ABC An Chinese New Year Survival Guide - xīn - Joy Li
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An
ABC
Chinese New Year
guó
中国新年
zhōng
xīn
nián
Survival Guide
生存指南
Shēng nán
cún
By Joy Li For Adobe APAC Pīn Yīn EditionA
Nothing can quite compare
阿 姨 to the savageness that
comes out of an auntie’s
mouth — power plays and
ā yí microaggressions thinly
veiled as harmless banter
scrutinising your existence.
Aunties Be prepared with some of
your own sassy comebacks.
A: WHEN YOU GETTING A A: WHY DRESS LIKE THIS?
BOYFRIEND/GIRLFRIEND/MARRIED? AIYAA IS THAT TATTOO?!
YOU: WHEN YOU GIVE YOU: IT’S WHAT’S COOL
ME MY HONG BAO. NOW, YOU WOULDN’T
KNOW LAH.
A: (INSERT CAREER)?
WHEN YOU GOING TO A: SO
GET A REAL JOB? ROUND!
YOU: I’M FOCUSING YOU: SHAPE
ON MY BUSINESS, OF SUCCESS.
YOU SHOULD TOO.
A: TOO
A: SHOULD LEARN MORE SKINNY!
(INSERT LANGUAGE)
YOU: WANT
SECRET?
YOU: I WILL, MAYBE
YOU COULD IMPROVE
YOUR ENGLISH TOO!
A: YOU SHOULD TRY
TO BE MORE LIKE
(INSERT RELATIVE)
YOU: SORRY AUNTIE,
I’M TOO BUSY LIVING
MY BEST LIFE.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
IG: @_joyli Download at joyli.com.au/cny-survival-guide/B
For those who only know
聊 天 一点点 (Yī dian dian) Chinese,
expand your vocabulary with
CNY greetings that will surely
liáo tiān bring honour to your family
and make those hong baos rain.
Banter
New Year Greeting
xīn nián hao
, 新 年 好! , 祝你新年快乐!
Insert name happy new year! Insert name wishing you a happy new year!
zhù nín xīn nián dà jí
, 祝 您新年大吉!
Respected elder (polite) wishing you good blessings in the new year!
Wealth & Fortune
nián nián you yú cái yuán gun gun dà jí dà lì
恭喜发财 年年有余 财源滚滚 大吉大利
Wish you wealth May you have May wealth come May you have great
and prosperity abundance every year pouring in luck and great profit
Success
shì yè fā dá shēng yì xīng lóng xué yè jìn bù xīn nián jìn bù
事业发达 生意兴隆 学业进步 新年进步
May your May your May your May the new year
career take off business flourish studies improve bring betterment
Health & Happiness
fú shòu shuāng quán suì suì píng ān xiào kou cháng kāi
身体健康 福寿双全 岁岁平安 笑口常开
Wish you May you enjoy both May you have May you
good health longevity and blessing peace at every age smile often
IG: @_joyli Download at joyli.com.au/cny-survival-guide/C
Time to chow down on the
吃 abundance of delicacies CNY
affords! Pro tip: Don’t go for
the amateur mistake of the
Chī wrapped chocolate coins.
The nasty artificial taste will
only linger like a misfortune
Chow in your life.
Delicatessen 美味食品 Symbolism Calories
Growing every
2 pieces
New Year’s 年糕 year —
in height,
100 gm
Cake nián gāo grades, promotion
230 cal
& career success.
A ton of gold —
春卷 1 roll
Spring Rolls a wish for wealth
chūn juan 100 cal
and prosperity.
4 pieces
Pineapple 凤梨酥
Luck and prosperity. 80g
Tart fèng lí sū
370 cal
Bringing in wealth
饺子 and treasure — 5 pieces
Dumplings
jiao zi making money and 160 cal
good fortunes.
Sweet 汤圆 Happy (family) 5 balls
Riceballs tāng yuán reunion. 300 cal
2 pieces
萝卜 糕
Turnip Cake Good luck! 100 gm
luó bo gāo
120 cal
Yu Sheng 魚生 1 serving
To be in abundance.
(Raw Fish Salad) yú shēng 200 cal
Bringing luck 1 slice
Bak Kwa 肉干
and warding off 94g
(Meat Jerky) ròu gān
negative spirits. 370 cal
IG: @_joyli Download at joyli.com.au/cny-survival-guide/Who dis? shuí
What dis?
这 是 谁?
