物,就表示“太咸了,很難吃”。如果只是想表明食物是“咸味的”,更好的詞是:
Savory: 咸味的
Savory tangyuan: 咸味湯圓
上海的鮮肉湯圓,客家湯圓都是別具風味的咸湯圓:
Shanghai: 上海
Hakka: 客家