{"id":183106,"date":"2014-08-31T21:36:49","date_gmt":"2014-09-01T01:36:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions\/"},"modified":"2025-01-25T04:38:41","modified_gmt":"2025-01-25T09:38:41","slug":"mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/chinese\/mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions\/","title":{"rendered":"The Chinese Learner’s Guide to the Mid-Autumn Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"

Among the biggest holidays in China is the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is said to have originated when early Chinese scholars recognized the moon’s relationship with climate, seasonal changes and agricultural successes from the previous year.<\/p>\n

Due to the moon cycle\u2019s connection with agriculture, the holiday is closely tied to autumn harvests, honoring hard work, sufficient rainfall and overall crop yields. Learn all the vocab and traditions to celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival Vocabulary<\/h2>\n

\u4e2d\u79cb\u8282 (zh\u014dng qi\u016b ji\u00e9)<\/em>\u00a0\u2014 Mid-Autumn Festival<\/h3>\n

\"mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions\"<\/p>\n

\u4e2d\u79cb\u8282<\/strong>\u662f\u4e2d\u56fd\u7684\u4f20\u7edf\u8282\u65e5\u3002
\n(zh\u014dng qi\u016b ji\u00e9<\/strong> sh\u00ec zh\u014dng gu\u00f3 de chu\u00e1n t\u01d2ng ji\u00e9 r\u00ec.)
\n<\/em>Mid-Autumn Festival<\/strong> is a traditional Chinese festival.<\/p>\n

\u56e2\u5706 (tu\u00e1n yu\u00e1n)<\/em> \u2014 Reunion<\/h3>\n

\"mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u4eca\u5929\u662f\u6211\u4eec\u5bb6\u4eba\u56e2\u5706<\/strong>\u7684\u65e5\u5b50\u3002
\n(j\u012bn ti\u0101n sh\u00ec w\u01d2 men ji\u0101 r\u00e9n tu\u00e1n yu\u00e1n<\/strong> de r\u00ec zi.)
\n<\/em>Today is the day of our family reunion<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u6708\u997c (yu\u00e8 b\u01d0ng)<\/em> \u2014 Mooncake<\/h3>\n

\"mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u6211\u559c\u6b22\u5403\u51b0\u6dc7\u6dcb\u6708\u997c<\/strong>\u3002
\n(w\u01d2 x\u01d0 hu\u0101n ch\u012b b\u012bng q\u00ed l\u00edn yu\u00e8 b\u01d0ng<\/strong>.)
\n<\/em>I like to eat ice-cream mooncakes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u706f\u7b3c (d\u0113ng l\u00f3ng)<\/em> \u2014 Lantern<\/h3>\n

\"mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u8857\u4e0a\u7684\u706f\u7b3c<\/strong>\u771f\u597d\u770b\uff01
\n(ji\u0113 sh\u00e0ng de d\u0113ng l\u00f3ng<\/strong> zh\u0113n h\u01ceo k\u00e0n!)
\n<\/em>The lanterns<\/strong> on the street are really pretty!<\/p>\n

\u540e\u7fbf (\"chinese<\/a>h\u00f2u y\u00ec)<\/em> \u2014 Houyi, a Mythological Chinese Figure<\/h3>\n

\"mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u540e\u7fbf<\/strong>\u662f\u53e4\u4ee3\u4f20\u8bf4\u4e2d\u7684\u4e00\u4f4d\u82f1\u96c4\u3002
\n(<\/em>h\u00f2u y\u00ec<\/strong> sh\u00ec g\u01d4 d\u00e0i chu\u00e1n shu\u014d zh\u014dng de y\u012b w\u00e8i y\u012bng xi\u00f3ng.)
\n<\/em>Houyi<\/strong> is a hero of ancient legends.<\/p>\n

\u5ae6\u5a25 (ch\u00e1ng \u00e9)<\/em> \u2014 Chang’e, a Chinese Goddess<\/h3>\n

\"mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u636e\u8bf4\uff0c\u5ae6\u5a25<\/strong>\u751f\u6d3b\u5728\u6708\u5bab\u91cc\u3002
\n(<\/em>j\u00f9 shu\u014d, ch\u00e1ng \u00e9<\/strong> sh\u0113ng hu\u00f3 z\u00e0i yu\u00e8 g\u014dng l\u01d0.)
\n<\/em>It’s said that Chang’e<\/strong> lives in the Moon Palace.<\/p>\n

\u8d4f\u6708 (sh\u01ceng yu\u00e8)<\/em> \u2014 To Gaze at the Moon; To Admire the Moon<\/h3>\n

