Temple Fairs in Chinese 庙会
miàohuì
Temple fair in Chinese is 庙会 (miào huì).
Also searched for as: temple fair, fairs, chinese new year fair.
Snacks, shows and crowds at New Year. 15 words and phrases for Temple fairs 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.
A temple fair in Chinese is 庙会 (miào huì), a traditional fair held around Chinese New Year, especially in Beijing and northern China. You don't need to be religious to enjoy one: people go to 逛 (guàng), wander around, snacking on 糖葫芦 (táng hú lu), watching lion dances and acrobatics and browsing craft stalls. Expect it to be 人挤人 (rén jǐ rén), packed, but full of 年味 (nián wèi), that New Year feeling.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 庙会 | miào huì | temple fair |
| 逛 | guàng | to stroll around |
| 小吃 | xiǎo chī | snacks |
| 糖人 | táng rén | sugar figure |
| 糖葫芦 | táng hú lu | candied haws on a stick |
| 风车 | fēng chē | pinwheel |
| 杂技 | zá jì | acrobatics |
| 舞狮 | wǔ shī | lion dance |
| 摊位 | tān wèi | stall |
| 套圈 | tào quān | ring toss |
| 手工艺品 | shǒu gōng yì pǐn | handicrafts |
| 剪纸 | jiǎn zhǐ | paper-cutting |
| 祈福 | qí fú | to pray for good fortune |
| 人挤人 | rén jǐ rén | packed with people |
| 年味 | nián wèi | New Year atmosphere |
Usage tips
- 逛 (guàng) is the verb for wandering with no fixed goal; it pairs with places, as in 逛庙会 (guàng miào huì) or 逛街 (guàng jiē), and doubling it to 逛逛 makes it sound more casual.
- 糖葫芦 (táng hú lu) are traditionally hawthorn fruits coated in hard sugar on a bamboo skewer; count them with 串 (chuàn), as in 一串糖葫芦 (yī chuàn táng hú lu).
- 年味 (nián wèi), literally "New Year flavour", is the festive feeling people often say is missing from modern city life, so 很有年味 is high praise for a fair, market or street.
Common mistakes
- Using 走 (zǒu) for strolling round a fair → 走 is just walking; for browsing and wandering, say 逛 (guàng): 我们去逛庙会吧.
- Reading 糖葫芦 as táng hú lú → the last syllable is neutral tone: táng hú lu.
Mini dialogue
- A春节你有空吗？我们去逛庙会吧。Chūn jié nǐ yǒu kòng ma? Wǒ men qù guàng miào huì ba.Are you free over Spring Festival? Let's go to a temple fair.
- B好啊！听说庙会上人挤人。Hǎo a! Tīng shuō miào huì shang rén jǐ rén.Sure! Though I hear they're packed.
- A人多才有年味嘛。还可以吃很多小吃。Rén duō cái yǒu nián wèi ma. Hái kě yǐ chī hěn duō xiǎo chī.The crowds are what make it feel like New Year. And there are loads of snacks.
- B那我一定要买一串糖葫芦，再看看舞狮。Nà wǒ yī dìng yào mǎi yī chuàn táng hú lu, zài kàn kan wǔ shī.Then I'm definitely getting a stick of candied haws and watching the lion dance.
Example sentences
- 春节我们去逛庙会。We go to the temple fair at Spring Festival.
- 我们去地坛庙会逛逛。Let's go and wander around the Ditan temple fair.
- 庙会上有很多小吃。There are loads of snacks at the temple fair.
- 老爷爷在做糖人。The old man is making sugar figures.
- 我买了一串糖葫芦。I bought a stick of candied haws.
- 孩子手里拿着一个风车。The child is holding a pinwheel.
- 杂技表演太厉害了。The acrobatics show was amazing.
- 舞狮表演开始了！The lion dance is starting!
- 庙会上有几百个摊位。There are hundreds of stalls at the temple fair.
- 我玩套圈赢了一个小玩具。I won a little toy at the ring toss.
- 我买了一些手工艺品当礼物。I bought some handicrafts as presents.
- 她在教大家剪纸。She's teaching everyone paper-cutting.
- 很多人去庙里祈福。Lots of people go to the temple to pray for good luck.
- 庙会上人挤人。The temple fair is packed.
- 庙会很有年味。Temple fairs really feel like New Year.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Temple fairs speaking island has 8 everyday questions about Temple fairs to prepare your own answers to.