Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) Oral English Topic Bank

春节口语话题题库

Part 1: Introduction & Basics (入门与基础)

适合初学者，用于开启话题,介绍基本概念。

Topic 1: What is Spring Festival? (什么是春节？)

• Key Vocabulary (核心词汇):

  • Lunar Calendar (农历)
  • Spring Festival / Chinese New Year (春节 / 中国新年)
  • Traditional Chinese holiday (中国传统节日)
  • Most important festival (最重要的节日)
  • Family reunion (家庭团聚)
  • Celebrate (庆祝)
  • Last for 15 days (持续15天)
  • Lantern Festival (元宵节)

• Useful Sentences (实用句型):

  • "Could you tell me about the Spring Festival?" (你能给我讲讲春节吗？)
  • "Spring Festival is the most important traditional holiday in China." (春节是中国最重要的传统节日。)
  • "It's based on the lunar calendar, so the date changes every year." (它基于农历，所以日期每年都不同。)
  • "For most Chinese people, it's all about family reunion." (对大多数中国人来说，春节的核心就是家庭团聚。)
  • "The celebration usually lasts from the New Year's Eve to the Lantern Festival." (庆祝活动通常从除夕持续到元宵节。)

Topic 2: The Story of Nian (年兽的故事)

• Key Vocabulary (核心词汇):

  • Legend (传说)
  • Monster named "Nian" (名叫“年”的怪兽)
  • Scared (害怕)
  • Loud noises (巨大的噪音)
  • Color red (红色)
  • Firecrackers (鞭炮)
  • Drive away (赶走)
  • Origin (起源)

• Useful Sentences (实用句型):

  • "There's a famous legend behind the festival called 'The Story of Nian'." (节日背后有一个著名的传说，叫做“年兽的故事”。)
  • "Long ago, a monster called 'Nian' would appear on New Year's Eve to scare people and eat their crops." (很久以前，一个叫“年”的怪兽会在除夕夜出现，吓唬人并吃掉他们的庄稼。)
  • "People found out that Nian was afraid of the color red and loud noises." (人们发现年兽害怕红色和巨大的噪音。)
  • "That's why we set off firecrackers and decorate our homes in red during Spring Festival." 这就是我们为什么在春节放鞭炮和用红色装饰家居的原因。)

Part 2: Preparations & Activities (准备与活动)

介绍节前的准备和节日期间的各种活动,内容更丰富。

Topic 3: Preparations for the New Year (节前准备)

• Key Vocabulary (核心词汇):

  • Spring cleaning (大扫除)
  • Get a new haircut (剪个新发型)
  • Buy new clothes (买新衣服)
  • Decorate (装饰)
  • Couplets (春联)
  • Paper cuttings (剪纸)
  • "Fu" character (福字)
  • Shopping rush (购物高峰)
  • Reunion dinner (年夜饭)

• Useful Sentences (实用句型):

  • "We do a big 'Spring cleaning' before the New Year to sweep away bad luck." (我们在新年之前会进行一次“大扫除”，以扫除坏运气。)
  • "It's a tradition to get a haircut and buy new clothes to start the year fresh." (剪个新发型、买新衣服是迎接新年的传统，寓意万象更新。)
  • "We decorate our doors with red couplets that have good wishes written on them." (我们在门上贴着写有美好祝愿的红色春联。)
  • "My mom and I usually go shopping for weeks before the festival to get everything ready for the reunion dinner." (我和妈妈通常在节前好几周就去采购，为年夜饭做准备。)

Topic 4: Reunion Dinner (年夜饭)

• Key Vocabulary (核心词汇):

  • Reunion dinner (年夜饭)
  • Get together (团聚)
  • Extended family (大家庭)
  • Traditional dishes (传统菜肴)
  • Dumplings (饺子)
  • Fish (鱼 - yú)
  • Glutinous rice cake (年糕 - niángāo)
  • Sweet rice balls (汤圆 - tāngyuán)
  • Toast (敬酒)
  • Lucky money (压岁钱 - yāsuìqián)

• Useful Sentences (实用句型):

  • "The reunion dinner on New Year's Eve is the most important meal of the year." (除夕夜的年夜饭是一年中最重要的一顿饭。)
  • "My whole family, including grandparents, aunts, and uncles, will get together for a big feast." (我的整个大家庭，包括祖父母、阿姨和叔叔们，都会聚在一起吃大餐。)
  • "We eat fish because 'fish' (鱼, yú) sounds like 'surplus' (余, yú), symbolizing prosperity." (我们吃鱼，因为“鱼”和“余”谐音，象征着富余和繁荣。)
  • "It's also very common to eat dumplings, which look like ancient gold ingots." (吃饺子也很普遍，因为它们的形状像古代的金元宝。)
  • "After dinner, the older generation gives lucky money in red envelopes to the children." (晚饭后，长辈会给孩子们发装着压岁钱的红包。)

Topic 5: New Year's Activities & Traditions (新年活动与传统)

• Key Vocabulary (核心词汇):

  • Red envelopes (红包 - hóngbāo)
  • Firecrackers (鞭炮 - biānzhào)
  • Setting off fireworks (放烟花)
  • New Year visits (拜年 - bàinián)
  • Pay New Year calls (拜年)
  • Temple fairs (庙会 - miàohuì)
  • Watch the Spring Festival Gala (看春晚)
  • Lion dance (舞狮 - wǔshī)
  • Dragon dance (舞龙 - wǔlóng)

• Useful Sentences (实用句型):

  • "On New Year's Day, we visit relatives and friends to 'pay New Year calls'." (大年初一，我们会走亲访友“拜年”。)
  • "Children are always excited to receive red envelopes with lucky money from their elders." (孩子们总是很兴奋地从长辈那里收到装着压岁钱的红包。)
  • "Many people set off firecrackers and fireworks to celebrate, though it's now banned in big cities for safety reasons." (很多人会放鞭炮和烟花来庆祝，但出于安全考虑，现在大城市已经禁放了。)
  • "Watching the Spring Festival Gala on TV has become a new tradition for almost every family." (看春节联欢晚会已经成为每个家庭的新传统。)
  • "You can also see exciting lion and dragon dances in the streets or at temple fairs." (你还可以在街头或庙会上看到精彩的舞狮和舞龙表演。)

Part 3: Deeper & Personal Insights (深入与个人见解)

适合中高级学习者，可以展开更深入的讨论,分享个人观点和经历。

Topic 6: Food Symbolism (食物的象征意义)

• Discussion Points (讨论点):

  • What are the must-have dishes for your family's reunion dinner?
  • What do these foods symbolize? (e.g., dumplings for wealth, fish for surplus, rice cakes for higher income/year after year)
  • Are there any special foods in your hometown during Spring Festival?
  • How has the menu for reunion dinner changed over the years?

• Useful Sentences (实用句型):

  • "Every dish has a special meaning. For example, we eat sweet rice cakes, or 'niangao', because it sounds like 'higher year by year' (年年高, niánnián gāo), hoping for a better future." (每道菜都有特殊的寓意，比如我们吃年糕，因为它听起来像“年年高”，希望未来一年更比一年好。)
  • "My family's signature dish is... because..." (我家的招牌菜是……因为……)
  • "In my hometown, people love to eat... which is a local specialty." (在我的家乡，人们喜欢吃……那是一种地方特产。)
  • "Nowadays, people are more creative. Some families might have a hot pot or even a Western-style dinner instead