New Year's Eve & New Year's Day in Chinese 跨年和元旦
kuànián hé Yuándàn
Happy New Year in Chinese is 新年快乐 (xīn nián kuài lè).
Also searched for as: happy new year, new years eve, countdown.
Out with the old, in with the new. 15 words and phrases for New Year's Eve & Day 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.
In Chinese, New Year's Day on 1 January is 元旦 (Yuán dàn), quite separate from 春节 (Chūn jié), the Lunar New Year. Seeing in the new year is 跨年 (kuà nián), literally 'stepping across the year', and it has become a big night out in Chinese cities, with countdowns, concerts and televised 跨年晚会 (kuà nián wǎn huì). These words cover everything from the 倒计时 (dào jì shí), countdown, to sending 新年快乐 (xīn nián kuài lè) messages after midnight.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 跨年 | kuà nián | to see in the New Year |
| 元旦 | Yuán dàn | New Year's Day |
| 新年快乐 | xīn nián kuài lè | Happy New Year |
| 倒计时 | dào jì shí | countdown |
| 零点 | líng diǎn | midnight |
| 烟花 | yān huā | fireworks |
| 跨年晚会 | kuà nián wǎn huì | New Year's Eve party or show |
| 钟声 | zhōng shēng | the bells; chimes |
| 新年愿望 | xīn nián yuàn wàng | New Year's resolution |
| 新的一年 | xīn de yī nián | the new year |
| 香槟 | xiāng bīn | champagne |
| 熬夜 | áo yè | to stay up late |
| 祝福 | zhù fú | good wishes |
| 回顾 | huí gù | to look back on |
| 辞旧迎新 | cí jiù yíng xīn | to see out the old and welcome the new |
Usage tips
- 元旦 is a short public holiday in mainland China, while the big family festival is Spring Festival a few weeks later, so 新年 (xīn nián) can mean either; say 元旦 or 春节 if there's any doubt.
- 新年快乐 works for both 1 January and Chinese New Year, but 过年好 (guò nián hǎo) belongs to the Lunar New Year and sounds odd on 1 January.
- New Year's Eve is 跨年夜 (kuà nián yè), and 你在哪儿跨年？ (nǐ zài nǎr kuà nián?) is the natural way to ask where someone is spending it.
Common mistakes
- Translating New Year's Eve as 除夕 (chú xī): that is the eve of the Lunar New Year, so for 31 December say 跨年夜 (kuà nián yè).
- Translating 'resolution' as 决心 (jué xīn), which means determination; a New Year's resolution is 新年愿望 (xīn nián yuàn wàng) or 新年目标 (xīn nián mù biāo).
Mini dialogue
- A你打算在哪儿跨年？Nǐ dǎ suàn zài nǎr kuà nián?Where are you planning to see in the New Year?
- B我们去河边看烟花，然后一起倒计时。Wǒ men qù hé biān kàn yān huā, rán hòu yī qǐ dào jì shí.We're going down to the river to watch the fireworks and do the countdown together.
- A人肯定特别多吧？Rén kěn dìng tè bié duō ba?It'll be packed, surely?
- B是啊，不过零点听到钟声的时候特别有感觉。Shì a, bù guò líng diǎn tīng dào zhōng shēng de shí hou tè bié yǒu gǎn jué.It will, but hearing the bells at midnight is really special.
- A那我在家看跨年晚会吧。Nà wǒ zài jiā kàn kuà nián wǎn huì ba.I think I'll stay in and watch a New Year's Eve show.
- B好，提前祝你新年快乐！Hǎo, tí qián zhù nǐ xīn nián kuài lè!OK. Happy New Year in advance!
Example sentences
- 你在哪儿跨年？Where are you seeing in the New Year?
- 元旦放一天假。We get a day off for New Year's Day.
- 新年快乐！祝你万事如意！Happy New Year! Hope everything goes well for you!
- 大家一起倒计时：十、九、八……Everyone counted down together: ten, nine, eight…
- 零点的时候放烟花。There are fireworks at midnight.
- 泰晤士河边的烟花特别美。The fireworks by the Thames are stunning.
- 电视上有好几个跨年晚会。There are several New Year's Eve shows on TV.
- 听到钟声，新年就到了。When you hear the bells, the New Year's here.
- 你的新年愿望是什么？What's your New Year's resolution?
- 新的一年，我想多运动。In the new year, I want to exercise more.
- 零点的时候我们开了一瓶香槟。We opened a bottle of champagne at midnight.
- 跨年夜大家都熬夜。Everyone stays up late on New Year's Eve.
- 我给朋友发了新年祝福。I sent New Year wishes to my friends.
- 回顾这一年，我学到了很多。Looking back on the year, I've learned a lot.
- 我们一起辞旧迎新。We saw out the old year and welcomed the new one together.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The New Year's Eve & Day speaking island has 8 everyday questions about New Year's Eve & Day to prepare your own answers to.