福(fú) Another important part of celebrating the Spring Festival is putting up Spring Festival couplets. These red Spring Festival couplets, on which words are written, are pasted on doors and walls. The Chinese character most commonly found on these couplets is “福(fú)”. Furthermore, it is pasted upside-down. The oracle bone script for “福” looks like […]
Study Chinese with Keats School: Longevity 寿(shòu) The top part of the character of the oracle bone script depicts an elderly person with a humpback, while the lower part consists of a hand(寸) and a mouth(口). As a whole, the character resembles a glass of wine being raised to celebrate the longevity of an elderly person. […]
There are three main types of clothing in China in the latest dozens of years: western-style clothes, traditional Chinese garments and National clothes. All of these exist together. Over the past two years in China, some of the younger generation has promoted wearing Han clothes. These clothes are billowy, with wide sleeves and loose fitting […]
A man was staying at his father-in-law’s house very much beyond his time. one day, the impatient father-in-law finally said to him: “It’s nice of you to have come a long way to visit us. Now that all our fowls have been butchered, there are no more delicacies we cam entertain you with. I hope […]
Even worse than antenatal betrothals was posthumous marriage. It was also called marriage of the dead, or ghost marriage, which meant unmarried but dead young men and women were married in the nether world by the arrangement of their living parents. It is assumed that this custom came into being before the Qin Dynasty (the […]
Matchmakers were supposed to be paid when they succeeded in arranging a marriage. If it happened that the in-laws were on good terms, the couple enjoyed a happy married life and the wife gave birth to a male progeny, the matchmaker would enjoy long-term benefits. When it came to festivals, birthdays or the New Year, […]
Lifting up the bridal veil (红盖头hón? ?ài tóu), also called “lifting up the red scarf” meant that the bridegroom would lift the bridal veil (usually a piece of red scarf used to cover the bride’s face) with the arm of a steelyard. It was not until then the veiled bride showed her true appearance to […]
Stilt walk（高跷） Walking on stilts is a kind of performance which has prevailed among the populace from ancient times to the present. It was considered as one kind of acrobatics in ancient times. It came into being in Spring and Autumn Period. Stilt walk had been a popular activity in five hundred B.C. the performers […]
Some examples in Chinese culture about Kan Yu Xiang Zhai have been recorded in the Lun Heng which is written by Wang Chong. For example, “子宅直府，午宅为破，不须兴功起事。” This sentence means that if the star which is named as “Tai Sui” was located on the north in the sky, at the same time, some one in the […]
After you learning Chinese in China, you will know that Yin Zhai in deed refers to the tomb. Its name originates from the concept of Yin and Yang. It is said that the surface of earth is usually called as Yang. On the other hand, the underground is often called as Yin. The house built […]