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新年好! We get to celebrate new year, twice over. Get your puns ready, we hope you have a roaring 2022, it’s not only the year of the tiger but I guess we are in the twenties. Anyway, today we’re going to delve into one of the very traditional customs synonymous with Chinese New Year. That is of course the fabulous red envelope/packets that are given out each Spring Festival with lucky money inside, as a way to send good wishes and blessings for the coming year. As a child I used to love collecting these, still do actually. It’s no surprise they are red, symbolizing happiness and good fortune in Chinese culture.

Let’s learn a few keywords and some Chinese New Year greeting phrases that you can use this tiger year.

Hóngbāo (红包) – Red packet/envelope

*Given on important occasions not just Chinese New Year, but also on birthdays and weddings.

Yāsuìqián (压岁钱) – The Lucky money inside the hongbao

Gōngxǐ fācái（恭喜发财）- Wish you wealth and prosperity

*The most common or well-known Chinese New Year greeting phrase

Chinese New Year Greetings for 2022

Hǔ nián dàjí  (虎年大吉) - Wishing you luck in the year of the Tiger!

Hǔ hǔshēng wēi (虎虎生威) - Wishing you full of vigour and vitality of the tiger.

Lóngténghǔyuè (龙腾虎跃) - Dragon soaring and Tiger leaping (Wish you thrive with prosperity in the new year)

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Let’s learn the legend behind why lucky money is given in these red envelopes.

压岁钱的故事

Guānyú yāsuì qián，yǒu zhèyàng yí gè gùshì. Chuánshuō， gǔ shíhou yǒu yí gè jiào ‘Suì’ de xiǎo yāoguài，chúxī wǎnshang huì chūlái mō shúshuì xiǎohái de tóu.

关于压岁钱，有这样一个故事。传说，古时候有 一个叫祟的小妖怪，除夕晚上会出来摸熟睡小孩的头。

There is such a story about the lucky money. Legend has it that in ancient times there was a little monster called ‘Sui’, who would come out on New Year's Eve to touch the head of a sleeping child.

yāsuì qián (压岁钱) – lucky money/new year’s money

yāoguài (妖怪) – monster

chúxī (除夕) – New year’s eve

shúshuì (熟睡) – fast asleep

Xiǎohái bèi xià de dà kū，ránhòu jiù huì tóuténg、fāshāo， biànchéng shǎzi. Dàrén men pà Suì lái shānghài xiǎo háizi，suǒyǐ jiù zài chúxī de wǎnshang bú shuìjiào，shǒuhù háizi，zhè yě jiào “shǒu suì ”.

小孩被吓得大哭，然后就会头疼、发烧，变成傻子。大人们怕祟来伤害小孩子，所以就在除夕的晚上 不睡觉，守护孩子，这也叫“守祟”。

The child was frightened and cried heavily, then had a headache, a fever, and became a fool. Adults are afraid of ‘Sui’ harming children, so they don't sleep on New Year's Eve to protect their children, protecting the child is also called shǒu suì.

shānghài (伤害) – to harm, hurt

shǒuhù (守护) – to guard, protect

Yǒu yì jiā rén，tāmen fūqī liǎ fēicháng ài háizi. Yǒu yì nián de chúxī wǎnshang，fūqī liǎ dānxīn háizi shuì zháo le，suì lái shānghài háizi，jiù ná chū bā méi tóngqián gěi háizi wánr.

有一家人，他们夫妻俩非常爱孩子。有一年的除 夕晚上，夫妻俩担心孩子睡着了，祟来伤害孩子，就拿出八枚铜钱给孩子玩儿。

There was a family who loved their children very much. One year on New Year's Eve, the couple was worried that the child would fall asleep and ‘Sui’ would come and hurt the child, so they took out eight copper coins for the child to play with.

fūqī (夫妻) – couple

liǎ (俩) – two

tóngqián (铜钱) – copper coins

Háizi wán lèi le，shuì zháo le，tāmen jiù yòng hóngzhǐ bǎ bā méi tóngqián bāo qǐ lái，fàng zài háizi de zhěntou xiàmiàn.

