Vocabulaire du festival de la mi-automne et de la semaine d'or

In China, the holidays of Mid-Autumn Festival (中秋节), National Day (国庆), and the Golden Week (黄金周) usually fall close together.

Times in 2021:

• Mid-Autumn Festival September 19th to 21st
• National Day, October 1st
• Golden Week, October 2nd to 7th

About the Mid-Autumn Festival

Also known as the Moon Festival, this is a traditional festival that a lot of people in East and Southeast Asia celebrate. The specific celebrations vary per country, although many involve lanterns and the moon, as well as eating mooncakes. The festival originates from the full moon that happens around this time of the year, which coincides with the end of the Autumn harvest. It falls on a different day each year, because it’s based on the Chinese calendar.

About the National Day

The full name of this festival is National Day of the People’s Republic of China, or in Chinese: 中华人民共和国国庆节Zhōnghuá rénmín gònghéguó guóqìng jié. On October 1st, we celebrate the establishment of the People’s Republic of China, which happened on October 1st in 1949. On this day in China, you’ll see festivals and concerts, and in some years big military parades. Most important is the raising of the flag at 6.00 the morning, brought live from Beijing to hundreds of millions of televisions around the country, as well as placing wreaths at monuments for fallen soldiers.

Golden Week

This week is sort of attached to the National Day. Together with the Chinese New Year in January or February, this is the only time nearly everyone in China has a week off. Because Chinese people often live far away from their hometowns, such holidays are the only time in the year they get to see their relatives. During the Golden Week, tourist attractions are extremely busy, roads, stations, and airports become crowded, and hotel prices surge. (Which is why GoEast is offering Golden Week courses in Shanghai.)

Vocabulaire chinois

• Mid-autumn festival 中秋节 Zhōngqiū jié
  • Mooncakes 月饼 Yuèbǐng
  • Lantern 灯笼 Dēnglóng
• National Day 国庆节 Guóqìng jié
  • Flag raising ceremony 升旗仪式 Shēngqí yíshì
  • People’s Heroes Monument 人民英雄纪念碑 Rénmín yīngxióng jìniànbēi
• Golden Week 黄金周 Huángjīn zhōu
  • Visiting relatives 探亲 Tànqīn
  • Traffic jam 堵车 Dǔchē
  • Queue 排队 Páiduì

Useful sentences

• 你知道月饼比巨无霸的卡路里更多吗？
  Nǐ zhīdào yuèbǐng bǐ jù wú bà de kǎlùlǐ gèng duō ma?
  Did you know that mooncakes have more calories than Big Macs?
• 啊呀我的妈呀，火车站人太多了
  Aya wǒ de mā ya, huǒchē zhàn rén tài duōle
  Oh my god, there are too many people at the train station

And a poetic line:

• 人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全。但愿人长久，千里共婵娟。

  Rén yǒu bēihuānlíhé, yuè yǒu yīn qíng yuán quē, cǐ shì gǔ nán quán. Dàn yuàn rén chángjiǔ, qiānlǐ gòng chánjuān.

  Man has sorrow and joy; they part or meet again; The moon is bright or dim. And she may wax or wane. There has been nothing perfect; since the olden days. So let us wish that man; will live long as he can!

Greetings to send to your Chinese friends

• Niveau débutant
  • 中秋节马上到了，你回家看爸妈吗？
    Zhōngqiū jié mǎshàng dàole, nǐ huí jiā kàn bà mā ma?
    The Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, are you going home to see your parents?
• Intermediate Chinese
  • 我听说中秋节是个团圆的节日，你计划回老家看亲戚朋友吗。
    Wǒ tīng shuō zhōngqiū jié shìgè tuányuán de jiérì, nǐ jìhuà huílǎojiā kàn qīnqī péngyǒu ma.
    I heard that the Mid-Autumn Festival is a reunion festival, do you plan to go back to your hometown to see relatives and friends.
• Advanced Chinese sentence
  • 中秋节是一个阖家团圆的日子，你回老家探亲吗？
    Zhōngqiū jié shì yīgè hé jiā tuányuán de rìzi, nǐ huílǎojiā tànqīn ma?
    Mid-Autumn Festival is a day for a family reunion. Will you go back to your hometown to visit relatives?

Share your moon(cakes) on Instagram

Share your mooncakes or pictures of your moon (which is also our moon) on hashtag #chineselearnermoonfestival , so we’re a bit together this weekend!