Chinatown and Trafalgar Square in London are usually at the center of the UK’s Chinese New Year celebrations (Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Vocabulary
underway /ˌəndərˈwā/ adv. having started and in progress; being done or carried out.
Chinese New Year got underway on Tuesday, February 1.
usage /ˈyo͞osij,ˈyo͞ozij/ n. the action of using something or the fact of being used.
Solar calendars are in popular and legal usage across much of the world.
passage /ˈpasij/ n. the act or process of moving through, under, over, or past something on the
way from one place to another.
Solar calendars are based on the earth’s passage around the sun.
seem /sēm/ v. give the impression or sensation of being something or having a particular
quality.
…this might seem like a very foreign concept, most cultures around the world have used lunar calendars at some point in their history.
vigor /ˈviɡər/ n. physical strength and good health.
“I am 79, but still full of vigor.”
Comprehension Questions
When is the Chinese New Year for 2022?
What is the calendar that people in China and Southeast Asia follow?
What is the difference between the solar and the lunar calendar?
What are the three different phrases for wishing someone a happy new year?
What shall people born this year will share with the tiger’s characteristics?
Article
Chinese New Year 2022 got underway on Tuesday (1 February).
While we celebrated the solar new year almost a month ago, the lunar year has only just come to a close.
It ran between 12 February 2021 and Monday 31 January 2022.
While solar calendars are in popular and legal usage across much of the world, many people in China and Southeast Asia follow the more traditional lunar calendar.
Whereas solar calendars are based on the earth’s passage around the sun, lunar ones base their timings off the different phases of the moon.
It means months tend to be either 29 or 30 days in length, and years are between 11 to 12 days shorter than the solar calendar.
While this might seem like a very foreign concept, most cultures around the world have used lunar calendars at some point in their history.
Even the Gregorian calendar, which is now in common usage after its introduction in Europe almost 450 years ago, has its origins in the lunar cycle.
How to say ‘Happy New Year’ in Chinese
There are two major languages in China - Mandarin (largely spoken on the mainland) and Cantonese (mostly spoken in and around Hong Kong).
Both languages use three different phrases for wishing someone a happy new year.
These are:
‘Xīnnián hǎo’ which directly translates as ‘New Year goodness’
Mandarin: 新年好 or “sshin-nyen haoww”
Cantonese: 新年好 or “sen-nin haow”
‘Gōngxǐ fācái’ which means ‘happiness and prosperity’ in English
Mandarin: 恭喜发财 or “gong-sshee faa-tseye”
Cantonese: 恭喜發財 or “gong-hey faa-chwhy”
‘Bùbù gāoshēng’ which translates into English as ‘on the up and up’
Mandarin: 步步高升 or “boo-boo gaoww-shnng”
Cantonese: 步步高陞 or “boh-boh goh-sshi”
2022 will be the year of the tiger. It means people born this year will share the tiger’s characteristics.
These include:
Vigor and ambition
Daring and courage
Enthusiasm and generosity
Self-confidence
A sense of justice and a commitment to help others for the greater good
to read the full article:
https://www.nationalworld.com/news/world/chinese-new-year-2022-lunar-key-dates-what-animal-it-is-and-how-do-you-say-happy-new-year-in-chinese-3518890