\"mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u5f88\u591a\u4eba\u90fd\u5230\u5c71\u4e0a\u7684\u4ead\u5b50\u91cc\u53bb\u8d4f\u6708<\/strong>\u3002
\n(<\/em>h\u011bn du\u014d r\u00e9n d\u014du d\u00e0o sh\u0101n sh\u00e0ng de t\u00edng zi l\u01d0 q\u00f9 sh\u01ceng yu\u00e8<\/strong>.)
\n<\/em>Many people go to mountaintop pavilions to admire the moon<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u4e60\u4fd7 (x\u00ed s\u00fa)<\/em> \u2014 Custom; Habit<\/h3>\n

\"mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u6bcf\u4e00\u4e2a\u8282\u65e5\uff0c\u90fd\u6709\u5f88\u591a\u4e0d\u540c\u7684\u4e60\u4fd7<\/strong>\u3002
\n(<\/em>m\u011bi y\u00ed g\u00e8 ji\u00e9 r\u00ec, d\u014du y\u01d2u h\u011bn du\u014d b\u00f9 t\u00f3ng de x\u00ed s\u00fa<\/strong>.)
\n<\/em>Every festival has many different customs<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u8282\u65e5 (ji\u00e9 r\u00ec)<\/em> \u2014 Festival; Holiday<\/h3>\n

\"mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u6625\u8282\u5bf9\u4e2d\u56fd\u4eba\u6765\u8bf4\uff0c\u662f\u4e00\u5e74\u91cc\u6700\u91cd\u8981\u7684\u8282\u65e5<\/strong>\u3002
\n(ch\u016bn ji\u00e9 du\u00ec zh\u014dng gu\u00f3 r\u00e9n l\u00e1i shu\u014d, sh\u00ec y\u00ec ni\u00e1n l\u01d0 zu\u00ec zh\u00f2ng y\u00e0o de ji\u00e9 r\u00ec<\/strong>.)
\n<\/em>To the Chinese, the Spring Festival is the most important festival<\/strong> of the year.<\/p>\n

\u6708\u4eae (yu\u00e8 li\u00e0ng)<\/em> \u2014 Moon<\/h3>\n

\"mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u665a\u4e0a\u7684\u6708\u4eae<\/strong>\u53c8\u5927\u53c8\u5706\uff0c\u771f\u6f02\u4eae\uff01
\n(w\u01cen sh\u00e0ng de yu\u00e8 li\u00e0ng<\/strong> y\u00f2u d\u00e0 y\u00f2u yu\u00e1n, zh\u0113n pi\u00e0o liang!)
\n<\/em>The moon<\/strong> at night is large and round – it’s so pretty!<\/p>\n

\u796d\u7940 (j\u00ec s\u00ec)<\/em> \u2014 To Offer Sacrifices; To Worship<\/h3>\n

\"mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u660e\u5929\uff0c\u4ed6\u4eec\u8981\u4e3e\u884c\u796d\u7940<\/strong>\u7956\u5148\u7684\u4eea\u5f0f\u3002
\n(<\/em>m\u00edng ti\u0101n, t\u0101 men y\u00e0o j\u01d4 x\u00edng j\u00ec s\u00ec<\/strong> z\u01d4 xi\u0101n de y\u00ed sh\u00ec.)
\n<\/em>Tomorrow, they will be holding a ceremony to offer sacrifices<\/strong> to the ancestors.<\/p>\n

\u519c\u5386 (n\u00f3ng l\u00ec)<\/em> \u2014 The Lunar\/Traditional Calendar<\/h3>\n

\"mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u4ed6\u7684\u751f\u65e5\u662f\u6bcf\u5e74\u7684\u519c\u5386<\/strong>\u516b\u6708\u521d\u516b\u3002
\n(<\/em>t\u0101 de sh\u0113ng r\u00ec sh\u00ec m\u011bi ni\u00e1n de n\u00f3ng l\u00ec<\/strong> b\u0101 yu\u00e8 ch\u016b b\u0101.)
\n<\/em>His birthday falls on the eighth day of the eighth month of every lunar year<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u4f73\u8282 (ji\u0101 ji\u00e9)<\/em> \u2014 Festival; Holiday<\/h3>\n

\"mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u6bcf\u9022\u4f73\u8282<\/strong>\u500d\u601d\u4eb2\u3002
\n(<\/em>m\u011bi f\u00e9ng ji\u0101 ji\u00e9<\/strong> b\u00e8i s\u012b q\u012bn.)
\n<\/em>Every festival<\/strong>, the yearning for one’s family doubles.<\/p>\n

