【英语学习】用英语讲好中国故事-中秋节

文摘   2024-09-17 23:45   上海  
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中秋节



The Mid-autumn Festival falls on the l5th day of the eighth lunar month every year. It is called the Mid-autumn Festival because the l5th day is in the middle of a month, and the eighth lunar month is in the middle of autumn. It is believed that the moon is the brightest and roundest on this day.
每年的农历八月十五是中秋节,之所以叫中秋节,是因为十五是一个月的中间,而农历八月是秋天的中间。人们认为这天的月亮最亮最圆。



The Mid-autumn Festival became an official celebration in China during the Tang Dynasty, but there isn't one clear answer to the question of when and how the Mid-autumn Festival began. Many believe the festival was first mentioned in the "Book of Rites" written more than 2,400 years ago. It was described as a day for emperors to celebrate the year's harvest by giving offerings to the moon and hosting a great feast.
中秋节是在唐代成为中国的官方节日的,但对于中秋节是何时开始的,以及如何开始的并没有一个确切的答案。许多人认为,这个节日最早是在2400多年前写的《礼记》中提到的。书中描述说,在这一天皇帝通过向月亮献祭贡品和大设宴席来庆祝一年的丰收。


There are many legends about the Mid-autumn Festival. The most popular one is about Chang'e and the jade rabbit.
关于中秋节有很多传说,最广为流传的是关于嫦娥和玉兔的。



Hou Yi, the husband of Chang'e, was rewarded with an elixir of immortality by the Queen Mother. Because he shot down nine of the ten suns, and saved people from the heat. He didn't swallow it straight away, because he didn't want to gain immortality without his wife. So, he asked Chang'e to keep it for him.
传说嫦娥的丈夫后羿射下了十个太阳中的九个,把人们从炎热中拯救了出来,因此王母娘娘赏赐了他长生不老药。他没有马上吞下药,因为他不想抛下妻子独自永生。于是,他让嫦娥替他保管这药。



Unexpectedly, while Houyi was out hunting one mid-autumn day, an evil person tried to force Chang'e to handover the elixir. Chang'e swallowed the elixir and flew higher and higher. She then chose the moon as her living place, to be close to her beloved husband. Hou Yi was very sad and made sacrifices to Chang'e with incense, cakes, and fruits every mid-autumn day. Along with the legend, the custom of worshiping the moon on the Mid-autumn Day has been passed down from generation to generation.
令人没想到的是,在某个中秋时节的一天,后羿外出狩猎时,一个坏人想要逼迫嫦娥交出长生不老药。嫦娥吞下了药,越飞越高。随后她选择月亮作为她的住所,这样就可以离她深爱的丈夫近一些。后羿非常伤心,每到中秋时节便用香、糕点和水果向嫦娥献祭。中秋节拜月的习俗便随着这一传说代代相传下来。


There is also a rabbit on the moon, white as jade, so it is called "jade rabbit". It is said that the jade rabbit is a companion of Chang'e. It constantly pounds the elixir of immortality on the moon, As time passed, the jade rabbit became synonymous with the moon.
月亮上还有一只兔子,洁白如玉,被称为“玉兔”。据说玉兔与嫦娥为伴,它在月亮上不停地捣长生不老药。随着时间的推移,玉兔也成了月亮的代名词。



The Mid-autumn Festival is celebrated in many traditional ways. Here are some of the most popular traditional celebrations.
中秋节有许多传统的庆祝方式,以下是一些最广为流传的传统庆祝活动。


The roundness of the moon represents the reunion of the family in Chinese minds. Families will have dinner together on the evening of the Mid-autumn Festival. The public holiday is mainly for people working in different places to have enough time to reunite.
圆圆的月亮在中国人的心目中代表着阖家团圆。中秋节的晚上,家人们会一起吃晚饭。这个法定假日主要是为了让在各地工作的人有足够的时间团聚。



Mooncakes are the most representative food for the Mid-autumn Festival. As one of the biggest stars of the festival, the mooncake is as important to the Mid-autumn Festival as turkey is to Thanksgiving. The most common kind of mooncake is made of five-nut filling, red bean paste, lotus seed paste and egg yolk. Their round shape and sweet flavor symbolize completeness and sweetness. At the Mid-autumn Festival, people eat mooncakes together with family, or present mooncakes to relatives or friends, to express their love and best wishes.
月饼是中秋节最具代表性的食品。作为节日中最耀眼的明星之一,月饼对中秋节的重要性不亚于火鸡对感恩节的重要性。最常见的月饼是由五仁、豆沙、莲蓉和蛋黄制成的。它们那圆圆的形状和甜甜的味道象征着圆满和甜美。在中秋节,人们与家人一同吃月饼,或向亲朋好友赠送月饼,以表达他们的爱和最美好的祝愿。



On the evening of the Mid-autumn Festival, people usually set a table outside their houses with mooncakes snacks, fruits, and a pair of candles lit on it. They sit together to admire the full moon while enjoying tasty mooncakes. Parents with little kids often tell the legend of Chang'e Flying to the Moon. Some believe that by worshiping the moon, Chang'e may fulfill their wishes.
在中秋节的夜晚,人们常在屋外摆一张桌子,放上月饼、零食、水果和一对点燃的蜡烛。人们坐在一起,边欣赏满月,边品尝美味的月饼。孩子的父母常给孩子讲嫦娥奔月的传说。还有些人认为,通过拜月,嫦娥可以帮他们实现愿望。

Words and Expressions


rite [raɪt] n [C] 礼仪;典礼
emperor ['empərə(r)] n [C] 皇帝
offering ['ɒfərɪŋ] n [C] 供品;祭品
legend ['ledʒənd] n [C] & [U] 传说;传奇
elixir [ɪ'lɪksə(r)] n [C] 灵丹妙药;不老药
beloved [bɪ'lʌvd] adj 挚爱的
worship ['wɜːʃɪp] vt & vi 敬奉
pass down 使世代相传;流传
lotus ['ləʊtəs] n [C] 莲花
yolk [jəʊk] n [C] & [U] 蛋黄
symbolize ['sɪmbəlaɪz] vt 象征;代表
END

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