Hanukkah in Chinese 光明节
guāngmíngjié
Hanukkah in Chinese is 光明节 (guāng míng jié).
Also searched for as: chanukah, jewish festival of lights, menorah.
Eight nights of light. 15 words and phrases for Hanukkah 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.
Hanukkah in Chinese is 光明节 (guāng míng jié), the eight-day Jewish festival of lights. It remembers the rededication of the Temple, 圣殿 (shèng diàn), in Jerusalem and the 奇迹 (qí jì), or miracle, of a single day's oil lasting eight days. Each night families 点蜡烛 (diǎn là zhú), light candles, on the 烛台 (zhú tái), the menorah, adding one more each evening, and eat food fried in oil, such as latkes and doughnuts.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 光明节 | guāng míng jié | Hanukkah |
| 犹太教 | yóu tài jiào | Judaism |
| 犹太人 | yóu tài rén | Jewish people |
| 烛台 | zhú tái | menorah; candle stand |
| 点蜡烛 | diǎn là zhú | to light candles |
| 八天八夜 | bā tiān bā yè | eight days and nights |
| 奇迹 | qí jì | miracle |
| 圣殿 | shèng diàn | the Temple (in Jerusalem) |
| 油 | yóu | oil |
| 土豆饼 | tǔ dòu bǐng | potato pancakes (latkes) |
| 甜甜圈 | tián tián quān | doughnut |
| 陀螺 | tuó luó | spinning top (dreidel) |
| 礼物 | lǐ wù | presents |
| 祈祷 | qí dǎo | to pray |
| 窗边 | chuāng biān | by the window |
Usage tips
- 光明节 is sometimes also used loosely for Diwali, so if there's any doubt, add 犹太人的 (yóu tài rén de), "the Jewish", to make it clear which festival you mean.
- Hanukkah follows the Hebrew calendar, so its dates shift from year to year, beginning anywhere from late November to late December.
- The Hanukkah menorah has nine candle holders, 九个灯座 (jiǔ gè dēng zuò): one for each of the eight nights plus a helper candle used to light the others.
Common mistakes
- Using 犹太 on its own to mean "a Jew" → 犹太 (yóu tài) needs a noun after it: 犹太人 (yóu tài rén), Jewish people, or 犹太教 (yóu tài jiào), Judaism.
- Calling Hanukkah "Jewish Christmas", 犹太圣诞节 → the two festivals are unrelated and just fall at a similar time of year; say 光明节 (guāng míng jié).
- Counting candles with 个 (gè) → use 支 (zhī) or 根 (gēn), as in 一支蜡烛 (yī zhī là zhú).
Mini dialogue
- A你的犹太朋友请你去过光明节？Nǐ de yóu tài péng you qǐng nǐ qù guò guāng míng jié?Your Jewish friend's invited you for Hanukkah?
- B对，光明节一共八天，每天晚上多点一支蜡烛。Duì, guāng míng jié yī gòng bā tiān, měi tiān wǎn shang duō diǎn yī zhī là zhú.Yes. Hanukkah lasts eight days, and each night they light one more candle.
- A你们会吃什么？Nǐ men huì chī shén me?What will you eat?
- B她妈妈会煎土豆饼，还有甜甜圈。Tā mā ma huì jiān tǔ dòu bǐng, hái yǒu tián tián quān.Her mum's frying latkes, and there'll be doughnuts too.
- A为什么都是油炸的？Wèi shén me dōu shì yóu zhá de?Why is everything fried?
- B因为光明节纪念油烧了八天八夜的奇迹。Yīn wèi guāng míng jié jì niàn yóu shāo le bā tiān bā yè de qí jì.Because Hanukkah remembers the miracle of the oil that burned for eight days and nights.
Example sentences
- 光明节一共八天。Hanukkah lasts eight days.
- 光明节是犹太教的节日。Hanukkah is a Jewish festival.
- 我的犹太朋友请我过光明节。My Jewish friend invited me for Hanukkah.
- 光明节的烛台有九个灯座。The Hanukkah menorah has nine branches.
- 每天晚上多点一支蜡烛。You light one more candle each night.
- 油烧了八天八夜。The oil burned for eight days and nights.
- 光明节纪念一个奇迹。Hanukkah remembers a miracle.
- 这个故事发生在耶路撒冷的圣殿。The story took place at the Temple in Jerusalem.
- 光明节吃用油炸的东西。At Hanukkah you eat food fried in oil.
- 妈妈在煎土豆饼。Mum's frying latkes.
- 光明节也吃甜甜圈。You eat doughnuts at Hanukkah too.
- 孩子们在玩陀螺。The children are playing with a dreidel.
- 孩子们每天晚上收到小礼物。Children get little presents each night.
- 点蜡烛的时候一起祈祷。People say prayers while lighting the candles.
- 烛台放在窗边。The menorah is placed by the window.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Hanukkah speaking island has 8 everyday questions about Hanukkah to prepare your own answers to.