Useful Mandarin Phrases: Qingming Festival

Tomb-Sweeping Festival, a traditional Chinese holiday in honor of the ancestors, has arrived. Have you decided where to go? If you’re traveling domestically over the three-day holiday, you may want to put your Mandarin skills to the test along the journey. Regardless, here is a handy Qingming phrase guide, which covers everything from the name of the festival itself to its unique snacks.

Tomb-Sweeping Festival
清明节
Qīngmíngjié

Tomb sweeping
扫墓
Sǎomù

Burn paper money
烧纸钱
Shāozhǐqián

Fly kites
放风筝
Fàngfēngzhēng

Green rice balls made of rice flour and wormwood juice
青团
Qīngtuán

Can I have some green rice balls?
有青团吗
Yǒu qingtuan má?

Do you prefer sweet flavor or salty flavor?
你喜欢甜口的还是咸口的？
Nǐ xǐ huān tián kǒu de hái shì xián kǒu de?

What's the filling inside the green rice balls?
青团是什么馅儿的？
Qīngtuán shì shén me xiàn'er de?

Red bean paste
豆沙馅
Dòu shā xiàn

Salted egg yolk
咸蛋黄馅
Xián dàn huáng xiàn

Meat Floss
肉松
ròusōng

How much is it?
这个多少钱？
Zhègè duōshǎoqián?

What's your plan for the Tomb-Sweeping Festival?
清明节有什么安排吗？
Qīngmíngjié yǒu shén me ān pái ma?

Where did you go during the three-day holiday?
三天小长假你去哪里玩了啊？
Sāntiān xiǎochángjià nǐqù nǎlǐ wánle a?

Can I take a photo of this?
我能给这个拍张照吗？
Wǒ néng gěi zhè gè pāi zhāng zhào mā?

I don't eat meat/peanut/dairy products/seafood.
我不吃肉/花生/奶制品/海鲜。
Wǒ bú chī ròu/huā shēng/nǎi zhìpǐn/ hǎi xiān.

For more Useful Mandarin Phrase Guides, click here.

[Cover image via China.org]