Dragon Boat Festival is just around the corner, and you’re probably looking to brush up your Mandarin skills. In order to help you impress your fellow workers, friends and families, we’ve prepared a comprehensive list of Dragon Boat-related vocabulary and phrases.
Starting with the name of the festival itself, which in Chinese is not a literal translation of 'dragon boat,' but an indication of the date of the festival, i.e. the fifth day of the fifth month of the Lunar Calendar.
Dragon Boat Festival
端午节
duān wǔ jié
Dragon Boat (Race)
龙舟(赛)
Lóng zhōu (sài)
Bamboo wrapped glutinous rice balls
粽子
Zòng zǐ
Happy Dragon Boat Festival
端午节快乐!
Duān wǔ jié kuài lè
Can I have some glutinous rice balls?
有粽子吗？
Yǒu zòng zǐ má?
Do you prefer sweet flavor or salty flavor?
你喜欢甜口的还是咸口的？
Nǐ xǐ huān tián kǒu de hái shì xián kǒu de?
What's the filling inside the glutinous rice balls?
粽子是什么馅儿的？
Zòng zǐ shì shén me xiàn’er de?
Pork
猪肉馅
Zhū ròu xiàn
Red bean paste
豆沙馅
Dòu shā xiàn
Salted egg yolk
咸蛋黄馅
Xián dàn huáng xiàn
What's your plan for the Dragon Boat Festival?
端午节有什么安排吗？
Duān wǔ jié yǒu shén me ān pái mā?
Can I take a photo of this?
我能给这个拍张照吗？
Wǒ néng gěi zhè gè pāi zhāng zhào mā?
I don't eat meat/peanut/dairy products/seafood.
我不吃肉/花生/奶制品/海鲜。
Wǒ bú chī ròu/huā shēng/nǎi zhìpǐn/ hǎi xiān.
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