天公 – tiān gōng – Jade Emperor

The ninth day of the Chinese New Year is a day when people pray to the Jade Emperor, the ruler of heaven.

The character 天, tiān means heaven or sky.

The second character 公, has multiple meanings, one of which is a respectful way to address an old man.

Together the words天公, tiān gōng indicate the Jade Emperor.

tiān is pronounced tee-en, with a 1st or high,level tone.

gōng is pronounced gung, also with a 1st or high,level tone.

饺子 – Jiǎo zi – Dumplings

The first character 饺, – jiǎo means dumplings.

The second character 子, zi is used after a noun as a suffix.

jiǎo is pronounce jee-ow to rhyme with cow. It has a 3rd or falling and rising tone.

zi is pronounced zer, and is untoned.

jiǎo zi are steamed dumplings with meat or vegetable fillings.

人日 – rén rì – Everyone’s birthday

The seventh day of the Chinese New Year is everyone’s birthday, the day when everyone becomes one year older.

The first character 人, rén means a person. rén has a 2nd or rising tone.
We have seen this character before in 铁人三项 – tiě rén sān xiàng – Triathlon.

The second character is 日, rì meaning a day. It is pronounced rur, with a 4th or falling tone.

On this day it is traditional to eat 鱼生, yúshēng, a tossed raw fish salad.

紅包 - hóng bāo – red envelopes

It is a tradition during the Chinese New Year to give red envelopes containing money, these are particularly given to children.

The first character is 紅, hóng meaning red.

The second character is 包, bāo meaning an envelope.

hóng is pronounced hong, with a 2nd or rising tone.

bāo is pronounced bow, to rhyme with cow, and has a 1st or high, level tone.

破五 – pò wǔ – Fifth day of the New Year

The fifth day of the New Year is the day when it is traditional for businesses and shops to reopen.

It is also traditional to eat dumplings on this day.

The first character is 破, pò which means to split or break, as in breaking with the old and starting with the new. It is pronounced po with a 4th or falling tone.

The second character is one we have seen before. It is 五, wǔ meaning the number five. We have seen it in 现代五项 – xiàn dài wǔ xiàng – Modern Pentathlon

wǔ is pronounced woo, with the 3rd or falling and rising tone.

Together these characters indicate the fifth day of the Chinese New Year.

鼠 – shǔ – Rat

Today’s word is a single character, 鼠. The pinyin is shǔ, pronounced like shoe, with a 3rd or falling and rising tone. This character means rat or mouse.

2008 is the year of the Rat.

赤口 - chì kǒu – Inauspicious days!

Yesterday we learnt all about the importance of 拜年 – bài nián – New Year visits. However, today we learn that the third and fourth days of the Chinese New Year are considered to be inauspicious days for visiting because on these days there is a tendency for arguments to happen! The 3rd and 4th days are described as as 赤口, chì kǒu.

赤, chì is translated as bare or red. It is pronounced chur with a 4th or falling tone.

口, kǒu means mouth, and is pronounced “co” with a 3rd or falling and rising tone.

Perhaps the strain of all that celebrating and visiting is starting to tell. It is possible that the literal translation “bare mouth” means people’s real feelings may come out... Be careful what you say!

拜年 – bài nián – New Year visits

Now the New Year has started it is time to visit relatives and friends. These visits are a large part of the traditional celebrations. For many people in China, migrant workers, working away from their home, it is the only time when they manage to visit.

The first character today is 拜, bài means to worship or to pay respects.

The second character is 年, nián meaning year. We have seen this character before in
新年快樂 – xīn nián kuài lè – Happy New Year!

拜, bài is pronounced “by”, with a 4th or falling tone.

年, nián is pronounced nee-yen, with a 2nd or rising tone.

正月 - zhēng yuè – New Year’s Day

The first character today is 正, zhēng meaning the first month of the lunar year. It is pronounced jung with a 1st or high, level tone.

The second character is 月, yuè meaning the moon. It is pronounced you-air, with a 4th or falling tone.

正月, zhēng yuè is the name given to the first day of the new year.

We would like to wish all our readers 新年快樂 – xīn nián kuài lè – Happy New Year.

除夕 – chú xī – New Year’s Eve

Today’s first character is 除, chú meaning to change or to remove, it is pronounced chew with a 2nd or rising tone.

The second character is 夕, xī which means “eve”. It is pronounced she with a 1st or high, level tone.

Together the characters imply the evening or night when the year changes. New Year's Eve is traditionally celebrated with a dinner that includes chicken and fish.