孩子玩累了，睡着了，他 们就用红纸把八枚铜钱包起来，放在孩子的枕头下面。

When the child was tired from playing and fell asleep, they picked up eight copper coins and wrapped it with red paper and put them under the child's pillow.

zhěntou (枕头) – pillow

Fūqī liǎ shǒu zhe háizi，bù gǎn bìyǎn. Dào le shēnyè，tūrán yǒu yí zhèn fēng bǎ fáng mén chuī kāi le，làzhú yě bèi chuī miè le. Fūqī liǎ dōu hěn hàipà，tāmen zhīdào zhè shì Suì lái le.

夫妻俩守着孩子，不敢闭眼。到了深夜，突然有一阵风把房门吹开了，蜡烛也被吹灭了。夫妻俩都很害怕，他们知道这是祟来了。

The couple guarded the child and dared not close their eyes. Late at night, suddenly a gust of wind blew the door open and the candles were blown out. The couple were very scared, they knew it ‘Sui’ was coming.

bì yǎn (闭眼) – close your eyes

shēnyè (深夜) – late at night

làzhú (蜡烛) – candles

chuī miè le (吹灭了) – blown out

Zhèngdāng Suì yào qù mō xiǎo háizi de tóu de shíhou，zhěntou biān fā chū yí dào jīn sè de guāng，xià de Suì gǎnkuài táopǎo le.

正当祟要去摸小孩子的头的时候，枕头边发出一道金色的光，吓得祟赶快逃

跑了。

Just as he was about to touch the child's head, a golden light emitted from the pillow, frightened Sui so that he ran away quickly.

Zhèngdāng (正当) – just when

táopǎo le (逃跑了) – to escape

Yuánlái，zhè bā méi tóngqián shì Bā Xiān biànchéng de， tāmen bāngzhù háizi bǎ Suì xià pǎo le.

原来，这八枚铜钱是八仙变成的，他们帮助孩子 把祟吓跑了。

It turned out that these eight copper coins were turned (into light) by the Eight Immortals, who helped the children to scare the evil away.

Bā Xiān (八仙) – Eight immortals

biàn chéng (变成) – to turn, transform into

Fūqī liǎ bǎ zhè jiàn shì gàosù le línjū men，hòulái měi nián de chúxī，rénmen dōu huì yòng hóngzhǐ bāo shàng tóngqián fàng zài háizi de zhěntou xià miàn，zhèyàng，Suì jiù bù gǎn lái le.

夫妻俩把这件事告诉了邻居们，后来每 年的除夕，人们都会用红纸包上铜钱放在孩子的枕头 下面，这样，祟就不敢来了。

The couple told the neighbours about it, and on New Year's Eve every year, people would wrap copper coins in red paper and put them under the children's pillows, so that ‘Sui’ would not dare to come.

Yīnwèi “祟” hé “岁”dúyīn yíyàng，suǒyǐ hòulái jiù biàn chéng le “yā suì qián ”.

因为“祟”和“岁”读音一 样，所以后来就变成了“压岁钱”。

Because the pronunciation of "祟" and "岁" are the same, it later became "压岁钱".

*as Suì (岁) also has the meaning of year other than age.

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To listen to our narration of 压岁钱, please search our videos section on our site or watch it on YouTube via the following link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sRgVhSTOdDE&t=16s 

Answer the questions below to see if you understand the story.

故事里的小妖怪叫什么？

小妖怪出来做什么？

如果小孩子被祟摸了头，会怎么样？

夫妻俩为了不让孩子睡着，他们做了什么？

夫妻俩把什么放在了枕头下面？

祟被什么吓跑了？

那八枚铜钱是谁变成的？

后来每年除夕人们会做什么？

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