Comments on: Tangerine Luck for the Niu Year http://laowaichinese.net/tangerine-luck-for-the-niu-year.htm Tips and Strategies for Learning to Speak Mandarin Chinese Wed, 08 Feb 2012 18:29:39 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Enjoying 福 (fú) and the inner circle of Chinese life | China Hope Live http://laowaichinese.net/tangerine-luck-for-the-niu-year.htm/comment-page-1#comment-9281 Enjoying 福 (fú) and the inner circle of Chinese life | China Hope Live Sun, 14 Feb 2010 10:49:44 +0000 http://laowaichinese.net/?p=654#comment-9281 [...] Pun-based Chinese New Year customs [...] [...] Pun-based Chinese New Year customs [...]

]]> By: Albert http://laowaichinese.net/tangerine-luck-for-the-niu-year.htm/comment-page-1#comment-9275 Albert Sat, 13 Feb 2010 05:19:02 +0000 http://laowaichinese.net/?p=654#comment-9275 I just heard: <blockquote>shí hóngzǎo, niánnián hǎo 食红枣, 年年好 eat dates, Happy New Year</blockquote> I just heard:

shí hóngzǎo, niánnián hǎo
食红枣, 年年好
eat dates, Happy New Year

]]> By: I pity the fú​ | China Hope Live http://laowaichinese.net/tangerine-luck-for-the-niu-year.htm/comment-page-1#comment-9274 I pity the fú​ | China Hope Live Fri, 12 Feb 2010 23:48:12 +0000 http://laowaichinese.net/?p=654#comment-9274 [...] Pun-based Chinese New Year customs [...] [...] Pun-based Chinese New Year customs [...]

]]> By: ‘Tis the season for… RED PANTIES! | China Hope Live http://laowaichinese.net/tangerine-luck-for-the-niu-year.htm/comment-page-1#comment-9239 ‘Tis the season for… RED PANTIES! | China Hope Live Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:00:47 +0000 http://laowaichinese.net/?p=654#comment-9239 [...] Pun-based Chinese New Year customs [...] [...] Pun-based Chinese New Year customs [...]

]]> By: Laowai Chinese Blog Archive Tangerine Luck for the Niu | garden statues http://laowaichinese.net/tangerine-luck-for-the-niu-year.htm/comment-page-1#comment-7539 Laowai Chinese Blog Archive Tangerine Luck for the Niu | garden statues Sun, 14 Jun 2009 11:30:37 +0000 http://laowaichinese.net/?p=654#comment-7539 [...] Laowai Chinese Blog Archive Tangerine Luck for the Niu Posted by root 3 minutes ago (http://laowaichinese.net) Ah that explains the little lettuce statues you sometimes see for sale so i think it smelly and funny comment date mar 13 2009 powered by wordpress theme by bob laowai chinese logo drawn by josh wolfe Discuss  |  Bury |  News | Laowai Chinese Blog Archive Tangerine Luck for the Niu [...] [...] Laowai Chinese Blog Archive Tangerine Luck for the Niu Posted by root 3 minutes ago (http://laowaichinese.net) Ah that explains the little lettuce statues you sometimes see for sale so i think it smelly and funny comment date mar 13 2009 powered by wordpress theme by bob laowai chinese logo drawn by josh wolfe Discuss  |  Bury |  News | Laowai Chinese Blog Archive Tangerine Luck for the Niu [...]

]]> By: Keiko http://laowaichinese.net/tangerine-luck-for-the-niu-year.htm/comment-page-1#comment-7103 Keiko Fri, 13 Mar 2009 11:35:28 +0000 http://laowaichinese.net/?p=654#comment-7103 I know something that doesn't have anything to do with Spring festival,but about students. it's "葱(cōng)"=聪明（cōng míng）=SMART,CLEVER. and 芹菜（qín cài）=勤（qín）=work hard. so some mothers will give some 葱&芹菜 children to put them into their school bags. I think it's smelly and funny. I know something that doesn’t have anything to do with Spring festival,but about students.
it’s “葱(cōng)”=聪明（cōng míng）=SMART,CLEVER.
and 芹菜（qín cài）=勤（qín）=work hard.
so some mothers will give some 葱&芹菜 children to put them into their school bags.
I think it’s smelly and funny.

]]> By: Lesley http://laowaichinese.net/tangerine-luck-for-the-niu-year.htm/comment-page-1#comment-7033 Lesley Tue, 03 Mar 2009 03:23:47 +0000 http://laowaichinese.net/?p=654#comment-7033 I am a catonese so may clarify for you: 2\4\5\6 are nationwide. But 1 is not only catonese in many southern China provinces I see the same. 3 is probably Cantonese only. 7\8\10 purely purely Cantonese. No other mainlanders may ever hear of them. I never heard of 9. I am a catonese so may clarify for you:

2\4\5\6 are nationwide. But 1 is not only catonese in many southern China provinces I see the same. 3 is probably Cantonese only.

