Halloween in Chinese 万圣节
wànshèngjié
Halloween in Chinese is 万圣节 (wàn shèng jié).
Also searched for as: halloween, trick or treat, pumpkin.
Trick or treat? 15 words and phrases for Halloween 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.
The word for Halloween in Chinese is 万圣节 (wàn shèng jié), literally 'all saints' festival', and the night itself is also called 万圣夜 (wàn shèng yè). It isn't a traditional Chinese festival, but costume parties and themed events are popular with young people in big cities. These words let you talk about dressing up, 化装 (huà zhuāng), as a 女巫 (nǚ wū), witch, or a 吸血鬼 (xī xuè guǐ), vampire, and shout 不给糖就捣蛋 (bù gěi táng jiù dǎo dàn), trick or treat.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 万圣节 | wàn shèng jié | Halloween |
| 南瓜灯 | nán guā dēng | jack-o'-lantern |
| 不给糖就捣蛋 | bù gěi táng jiù dǎo dàn | trick or treat |
| 糖果 | táng guǒ | sweets |
| 化装 | huà zhuāng | to dress up (in costume) |
| 服装 | fú zhuāng | costume; outfit |
| 鬼 | guǐ | ghost |
| 女巫 | nǚ wū | witch |
| 吸血鬼 | xī xuè guǐ | vampire |
| 骷髅 | kū lóu | skeleton |
| 面具 | miàn jù | mask |
| 蜘蛛网 | zhī zhū wǎng | spider's web |
| 吓人 | xià rén | scary |
| 敲门 | qiāo mén | to knock on doors |
| 恐怖电影 | kǒng bù diàn yǐng | horror film |
Usage tips
- Strictly speaking 万圣节 is All Saints' Day on 1 November, so 31 October is sometimes called 万圣节前夜 (wàn shèng jié qián yè), though in everyday speech 万圣节 covers both.
- China's own festival for spirits is 中元节 (Zhōng yuán jié), the Ghost Festival in the seventh lunar month, but its focus is honouring ancestors rather than costumes and sweets.
- 吓 (xià) is the go-to verb for scaring: 吓人 (xià rén) means scary, and 吓死我了 (xià sǐ wǒ le) means you scared me to death.
Common mistakes
- Mixing up 化装 (huà zhuāng), to dress up in costume, with 化妆 (huà zhuāng), to put on make-up; they sound identical but use different characters.
- Reading 吸血鬼 as xī xiě guǐ: in this compound 血 is xuè, while xiě is the colloquial reading when it stands alone, as in 流血了 (liú xiě le), it's bleeding.
Mini dialogue
- A万圣节你化装成什么？Wàn shèng jié nǐ huà zhuāng chéng shén me?What are you dressing up as for Halloween?
- B我想扮成吸血鬼，你呢？Wǒ xiǎng bàn chéng xī xuè guǐ, nǐ ne?I'm thinking of going as a vampire. You?
- A女巫，我已经买好服装了。Nǚ wū, wǒ yǐ jīng mǎi hǎo fú zhuāng le.A witch. I've already bought the costume.
- B晚上我们带孩子们去敲门要糖吧。Wǎn shang wǒ men dài hái zi men qù qiāo mén yào táng ba.Let's take the kids out knocking on doors for sweets this evening.
- A好啊，我家也准备了很多糖果。Hǎo a, wǒ jiā yě zhǔn bèi le hěn duō táng guǒ.Good idea. We've got loads of sweets ready at home too.
- B那就不用怕他们捣蛋了！Nà jiù bù yòng pà tā men dǎo dàn le!Then we needn't worry about any tricks!
Example sentences
- 万圣节在十月三十一号。Halloween is on October 31st.
- 孩子们在刻南瓜灯。The children are carving jack-o'-lanterns.
- "不给糖就捣蛋！""Trick or treat!"
- 我准备了很多糖果。I've got lots of sweets ready.
- 你万圣节化装成什么？What are you dressing up as for Halloween?
- 她的服装太酷了。Her costume is so cool.
- 那个房子里有鬼吗？Is that house haunted?
- 她扮成了一个女巫。She dressed up as a witch.
- 吸血鬼怕大蒜。Vampires are afraid of garlic.
- 门口挂着一个骷髅。There's a skeleton hanging by the door.
- 戴上面具没人认识你。With a mask on, no one recognises you.
- 家里挂满了假的蜘蛛网。The house is covered in fake cobwebs.
- 这个妆太吓人了！That make-up is so scary!
- 孩子们挨家挨户敲门要糖。The kids go door to door asking for sweets.
- 万圣节晚上看恐怖电影。Watching horror films on Halloween night.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Halloween speaking island has 8 everyday questions about Halloween to prepare your own answers to.