\u9001\u793c (s\u00f2ng l\u01d0)<\/em> \u2014 To Give Someone a Gift<\/h3>\n

\"mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u540e\u5929\u662f\u60c5\u4eba\u8282\uff0c\u4f60\u8981\u7ed9\u6211\u9001\u793c<\/strong>\u7684\u3002
\n(<\/em>h\u00f2u ti\u0101n sh\u00ec q\u00edng r\u00e9n ji\u00e9, n\u01d0 y\u00e0o g\u011bi w\u01d2 s\u00f2ng l\u01d0<\/strong> de. )
\n<\/em>It’s Valentine’s Day the day after tomorrow – you have to give<\/strong> me a gift<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u601d\u5ff5 (s\u012b ni\u00e0n)<\/em> \u2014 To Long for; To Miss; To Think of<\/h3>\n

\"mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u6211\u5f88\u601d\u5ff5<\/strong>\u8fdc\u65b9\u7684\u4eb2\u4eba\u3002
\n(<\/em>w\u01d2 h\u011bn s\u012b ni\u00e0n<\/strong> yu\u01cen f\u0101ng de q\u012bn r\u00e9n.)
\n<\/em>I really miss<\/strong> my family who are far away.<\/p>\n

\u4eb2\u60c5 (q\u012bn q\u00edng)<\/em> \u2014 Familial Love; Kinship<\/h3>\n

\"mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u6211\u6700\u770b\u91cd\u7684\u662f\u5bb6\u4eba\u95f4\u7684\u4eb2\u60c5<\/strong>\u3002
\n(<\/em>w\u01d2 zu\u00ec k\u00e0n zh\u00f2ng de sh\u00ec ji\u0101 r\u00e9n ji\u0101n de q\u012bn q\u00edng<\/strong>.)
\n<\/em>What I value the most is the kinship<\/strong> between family members.<\/p>\n

\u4f20\u7edf (chu\u00e1n t\u01d2ng)<\/em> \u2014 Tradition<\/h3>\n

\"mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u5b5d\u656c\u7236\u6bcd\uff0c\u662f\u4e2d\u56fd\u4eba\u7684\u4f18\u826f\u4f20\u7edf<\/strong>\u3002
\n(<\/em>xi\u00e0o j\u00ecng f\u00f9 m\u01d4, sh\u00ec zh\u014dng gu\u00f3 r\u00e9n de y\u014du li\u00e1ng chu\u00e1n t\u01d2ng<\/strong>.)
\n<\/em>Being filial to parents is an excellent tradition<\/strong> of the Chinese.<\/p>\n

\u6587\u5316 (w\u00e9n hu\u00e0)<\/em> \u2014 Culture<\/h3>\n

\"mandarin-chinese-mid-autumn-festival-vocabulary-phrases-traditions\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\u4ed6\u662f\u7814\u7a76\u4e2d\u56fd\u6587\u5316<\/strong>\u7684\u4e13\u5bb6\u3002
\n(<\/em>t\u0101 sh\u00ec y\u00e1n ji\u016b zh\u014dng gu\u00f3 w\u00e9n hu\u00e0<\/strong> de zhu\u0101n ji\u0101.)
\n<\/em>He’s an expert who studies Chinese culture<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Key Mid-Autumn Festival Traditions<\/h2>\n

Family Reunions<\/h3>\n

The most important part of the Chinese Mid-Autumn festival is the family reunion. They get together to enjoy the bright moon, holiday activities, special foods, songs and stories. It is believed that the moon is symbolic of family togetherness.<\/p>\n

Mooncakes<\/h3>\n

Mooncakes are the official Mid-Autumn Festival holiday treat. They are round to reflect the shape of the moon, and their decorations and fillings range from simple to elaborate. The typical mooncake is made from wheat flour and stuffed with sugary fillings such as sweetened red bean paste, powdered lotus seeds,<\/p>\n

Lanterns<\/h3>\n

Lanterns are illuminated for many different Chinese holidays, and the Mid-Autumn Festival is no exception. While lanterns do hold symbolic meanings, the primary reason behind lighting them up is because they’re beautiful, mimicking the moon’s brightness in the city streets.<\/p>\n

Stories<\/h3>\n

Plenty of legends swirl around the holiday. In one historical tale, an ancient Chinese dynasty sends secret messages tucked away in mooncakes. Other fanciful stories abound, recounting the fateful actions of divine beings, charismatic animals, and journeys to the moon. These are told during family gatherings and public events.<\/p>\n

