HSK 4 · Lesson 30当新年到来的时候 When the New Year comes

Festivals and traditions: New Year, red envelopes, a festival. 当…的时候 “when”, 自…起 “starting from”, 一切 / 所有 / 全部 / 全都 / 整个 “all, every, whole”.

Speed:Male voice:

Dialogues

Spring Festival

A
春节快到了，你们家怎么庆祝？
Chūnjié kuài dào le, nǐmen jiā zěnme qìngzhù?
Spring Festival is coming — how does your family celebrate?
B
全家人一起包饺子、吃饭、看电视，整个晚上都很热闹。
Quán jiā rén yìqǐ bāo jiǎozi, chī fàn, kàn diànshì, zhěnggè wǎnshang dōu hěn rènao.
The whole family makes dumplings, eats and watches TV together — it’s lively all evening.
A
听说孩子们能拿到红包？
Tīngshuō háizimen néng nádào hóngbāo?
I hear the children get red envelopes?
B
对，爷爷奶奶给孩子们红包，祝他们新年快乐。
Duì, yéye nǎinai gěi háizimen hóngbāo, zhù tāmen xīnnián kuàilè.
Yes, the grandparents give the children red envelopes and wish them a happy New Year.
A
当新年到来的时候，大家做什么？
Dāng xīnnián dàolái de shíhou, dàjiā zuò shénme?
What does everyone do when the New Year arrives?
B
大家互相祝贺，说“新年好！”
Dàjiā hùxiāng zhùhè, shuō “Xīnnián hǎo!”
Everyone congratulates each other: “Happy New Year!”

A culture festival

A
下个月学校要举办一个文化节，有许多活动。
Xià ge yuè xuéxiào yào jǔbàn yí ge wénhuàjié, yǒu xǔduō huódòng.
Next month the school is holding a culture festival with lots of activities.
B
都有什么活动？
Dōu yǒu shénme huódòng?
What kind of activities?
A
有各个民族的歌和表演，非常多样。中国有五十六个民族。
Yǒu gège mínzú de gē hé biǎoyǎn, fēicháng duōyàng. Zhōngguó yǒu wǔshíliù ge mínzú.
Songs and performances of different ethnic groups — very varied. China has fifty-six ethnic groups.
B
太好了！什么时候举行？
Tài hǎo le! Shénme shíhou jǔxíng?
Great! When will it be held?
A
自下周一起，一共三天。所有同学都可以参加。
Zì xià zhōuyī qǐ, yígòng sān tiān. Suǒyǒu tóngxué dōu kěyǐ cānjiā.
Starting next Monday, three days in all. Every student can take part.
B
我们班全都报名了！去年的一切我都还记得，当时太热闹了。
Wǒmen bān quándōu bàomíng le! Qùnián de yíqiè wǒ dōu hái jìde, dāngshí tài rènao le.
Our whole class has signed up! I still remember everything from last year — it was so lively then.

New words

📝 Worksheet for this lesson

Grammar

1. 当…（的时候） “when”

当 + event + 的时候 / 时，…

当 dāng at the start of a sentence means “when, at the moment when” and sounds more formal than plain …的时候: 当新年到来的时候，大家互相祝贺 “when the New Year arrives, everyone exchanges greetings”. The written form is 当…时. 当时 means “at that time” (in the past). (Lesson 3 had the other 当, “to be, to work as”.)

当我到家的时候，他们已经吃完饭了。
Dāng wǒ dào jiā de shíhou, tāmen yǐjīng chīwán fàn le.
When I got home, they had already eaten.
当时我才十岁。
Dāngshí wǒ cái shí suì.
I was only ten at the time.

2. 自 “from, since” (written)

自 is the written “from, since” (= 从): 自下周一起 “starting next Monday”, 自明天起 “from tomorrow”. You already know 来自 “come from”: 我来自俄罗斯. In notices: 自即日起 “effective today”.

自下周一起，图书馆晚上开到十点。
Zì xià zhōuyī qǐ, túshūguǎn wǎnshang kāidào shí diǎn.
From next Monday the library will be open till ten at night.

3. 一切, 所有, 全部, 全都, 整个

All five mean “all”, but differently. 一切 is “everything” (on its own): 一切都好 “everything’s fine”, 去年的一切. 所有 is “all” before a noun: 所有同学. 全部 is “all of, entirely”: 全部的钱, 钱全部花完了. 全都 is the adverb “all, without exception”: 我们班全都报名了. 整个 is “whole” of one thing: 整个晚上 “the whole evening”. 整 is “exactly, whole”: 十点整 “ten o’clock sharp”.

