Christmas shopping & markets in Chinese 圣诞购物
shèng dàn gòuwù
Christmas market in Chinese is 圣诞集市 (shèng dàn jí shì).
Also searched for as: Christmas market, Christmas markets, Christmas shopping, holiday shopping, Christmas fair.
Lights, mulled wine and a list that never ends. 15 words and phrases for Christmas shopping & markets in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
Christmas markets, 圣诞集市 (shèng dàn jí shì), are a highlight of winter in the UK and Europe, and these words help you describe them in Chinese: the 摊位 (tān wèi), stalls, the 手工艺品 (shǒu gōng yì pǐn), crafts, and a warming cup of 热红酒 (rè hóng jiǔ), mulled wine, literally 'hot red wine'. They also cover the shopping itself, from writing your 礼物清单 (lǐ wù qīng dān), present list, to 包礼物 (bāo lǐ wù), wrapping presents, at the last minute.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 圣诞集市 | shèng dàn jí shì | Christmas market |
| 圣诞礼物 | shèng dàn lǐ wù | Christmas present |
| 礼物清单 | lǐ wù qīng dān | present list |
| 挑礼物 | tiāo lǐ wù | to choose a present |
| 摊位 | tān wèi | stall |
| 手工艺品 | shǒu gōng yì pǐn | handicrafts; crafts |
| 彩灯 | cǎi dēng | fairy lights; coloured lights |
| 热红酒 | rè hóng jiǔ | mulled wine |
| 姜饼 | jiāng bǐng | gingerbread |
| 溜冰场 | liū bīng chǎng | ice rink |
| 商场 | shāng chǎng | shopping centre |
| 人山人海 | rén shān rén hǎi | huge crowds; packed |
| 包装纸 | bāo zhuāng zhǐ | wrapping paper |
| 包礼物 | bāo lǐ wù | to wrap presents |
| 最后一刻 | zuì hòu yī kè | the last minute |
Usage tips
- 逛 (guàng) is the verb for wandering round shops or markets without a fixed plan, as in 逛集市 (guàng jí shì) or 逛街 (guàng jiē), while 买东西 (mǎi dōng xi) is more purposeful.
- 人山人海 (rén shān rén hǎi), 'people mountain, people sea', is the classic way to say a place is packed, and it's used in everyday speech, not just in writing.
- To ask a shop to gift-wrap something, say 能帮我包一下吗？ (néng bāng wǒ bāo yī xià ma?), using 包 (bāo), to wrap.
Common mistakes
- Calling a Christmas market 圣诞超市; 超市 (chāo shì) is a supermarket, while an open-air seasonal market is a 集市 (jí shì).
- Saying 挑礼物 with a fourth tone, which sounds like 跳 (tiào), to jump; choosing is 挑 (tiāo), first tone.
Mini dialogue
- A周末我们去逛圣诞集市吧？Zhōu mò wǒ men qù guàng shèng dàn jí shì ba?Shall we go to the Christmas market at the weekend?
- B好啊，我还没买圣诞礼物呢。Hǎo a, wǒ hái méi mǎi shèng dàn lǐ wù ne.Sure, I still haven't bought any Christmas presents.
- A集市上有很多卖手工艺品的摊位，可以慢慢挑。Jí shì shàng yǒu hěn duō mài shǒu gōng yì pǐn de tān wèi, kě yǐ màn man tiāo.There are lots of craft stalls at the market, so you can take your time choosing.
- B太好了，我还想喝一杯热红酒。Tài hǎo le, wǒ hái xiǎng hē yī bēi rè hóng jiǔ.Great. I fancy a mulled wine too.
- A不过周末肯定人山人海。Bù guò zhōu mò kěn dìng rén shān rén hǎi.It's bound to be packed at the weekend, though.
- B没办法，我每年都是最后一刻才买礼物！Méi bàn fǎ, wǒ měi nián dōu shì zuì hòu yī kè cái mǎi lǐ wù!Can't be helped. I always leave presents to the last minute!
Example sentences
- 我们周末去逛圣诞集市吧。Let's go to the Christmas market at the weekend.
- 我还没买圣诞礼物呢。I still haven't bought any Christmas presents.
- 我把礼物清单写好了。I've written my present list.
- 给男朋友挑礼物太难了。Choosing a present for my boyfriend is so hard.
- 集市上有好多卖手工艺品的摊位。The market has lots of stalls selling crafts.
- 这些手工艺品都是本地人做的。These crafts are all made by local people.
- 街上挂满了彩灯。The streets are full of lights.
- 来一杯热红酒暖暖身子。Have a mulled wine to warm yourself up.
- 这些姜饼人做得真可爱。These gingerbread men are so cute.
- 集市旁边还有个溜冰场。There's an ice rink next to the market too.
- 商场门口有一棵大圣诞树。There's a huge Christmas tree outside the shopping centre.
- 圣诞前的商场人山人海。The shops are packed in the run-up to Christmas.
- 再买两卷包装纸吧。Let's get two more rolls of wrapping paper.
- 我昨晚包礼物包到半夜。I was up till midnight wrapping presents last night.
- 我总是最后一刻才买礼物。I always buy presents at the last minute.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Christmas shopping & markets speaking island has 8 everyday questions about Christmas shopping & markets to prepare your own answers to.