Qingming (Tomb-Sweeping Day) in Chinese 清明节
Qīngmíngjié
Qingming Festival in Chinese is 清明节 (qīng míng jié).
Also searched for as: tomb sweeping day, qing ming, ching ming festival.
A day to remember the family who came before. 15 words and phrases for Qingming Festival 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.
Qingming in Chinese is 清明节 (qīng míng jié), often translated as Tomb-Sweeping Day, and it falls in early April. It's a time to 扫墓 (sǎo mù), tending family graves and remembering 祖先 (zǔ xiān), one's ancestors, but it's also a spring festival, when people go 踏青 (tà qīng) and fly kites. These words help you talk about it respectfully and understand what friends mean when they head home for it.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 清明节 | Qīng míng jié | Qingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day) |
| 扫墓 | sǎo mù | to sweep the graves |
| 祖先 | zǔ xiān | ancestors |
| 墓地 | mù dì | cemetery |
| 祭祖 | jì zǔ | to make offerings to ancestors |
| 献花 | xiàn huā | to lay flowers |
| 烧纸 | shāo zhǐ | to burn joss paper |
| 缅怀 | miǎn huái | to remember (the dead) |
| 思念 | sī niàn | to miss; longing |
| 踏青 | tà qīng | to go for a spring outing |
| 放风筝 | fàng fēng zheng | to fly kites |
| 青团 | qīng tuán | qingtuan (green rice dumpling) |
| 细雨 | xì yǔ | drizzle |
| 节气 | jié qi | solar term |
| 放假 | fàng jià | to have the day off |
Usage tips
- 清明 is one of the 24 solar terms, 节气 (jié qi), so its date follows the sun rather than the lunar calendar and lands on 4 or 5 April in most years.
- 扫墓 (sǎo mù) literally means sweeping the grave, but it covers the whole visit: clearing weeds, 献花 (xiàn huā), laying flowers, and leaving food; some families still 烧纸 (shāo zhǐ), burn joss paper, while others just bring flowers.
- 缅怀 (miǎn huái) is a formal word used in speeches and articles; in everyday conversation people say they 想念 (xiǎng niàn) or 思念 (sī niàn) relatives who have passed away.
Common mistakes
- Wishing someone 清明节快乐 → it's a day of remembrance, so leave out 快乐; some people send 清明安康 (qīng míng ān kāng), "peace and good health", but simply asking about their plans is safest.
- Mixing up 扫墓 (sǎo mù) and 扫地 (sǎo dì) → both use 扫, to sweep, but 扫地 is sweeping the floor; only 扫墓 is about graves.
Mini dialogue
- A清明节放假你回老家吗？Qīng míng jié fàng jià nǐ huí lǎo jiā ma?Are you going back to your hometown over the Qingming holiday?
- B回，我们每年都回去给爷爷扫墓。Huí, wǒ men měi nián dōu huí qù gěi yé ye sǎo mù.Yes, we go back every year to tend Grandpa's grave.
- A路上小心，这几天常常下细雨。Lù shang xiǎo xīn, zhè jǐ tiān cháng cháng xià xì yǔ.Take care on the road, it's been drizzling a lot lately.
- B谢谢。扫完墓我们还会去踏青。Xiè xie. Sǎo wán mù wǒ men hái huì qù tà qīng.Thanks. After visiting the grave we'll go for a spring walk too.
Example sentences
- 清明节在四月初。Qingming is in early April.
- 清明节我们回老家扫墓。At Qingming we go back to our hometown to tend the graves.
- 我们纪念祖先。We remember our ancestors.
- 墓地在山上。The cemetery is up the mountain.
- 很多家庭在清明节祭祖。Many families make offerings to their ancestors at Qingming.
- 我们给爷爷献了花。We laid flowers for grandpa.
- 有的地方还会烧纸。Some places still burn joss paper.
- 大家缅怀去世的亲人。Everyone remembers family members who have passed away.
- 清明节让人思念家人。Qingming makes you miss your family.
- 清明也是踏青的好时候。Qingming is also a good time for a spring walk.
- 清明前后很多人放风筝。Lots of people fly kites around Qingming.
- 江南人清明节吃青团。People south of the Yangtze eat qingtuan at Qingming.
- 清明时节常常下细雨。It often drizzles around Qingming.
- 清明也是二十四节气之一。Qingming is also one of the 24 solar terms.
- 清明节放三天假。We get three days off for Qingming.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Qingming Festival speaking island has 8 everyday questions about Qingming Festival to prepare your own answers to.