The Spring Festival Gala in Chinese 春晚
chūnwǎn
The Spring Festival Gala in Chinese is 春晚 (chūn wǎn).
Also searched for as: Chunwan, CCTV New Year's Gala, Spring Festival Gala, Chinese New Year TV show, CNY Gala.
The TV show the whole country has on during dinner. 15 words and phrases for The Spring Festival Gala 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 Spring Festival Gala in Chinese is 春晚 (chūn wǎn), short for 春节联欢晚会 (chūn jié lián huān wǎn huì), the variety show broadcast live by 央视 (Yāng shì) every Chinese New Year's Eve since 1983. Lasting several hours, it mixes 小品 (xiǎo pǐn) sketches, crosstalk, acrobatics and song, and for many families it plays in the background of the reunion dinner right up to the midnight countdown.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 春晚 | chūn wǎn | Spring Festival Gala |
| 春节联欢晚会 | chūn jié lián huān wǎn huì | Spring Festival Gala (full name) |
| 央视 | Yāng shì | CCTV (China Central Television) |
| 直播 | zhí bō | live broadcast |
| 节目 | jié mù | programme; act |
| 小品 | xiǎo pǐn | comedy sketch |
| 相声 | xiàng sheng | crosstalk (comic dialogue) |
| 魔术 | mó shù | magic act; magic trick |
| 杂技 | zá jì | acrobatics |
| 歌舞 | gē wǔ | song and dance |
| 主持人 | zhǔ chí rén | host; presenter |
| 倒计时 | dào jì shí | countdown |
| 吐槽 | tǔ cáo | to make fun of; to rant about |
| 背景音 | bèi jǐng yīn | background noise |
| 收视率 | shōu shì lǜ | viewing figures; ratings |
Usage tips
- 小品 (xiǎo pǐn) and 相声 (xiàng sheng) are both comedy, but 小品 is a short acted sketch with a storyline, while 相声 is fast verbal comedy built on wordplay, usually performed by a pair standing side by side.
- Talking about the Gala the next day is a social ritual: 你看春晚了吗？ and 哪个节目最好看？ are easy conversation starters, and online 吐槽 (tǔ cáo) about it has become part of the fun.
- 节目 (jié mù) means a TV programme but also each act within a show, so 春晚的节目 usually means the individual performances; count them with 个 (gè).
Common mistakes
- Calling it a party with 派对 (pài duì) → an evening gala or variety show is a 晚会 (wǎn huì), and everyone just says 春晚.
- Reading 相声 as xiàng shēng → the second syllable is neutral tone: xiàng sheng.
- Reading 率 in 收视率 as shuài → here it's lǜ, as in 效率 (xiào lǜ), so the word is shōu shì lǜ.
Mini dialogue
- A昨天晚上你看春晚了吗？Zuó tiān wǎn shang nǐ kàn chūn wǎn le ma?Did you watch the Gala last night?
- B看了，一边吃年夜饭一边看，就当背景音。Kàn le, yī biān chī nián yè fàn yī biān kàn, jiù dàng bèi jǐng yīn.Yes, we had it on during dinner, just as background noise.
- A你最喜欢哪个节目？Nǐ zuì xǐ huan nǎ ge jié mù?Which act did you like best?
- B那个魔术不错，小品也挺好笑的。Nà ge mó shù bù cuò, xiǎo pǐn yě tǐng hǎo xiào de.The magic act was good, and the sketches were pretty funny.
Example sentences
- 你今年看春晚了吗？Did you watch the Gala this year?
- 春节联欢晚会每年除夕晚上直播。The Spring Festival Gala is broadcast live every New Year's Eve.
- 春晚是央视办的。The Gala is put on by CCTV.
- 全国几亿人一起看直播。Hundreds of millions of people watch it live together.
- 你最喜欢哪个节目？Which act did you like best?
- 我最爱看春晚的小品。The comedy sketches are my favourite part of the Gala.
- 今年的相声不太好笑。This year's crosstalk wasn't very funny.
- 那个魔术是怎么变的？How did they do that magic trick?
- 杂技节目太惊险了！The acrobatics act was so nerve-racking!
- 开场是一个大型歌舞。It opens with a big song-and-dance number.
- 春晚一般有好几个主持人。The Gala usually has several hosts.
- 零点前主持人带大家倒计时。Just before midnight the hosts lead everyone in the countdown.
- 看春晚最好玩的是在网上吐槽。The best bit of watching the Gala is roasting it online.
- 春晚就是年夜饭的背景音。The Gala is basically background noise for New Year's Eve dinner.
- 有人说春晚的收视率不如以前了。Some say the Gala's ratings aren't what they used to be.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The The Spring Festival Gala speaking island has 8 everyday questions about The Spring Festival Gala to prepare your own answers to.