7\8\10 purely purely Cantonese. No other mainlanders may ever hear of them.

I never heard of 9.

]]> By: Albert http://laowaichinese.net/tangerine-luck-for-the-niu-year.htm/comment-page-1#comment-7031 Albert Mon, 02 Mar 2009 22:42:04 +0000 http://laowaichinese.net/?p=654#comment-7031 Nicki, So now we have to wonder if the tradition originated in neighboring Cantonese Land or if plain ol' climatic environment plus the "close enough" ju2/ji2 was enough for them to embrace it on the island. I'm not terribly interested in the origin of it though. It's enough to know that it happens outside Cantonese Land. Ho Sun Yan, Thanks so much for clarifying that. I'm going to update the original post to include your little note. c. callosum, Wow! What an epic pun-a-thon that sounds like. Thanks for the link. Nicki,
So now we have to wonder if the tradition originated in neighboring Cantonese Land or if plain ol’ climatic environment plus the “close enough” ju2/ji2 was enough for them to embrace it on the island. I’m not terribly interested in the origin of it though. It’s enough to know that it happens outside Cantonese Land.

Ho Sun Yan,
Thanks so much for clarifying that. I’m going to update the original post to include your little note.

c. callosum,
Wow! What an epic pun-a-thon that sounds like. Thanks for the link.

]]> By: c. callosum http://laowaichinese.net/tangerine-luck-for-the-niu-year.htm/comment-page-1#comment-7025 c. callosum Sat, 28 Feb 2009 21:42:48 +0000 http://laowaichinese.net/?p=654#comment-7025 In Singapore and Malaysia we have what is probably the punniest dish in the world, eaten at Chinese New Year - yu2 sheng1, also called lo hei (the Cantonese for "tossing luck"). It's a mixture of shredded vegetables, raw fish and various other things, and is really delicious. And as you "compile" the dish, you say auspicious sayings that tie in somehow with the dish, often by way of puns. While adding the raw fish: 年年有余 (may every year bring a surplus/bountiful harvest) - because 余 (yu2) sounds like 鱼 (yu2). While adding the green radish: 青春常驻 (something about maintaining youth) - because of the double meaning of 青 - young vs green. While pouring the flour crisps at the end: 篇地黄金 (let yellow gold cover the floor) - because the fried flour crisps are supposed to resemble gold, because of their deep-fried golden-ish colour. And the list goes on. Not everyone knows all of them but most people know some portion of them and will try to say the right thing when compiling and tossing the lo hei. Here's the Wikipedia article on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yusheng And a blogpost describing what you're supposed to say at each step: http://superfinefeline.blogspot.com/2009/02/cny-how-to-lo-hei-yu-sheng.html In Singapore and Malaysia we have what is probably the punniest dish in the world, eaten at Chinese New Year – yu2 sheng1, also called lo hei (the Cantonese for “tossing luck”). It’s a mixture of shredded vegetables, raw fish and various other things, and is really delicious.

And as you “compile” the dish, you say auspicious sayings that tie in somehow with the dish, often by way of puns.

While adding the raw fish: 年年有余 (may every year bring a surplus/bountiful harvest) – because 余 (yu2) sounds like 鱼 (yu2).

While adding the green radish: 青春常驻 (something about maintaining youth) – because of the double meaning of 青 – young vs green.

While pouring the flour crisps at the end: 篇地黄金 (let yellow gold cover the floor) – because the fried flour crisps are supposed to resemble gold, because of their deep-fried golden-ish colour.

And the list goes on. Not everyone knows all of them but most people know some portion of them and will try to say the right thing when compiling and tossing the lo hei.

Here’s the Wikipedia article on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yusheng

And a blogpost describing what you’re supposed to say at each step: http://superfinefeline.blogspot.com/2009/02/cny-how-to-lo-hei-yu-sheng.html

]]> By: Ho Sun Yan http://laowaichinese.net/tangerine-luck-for-the-niu-year.htm/comment-page-1#comment-7021 Ho Sun Yan Sat, 28 Feb 2009 05:45:52 +0000 http://laowaichinese.net/?p=654#comment-7021 No. 10: The Cantonese word involved here is 蠔豉 (simpl. 蚝豉) "dried oyster", which differs (pronunciation-wise) from 好市 only in the tones. This pun is also mentioned on the Wikipedia page for 蠔豉: http://zh.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E8%A0%94%E8%B1%89&variant=zh-hant No. 10: The Cantonese word involved here is 蠔豉 (simpl. 蚝豉) “dried oyster”, which differs (pronunciation-wise) from 好市 only in the tones.

This pun is also mentioned on the Wikipedia page for 蠔豉:

http://zh.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=%E8%A0%94%E8%B1%89&variant=zh-hant

]]>