An ABC Chinese New Year guó zhōng xīn
中国新年nián Survival Guide
Shēng nán
生存指南cún
By Joy Li For Adobe APAC Pīn Yīn Edition Nothing can quite compare to the savageness that 阿 姨 comes out of an auntie’s mouth — power plays and microaggressions thinly ā yí veiled as harmless banter A scrutinising your existence. Be prepared with some of Aunties 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 SKINNY! A: SHOULD LEARN MORE (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/ For those who only know 一点点 (Yī dian dian) Chinese, 聊 天 expand your vocabulary with CNY greetings that will surely liáo tiān bring honour to your family B 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/ Time to chow down on the abundance of delicacies CNY 吃 affords! Pro tip: Don’t go for the amateur mistake of the wrapped chocolate coins. Chī The nasty artificial taste will C 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? What dis? shuí 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 这是谁? 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 ** 大 = Eldest Aunt (dà) BROTHER SISTER zhí zi 侄子 zhí nu 侄女 wài shēng wài shēng nu BROTHER SISTER IN LAW* IN LAW* YOU IN LAW* IN LAW* 二 = Second Aunt (èr) 外甥 外甥女 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/