In Chinese tradition, family terminology can be
zhè rather complicated — taking into consideration
generation and gender, maternal vs. paternal
lineage, relative age, and married vs. blood.
It’s such that the term “cousin” can be split
into eight different ways!
shì To make it even more whack, Chinese culture
holds great importance on properly addressing
relatives by their correct kinship term as it
signals a gesture of respect and manners —
GRANDFATHER GRANDMOTHER GRANDFATHER GRANDMOTHER a reflection of good parental skills.
yé yé 爷爷 nai nai 奶奶 wài gōng 外公 wài pó 外婆 It’s time to get ready for your next reunion.
Know all the 家人 jiā rén in your 家庭 jiā tíng
with this handy chart. New year, who dis?
Key
UNCLE AUNT FATHER UNCLE AUNT** UNCLE MOTHER AUNT** AUNT** Spouses
(OLDER) (OLDER) bà bà 爸爸 (YOUNGER) (YOUNGER) jiù jiù 舅舅 mā mā 妈妈 (OLDER) (YOUNGER)
bó bó 伯伯 gū gū 姑姑 shū shū 叔叔 xiao gū 小母 yí mu 姨母 xiao yí 小姨 Siblings
UNCLE’S
UNCLE’S AUNT’S UNCLE’S AUNT’S WIFE AUNT’S AUNT’S Marriages
WIFE HUSBAND WIFE HUSBAND jiù mā 舅妈 HUSBAND HUSBAND mu 母 = Mother
bó mu 伯母 gū fù 姑父 shěn shěn 婶婶 gū fù 姑父 yí fù 姨父 yí fù 姨父 fù 父 = Father (older generation)
fū 夫 = Husband (same generation)
fù 妇 = Woman (exists to confuse)
OLDER YOUNGER OLDER YOUNGER
Cousins
COUSIN COUSIN COUSIN COUSIN
táng 堂 = Father’s side
(M) táng gē 堂哥 (M) táng dì 堂弟 (M) biao gē 表哥 (M) biao dì 表弟
biao 表 = Mother’s side
(F) táng jiě 堂姐 (F) táng mèi 堂妹 OLDER OLDER YOUNGER YOUNGER (F) biao jiě 表姐 (F) biao mèi 表妹
BROTHER SISTER BROTHER SISTER
Grandparents
gē gē 哥哥 jiě jiě 姐姐 dì dì 弟弟 mèi mèi 妹妹
FATHER MOTHER FATHER MOTHER wài 外 = Mother’s family
IN LAW IN LAW SISTER BROTHER SISTER BROTHER IN LAW IN LAW
gōng gōng 公公 pó pó 婆婆 IN LAW IN LAW IN LAW IN LAW yuè fù 岳父 yuè mu 岳母 Grandchildren
sao zi 嫂子 jiě fū 姐夫 dì xí 弟媳 mèi fū 妹夫 wài 外 = mother’s family
sūn 孙 = grandchild
* 大 = Older
小 = Younger
NEPHEW NIECE NEPHEW NIECE
BROTHER SISTER BROTHER SISTER ** 大 = Eldest Aunt (dà)
zhí zi 侄子 zhí nu 侄女 wài shēng wài shēng nu 二 = Second Aunt (èr)
IN LAW* IN LAW* YOU 外甥 外甥女 IN LAW* IN LAW*
三 = Third Aunt (sān)
dà bó 大伯 dà gū 大姑 wo 我 dà jiù 大舅 dà yí 大姨
xiao shū 小叔 xiao gū 小姑 xiao jiù 小舅 xiao yí 小姨
A. HUSBAND B. FOREVER ALONE C. WIFE
lao gōng 老公 dān shēn gǒu 单身狗 lao pó 老婆 Can’t find your relative?
Because the combination of Chinese relatives
are just too damn high not everyone can be
accounted for. In this case you should try:
DAUGHTER IN LAW SON DAUGHTER SON IN LAW 1. Consulting your parents in the car ride
ér xí fù 儿媳妇 ér zi 儿子 nu ér 女儿 nu xù 女婿 beforehand
2. Cat got your tongue? Greet everyone
generically as 叔叔 shū shū or 阿姨 ā yí
3. All else fails, spew some new year blessings
GRANDSON GRANDDAUGHTER GRANDSON GRANDDAUGHTER in the hope that you don’t get mistaken for
a gweilo.
sūn zi 孙子 sūn nu 孙女 wài sūn 外孙 wài sūn nu 外孙女
IG: @_joyli Download at joyli.com.au/cny-survival-guide/You can also read
