
新的一年,很多同学又收到了长辈发的压岁钱。不管红包大小,都饱含着长辈无限的爱意。
你知道压岁钱这种传统习俗最早起源于哪个朝代吗?
是西汉。只不过,当时长辈给小辈的并不是市场上流通的货币,而是一种专门用来“压岁”的货币,叫“厌胜”钱,“厌胜”的原意是“以诅咒压服其人”。那“厌胜”钱“压服”的是什么呢?请看下面的简单说明。
The custom of giving red envelopes originates in some of the oldest stories of Chinese New Year. As the legend goes, a demon known as 'Sui' terrorized children while they slept on New Year’s Eve, and parents would try to keep their children awake all night to protect them. One New Year, a child was given eight coins to play with to keep him awake, but he couldn't keep his eyes open and eventually drifted off with the coins on his pillow. Sui appeared, but as he went to touch the child, the coins (actually the Eight Immortals in disguise) produced a powerful light that drove the demon away. Today the envelope, symbolic of the coins, is sometimes known as the yasui qian, or "suppressing Sui money".
压岁钱习俗源于春节的古老传说。传说中,一个名为“祟”的恶魔在除夕夜会吓醒熟睡的孩子,父母则会努力让孩子整夜不睡来保护他们。有一年的春节,有人给一个孩子八枚铜钱,让他玩着保持清醒,但孩子还是忍不住睡着了,铜钱被他放在枕边。祟出现了,但当它试图触摸孩子时,铜钱(实际是八仙的化身)发出一道强光,将恶魔赶走了。如今,红包作为铜钱的象征,被称为“压岁钱”,即“驱邪的钱”。

While the tradition centers on children, red envelopes are given to friends, family, colleagues and many other relatives - and different amounts of money are customary for each relation. For example, parents and grandparents get the most, but employees and even casual acquaintances can expect a red envelope.
虽然这一传统主要以孩子为中心,但人们也会送给朋友、家人、同事以及其他亲戚红包——不同的关系会收到不同的金额。例如,父母和祖父母通常会收到最多的红包,但员工甚至普通熟人也会收到红包。

There are rules and customs to red envelope-giving. For example, only clean, crisp notes should be put into a hóngbāo. In the lead-up to New Year’s, there are often long queues at banks as people try to exchange their old and crumpled bills.
送红包是有规则和习俗的。例如,只有干净、崭新的钞票才能放入红包。在新年前夕,银行门口常常排起长队,人们将旧的、皱巴巴的钞票兑换成新钞票。
In the 21st Century, many people exchange digital red envelopes instead of the traditional paper ones. These are virtual packets of very real cash, transferred directly to friends’ and family’s smartphones. Users can even send digital hóngbāo to their favorite celebrities.
在21世纪,许多人发的是电子红包,而不是传统的纸质红包。这些是虚拟的红包,里面装着实实在在的现金,直接转账到朋友和家人的智能手机上。人们甚至可以向喜欢的名人发送电子红包。

The amount given in red envelopes never includes the number ‘4’ - that means no 4, 40, or 400 amounts - as the pronunciation of ‘four’ in Chinese sounds like the word for death. However, amounts including the number ‘8’ will bring good luck and prosperity. Go ‘8’!
红包里的金额从不包含数字“4”——也就是说,没有4、40或400这样的金额——因为在中文中,“四”的发音听起来像“死”这个词。然而,包含数字“8”的金额会带来好运和繁荣。加油“8”!

There are rules on how to properly receive an envelope. Traditionally, children would kneel to receive their hóngbāo from older family members, and this is still practiced in some areas of China. Red envelopes are also always given and received with both hands, and should never be opened in the presence of the present-giver. Worth remembering if you ever receive a red envelope!
接收红包也有一定的规则。传统中,孩子会跪下来从长辈那里接过红包,这一习俗在中国的一些地区仍然保留着。人们双手送出红包,双手收红包,并且,永远不该在送红包的人面前打开。如果你收到红包,一定要记住这一点! |
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