Mandarin Monday – Vocabulary to Put You in the Christmas Mood

      Mandarin Monday is a recurring series aimed at enhancing your Chinese skills by exploring enjoyable and useful phrases and characters.

      With Christmas approaching, we have gathered some festive vocabulary to help you get into the holiday mood. Additionally, if you're in need of last-minute decorations or gifts, a quick search for these Christmas items on delivery apps like Meituan Waimai can yield surprisingly good results!

      Firstly, the term for Christmas in Chinese is 圣诞 shèngdàn, which translates literally to “holy birth.” When referring to Christmas Day, you add 节 jié, meaning festival or holiday, resulting in 圣诞节 shèngdàn jié. Christmas Eve can be translated in several ways, with the most commonly used being 平安夜 píng'ān yè, which means "Peaceful Night," referencing the carol "Silent Night." Alternatively, you can use 圣诞前夕 shèngdàn qiánxī or 圣诞前夜 shèngdàn qiányè, both meaning "Christmas Eve."

      Now, regarding Santa Claus in Chinese, you might assume it would be a transliteration, as is common with foreign names, but it is actually a more literal translation. Santa Claus is 圣诞老人 shèngdàn lǎorén, which means “Christmas old person” — a rather amusing way to think about it.

      For several Christmas terms, simply adding 圣诞 shèngdàn before the respective noun follows a pattern similar to English:

      Christmas tree 圣诞树 shèngdànshù

      Christmas presents 圣诞礼物 shèngdàn lǐwù

      Christmas carols 圣诞颂歌 shèngdàn sònggē

      Christmas songs 圣诞歌 shèngdàngē

      Christmas card 圣诞贺卡 shèngdàn hèkǎ

      Christmas lights 圣诞灯饰 shèngdàn dēngshì

      Christmas wreath 圣诞花环 shèngdàn huāhuán

      Ornaments 圣诞彩球 shèngdàn cǎi qiú

      Stockings 圣诞袜 shèngdàn wà

      Here are some Christmas terms that do not include 圣诞 shèngdàn:

      Jack Frost 杰克弗罗斯特 Jiékè fú luósī tè

      Mistletoe 槲寄生 hú jìshēng

      Nutcracker 胡桃夹子 Hútáo jiázi

      Reindeer 驯鹿 xùnlù

      Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer 红鼻子驯鹿鲁道夫 Hóng bízǐ xùnlù lǔ dàofū

      Snowflake 雪花 xuěhuā

      Snowman 雪人 xuěrén

      Lastly, let's discuss one of the most enjoyable aspects of Christmas: the food and drink!

      Candy cane 拐杖糖 guǎizhàngtáng

      Christmas Pudding 圣诞布丁 shèngdàn bùdīng

      Eggnog 蛋酒 dàn jiǔ

      Gingerbread house 姜饼屋 jiāng bǐng wū

      Ham 火腿 huǒtuǐ

      Hot chocolate 热巧克力 rèqiǎokèlì

      Mince pie 圣诞馅饼 shèngdàn xiànbǐng

      Mulled cider 热苹果酒 rè píngguǒ jiǔ

      Mulled wine 热红酒 rè hóngjiǔ

      Nougat 牛轧糖 niú gá táng

      Panettone 潘内托内 pānnèituōnèi

      Turkey 火鸡 huǒ jī

      We hope this has put you in the Christmas spirit, and from all of us at the Beijinger, we wish you a Merry Christmas 圣诞快乐 shèngdàn kuàilè!

      READ: Eat, Drink & Be Merry: Christmas Meals Pt.3 (Including Vegan Option)

      Images: Unsplash