祝你一切都好！
Zhù nǐ yíqiè dōu hǎo!
I wish you all the best!
钱全部花完了。
Qián quánbù huāwán le.
The money is all spent.
会议十点整开始。
Huìyì shí diǎn zhěng kāishǐ.
The meeting starts at ten sharp.

4. Festive words

庆祝 is “to celebrate”: 庆祝春节; 祝贺 “to congratulate (on a success, an event)”: 祝贺你！; 祝 “to wish”: 祝你生日快乐. 举办 is “to organise, to host” (someone holds it), 举行 “to hold, to take place” (the event happens): 学校举办文化节, 比赛在北京举行. 热闹 is “lively, bustling”, 红包 “a red envelope of money”, 民族 “an ethnic group, a nation”.

比赛在北京举行。
Bǐsài zài Běijīng jǔxíng.
The competition is being held in Beijing.
母亲节我送了妈妈一些鲜花。
Mǔqīn Jié wǒ sòngle māma yìxiē xiānhuā.
On Mother’s Day I gave Mum some flowers.

Exercises

1. Listen and choose the translation

  1. Answer
    祝你生日快乐！ Zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè! — Happy birthday!

  2. Answer
    这儿周末很热闹。 Zhèr zhōumò hěn rènao. — It’s very lively here at the weekend.

  3. Answer
    当时我才十岁。 Dāngshí wǒ cái shí suì. — I was only ten at the time.

  4. Answer
    会议十点整开始。 Huìyì shí diǎn zhěng kāishǐ. — The meeting starts at ten sharp.

2. Choose the correct option

  1. ___新年到来的时候，大家互相祝贺。

    Answer
    当
  2. “The whole evening”

    Answer
    整个晚上
  3. ___同学都可以参加。

    Answer
    所有
  4. “All the best!”

    Answer
    祝你一切都好！

3. Build the sentence

  1. It was lively all evening.

    Answer
    整个晚上都很热闹。 Zhěnggè wǎnshang dōu hěn rènao.
  2. Starting next Monday, three days in all.

    Answer
    自下周一起，一共三天。 Zì xià zhōuyī qǐ, yígòng sān tiān.
  3. Our whole class has signed up.

    Answer
    我们班全都报名了。 Wǒmen bān quándōu bàomíng le.
  4. The school is holding a culture festival.

    Answer
    学校要举办一个文化节。 Xuéxiào yào jǔbàn yí ge wénhuàjié.

4. Dialogue: answer as the speaker

You are speaker B. Pick the right reply and the conversation goes on.

A
听说你考上大学了，祝贺你！
Tīngshuō nǐ kǎoshang dàxué le, zhùhè nǐ!
I hear you got into university — congratulations!
B
谢谢！我们家晚上要庆祝一下。
Xièxie! Wǒmen jiā wǎnshang yào qìngzhù yíxià.
Thanks! My family’s celebrating this evening.
A
亲戚们都来吗？
Qīnqimen dōu lái ma?
Are all the relatives coming?
B
全都来，一定很热闹。
Quándōu lái, yídìng hěn rènao.
Every one of them — it’ll be really lively.
A
祝你大学生活一切顺利！
Zhù nǐ dàxué shēnghuó yíqiè shùnlì!
I wish you every success at university!
B
谢谢你！有空来我家玩。
Xièxie nǐ! Yǒu kòng lái wǒ jiā wán.
Thank you! Come round when you’re free.

5. Translate into Chinese

  1. When I woke up, it was already light.
    Answer
    当我醒来的时候，天已经亮了。
  2. Starting tomorrow I’ll start running.
    Answer
    自明天起，我开始跑步。
  3. I wish you success in everything!
    Answer
    祝你一切顺利！

💡 Did you know?: Red envelopes

At Spring Festival elders give children 红包 hóngbāo — red envelopes with money: red brings good luck. Envelopes are also given at weddings and birthdays. Since 2014 there have been “digital red envelopes” in WeChat — sent to friends and colleagues, and in group chats people “grab” them for fun: whoever taps first gets one, with a random amount each.

Phrase audio — Microsoft speech synthesis (voices Xiaoxiao, Yunyang, Yunxi); syllables and some words — native recordings (audio-cmn, CC BY-SA).