Prayers and Sacrifices to the Moon Goddess<\/h3>\n

While there are many variations on this classic Mid-Autumn Festival story, here’s the main gist: the legendary hero Houyi performs a feat of heroic strength and a\u00a0divine being gives him an elixir of immortality. In every version of this story, Houyi’s wife, Chang’e, ends up consuming the elixir herself and is shot off to the moon, where she dwells in a lunar palace to this day. Sacrifices and prayers made to the moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival go straight to her doorstep.<\/p>\n

The Chinese fascination with Chang’e\u00a0has led the nation’s space program to name lunar rovers and other space travel devices after her. Meanwhile, in the USA, Houston officially requested that Buzz Aldrin watch out for her.<\/p>\n

Places to Go for the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival<\/h2>\n

You can get in on the most action by visiting a lively urban area, or you can choose to soak up the cherished moonlight in a peaceful, rural town.<\/p>\n

In China’s more populous cities, colored lanterns hang from every storefront and there are tons of public events to enjoy. Shanghai’s skyscrapers boast some of the most impressive Mid-Autumn Festival views.\u00a0In Beijing, you can visit the Altar of the Moon, where long-ago Chinese emperors once made sacrifices to the moon. This site, along with the many temples and altars scattered throughout the city, offers a tranquil moon-viewing location. Parks, gardens, riverfront streets and bridges are some of the best places to\u00a0explore during this festival.<\/p>\n

If you prefer a rural location, join a quiet Chinese village on their ascent to a mountaintop where they observe the moon in even greater peace. You can also choose to hop on board a cruise ship or riverboat – the moon is said to be even more beautiful when reflected in the water, and you’ll get a nice vista of the lanterns burning on shore.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Travel to China, or visit a Chinese community in your area to see the fun, beautiful celebrations for yourself! Family gatherings, lanterns, mooncakes, moon-viewing parties, songs, poems, stories, and games are among the customs observed during the Mid-Autumn Festival.<\/p>\n

Of course, you have to remember that China is an extraordinarily diverse country. The many different ethnic groups residing there have their own, unique ways of celebrating the holiday. Explore and discover the many reasons why the Mid-Autumn Festival is so important to Chinese culture.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

And one more thing...<\/h2>\r\n

\r\n\tIf you like learning Chinese at your own pace and from the comfort of your device, I have to tell you about FluentU<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\r\n

\r\nFluentU makes it easier (and more fun) to learn Chinese by making real content like movies and series accessible to learners. You can check out FluentU's curated video library, or bring our learning tools directly to Netflix or YouTube<\/strong> with the FluentU Chrome extension. \r\n<\/p>\r\n

\r\n\"learn-mandarin-chinese-with-videos\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

\r\nOne of the features I find most helpful is the interactive captions<\/strong>\u2014you can tap on any word to see its meaning, an image, pronunciation, and other examples from different contexts. It\u2019s a great way to pick up vocab without having to pause and look things up separately.\r\n<\/p>

\r\n\"learn-mandarin-chinese-with-subtitled-song-and-music-videos\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

\r\nFluentU also helps reinforce what you\u2019ve learned<\/strong> with personalized quizzes. You can swipe through extra examples and complete engaging exercises that adapt to your progress. You'll get extra practice with the words you find more challenging and even be reminded you when it\u2019s time to review!\r\n<\/p>

\r\n\"practice-mandarin-chinese-with-adaptive-quizzes\"<\/a><\/p>\r\n

\r\nYou can use FluentU on your computer, tablet, or phone with our app for Apple or Android devices. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)<\/a>\r\n<\/p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Among the biggest holidays in China is the Mid-Autumn Festival. It is said to have originated when early Chinese scholars recognized the moon’s relationship with climate, seasonal changes and agricultural…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":45,"featured_media":248382,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"slim_seo":{"title":"Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival Vocab, Traditions and More | FluentU Chinese","description":"Want to learn more about the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival? It's a fantastic event filled with family gatherings, outdoor activities, illuminated lanterns, colorful costumes, entertaining dances and scrumptious mooncakes. Find out all the necessary vocab to celebrate this holiday."},"footnotes":""},"categories":[724,738],"tags":[],"coauthors":[27],"class_list":["post-183106","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chinese","category-chinese-language"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183106","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/45"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=183106"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183106\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":248383,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/183106\/revisions\/248383"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/248382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=183106"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=183106"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=183106"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=183106"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}