Words & phrases
中秋
zhōng qiū
Mid-Autumn Festival
Model sentences
中秋晚上，我们一起到院子里赏月。
zhōng qiū wǎn shàng， wǒ men yì qǐ dào yuàn zi lǐ shǎng yuè。
On the Mid-Autumn evening, we go into the courtyard to admire the moon.
远方的亲人回到家中，一家人终于团圆。
yuǎn fāng de qīn rén huí dào jiā zhōng， yì jiā rén zhōng yú tuán yuán。
Relatives return from far away, and the whole family is finally reunited.
奶奶把月饼切成小块，请大家品尝。
nǎi nai bǎ yuè bǐng qiè chéng xiǎo kuài， qǐng dà jiā pǐn cháng。
Grandma cuts the mooncakes into small pieces for everyone to taste.
望着明月，哥哥更加思念在外地工作的父亲。
wàng zhe míng yuè， gē ge gèng jiā sī niàn zài wài dì gōng zuò de fù qīn。
Looking at the bright moon, the older brother misses his father working away from home even more.
赏月和吃月饼是常见的中秋习俗。
shǎng yuè hé chī yuè bǐng shì cháng jiàn de zhōng qiū xí sú。
Admiring the moon and eating mooncakes are common Mid-Autumn customs.
我们分享食物，也分享这一年的近况。
wǒ men fēn xiǎng shí wù， yě fēn xiǎng zhè yì nián de jìn kuàng。
We share food and also share news from the past year.
中秋之夜
中秋晚上，小宁和家人在阳台上看月亮。桌上放着切开的月饼，大家各选一小块，一边品尝，一边谈起远方的亲人。
zhōng qiū wǎn shàng， xiǎo níng hé jiā rén zài yáng tái shàng kàn yuè liàng。 zhuō shàng fàng zhe qiè kāi de yuè bǐng， dà jiā gè xuǎn yì xiǎo kuài， yì biān pǐn cháng， yì biān tán qǐ yuǎn fāng de qīn rén。
On Mid-Autumn evening, Ning's family watches the moon from the balcony, shares pieces of mooncake and talks about relatives far away.
奶奶介绍，中秋常与团圆联系在一起。圆月和圆形的月饼，可以成为表达亲情的形象，不过节日的意义并不只在食物上。
nǎi nai jiè shào， zhōng qiū cháng yǔ tuán yuán lián xì zài yì qǐ。 yuán yuè hé yuán xíng de yuè bǐng， kě yǐ chéng wéi biǎo dá qīn qíng de xíng xiàng， bù guò jié rì de yì yì bìng bù zhǐ zài shí wù shàng。
Grandmother explains the festival's association with reunion: round moons and cakes can symbolise family bonds, though its meaning is broader than food.
舅舅住在另一个城市，不能回来，他们便约好时间通话。小宁先问候，再说今天在学校做了什么，没有让整场交流只剩一句节日快乐。
jiù jiù zhù zài lìng yí ge chéng shì， bù néng huí lái， tā men biàn yuē hǎo shí jiān tōng huà。 xiǎo níng xiān wèn hòu， zài shuō jīn tiān zài xué xiào zuò le shén me， méi yǒu ràng zhěng chǎng jiāo liú zhǐ shèng yī jù jié rì kuài lè。
An uncle cannot return from another city, so they arrange a call; Ning greets him and shares school experiences instead of limiting the exchange to a holiday wish.
舅舅说，自己的窗外有云，暂时看不见月亮。奶奶笑着说，即使看不见同一轮明月，也可以认真听彼此说话，让关心到达远方。
jiù jiù shuō， zì jǐ de chuāng wài yǒu yún， zàn shí kàn bú jiàn yuè liàng。 nǎi nai xiào zhe shuō， jí shǐ kàn bú jiàn tóng yī lún míng yuè， yě kě yǐ rèn zhēn tīng bǐ cǐ shuō huà， ràng guān xīn dào dá yuǎn fāng。
Clouds hide the uncle's moon, but Grandmother notes that listening and caring can connect them even without the same view.
第二天，同学交流各家的习俗。有的看灯笼，有的聚餐，有的照常工作后才联系亲人，也有人没有庆祝这个节日。
dì èr tiān， tóng xué jiāo liú gè jiā de xí sú。 yǒu de kàn dēng lóng， yǒu de jù cān， yǒu de zhào cháng gōng zuò hòu cái lián xì qīn rén， yě yǒu rén méi yǒu qìng zhù zhè ge jié rì。
Classmates share varied customs—lanterns, meals, calls after work—and some do not celebrate the festival.
放学时，小宁和同学走到门口，各自挥手告别。她回家先看看手机，发现舅舅发来一张月亮的照片，昨晚的云终于散了。
fàng xué shí， xiǎo níng hé tóng xué zǒu dào mén kǒu， gè zì huī shǒu gào bié。 tā huí jiā xiān kàn kan shǒu jī， fā xiàn jiù jiù fā lái yì zhāng yuè liàng de zhào piān， zuó wǎn de yún zhōng yú sàn le。
After school, Xiaoning waved goodbye to her friends. At home, she found a moon photograph from her uncle: last night's clouds had finally cleared.
小宁在日记里写，自己原来以为团圆必须坐在同一张桌旁，后来发现共同安排时间、分享近况，也能表达彼此惦记。
xiǎo níng zài rì jì lǐ xiě， zì jǐ yuán lái yǐ wéi tuán yuán bì xū zuò zài tóng yì zhāng zhuō páng， hòu lái fā xiàn gòng tóng ān pái shí jiān、 fēn xiǎng jìn kuàng， yě néng biǎo dá bǐ cǐ diàn jì。
Ning's diary reflects a revised understanding of reunion: arranging time and sharing news can also express bonds across distance.
她最后加上一句，节日让我们想起联系家人，但关心不必等到某一天。下一次通话，她想问舅舅最近过得怎么样，并认真记住回答。
tā zuì hòu jiā shàng yī jù， jié rì ràng wǒ men xiǎng qǐ lián xì jiā rén， dàn guān xīn bù bì děng dào mǒu yì tiān。 xià yí cì tōng huà， tā xiǎng wèn jiù jiù zuì jìn guò de zěn me yàng， bìng rèn zhēn jì zhù huí dá。
She adds that caring need not wait for a festival and plans to ask about her uncle's recent life and remember his answer.
Conversation
A 你家怎么过中秋？
nǐ jiā zěn me guò zhōng qiū？
How does your family spend Mid-Autumn?
B 我们分享月饼，也给远方的亲人打电话。
wǒ men fēn xiǎng yuè bǐng， yě gěi yuǎn fāng de qīn rén dǎ diàn huà。
We share mooncake and call distant relatives.
A 团圆一定要坐在一起吗？
tuán yuán yí dìng yào zuò zài yì qǐ ma？
Must reunion involve sitting together?
B 见面很好，认真通话也能表达关心。
jiàn miàn hěn hǎo， rèn zhēn tōng huà yě néng biǎo dá guān xīn。
Meeting is lovely, but a thoughtful call can also show care.
A 如果看不见月亮呢？
rú guǒ kàn bú jiàn yuè liàng ne？
What if the moon is hidden?
B 我们仍然可以聊天，分享最近的生活。
wǒ men réng rán kě yǐ liáo tiān， fēn xiǎng zuì jìn de shēng huó。
We can still talk and share recent experiences.
