Chinese red envelopes 中国红包

Lauren Mack

中國文化中“红包”指什么？有什么意义和忌讳呢？

1 A red envelope （hóngbāo） is simply a long， narrow， red envelope. Nowadays， red envelopes are often decorated with gold Chinese characters， such as happiness and wealth.

●How red envelopes are used

2 During the Chinese New Year， money is put inside red envelopes which are then handed out to younger generations by their parents， grandparents， relatives， and even close neighbors and friends. Unlike a Western greeting card， red envelopes given in the Chinese New Year are typically left unsigned. For birthdays or weddings， a short message， typically a four?character expression， and signature are optional.

●The color

3 Red symbolizes luck and good fortune in Chinese culture. That is why red envelopes are used in the Chinese New Year and other celebratory events. Other envelope colors are used for other types of occasions. For example， in China， white envelopes are usually used for funerals.

●How to give and receive

4 Giving and receiving red envelopes， gifts， and even name cards is a solemn （庄严的） act. Therefore， red envelopes， gifts， and name cards are always presented with both hands and also received with both hands.

●The amount

5 If you go to a wedding， the money in the red envelope should be equivalent to a nice gift. As with the Chinese New Year， the amount of money is relative to your relationship with the recipient—the closer your relationship is to him or her， the more money is expected. Less money is given for birthdays than other holidays.

●What not to gift

6 For all occasions， certain amounts of money are to be avoided. Anything with a four is best avoided because four （sì， 四） sounds similar to death （sǐ， 死） in Chinese. Even numbers， except four， are better than odd numbers—as good things are believed to come in pairs. For example， gifting $20 is better than $21. Eight is a particularly lucky number.

7 The money inside a red envelope should be new and crisp. Folding the money or giving dirty or wrinkled bills is in bad taste. Coins and checks are avoided， for the former is not worth much and the latter is not widely used in Asia.

[Reading][Check]

Ⅰ. Choose the best answers according to the text

Discourse    1. How is the text developed？

A. By raising questions.

B. By following the time order.

C. By giving examples.

D. By listing points.

Vocabulary  2. Which word has the closest meaning to the underlined word “optional” in paragraph 2？

A. Essential. B. Flexible.

C. Important. D. Separate.

Detail    3. What can we learn about red envelopes according to the text？

A. They should be left unsigned when you go to a wedding.

B. Giving red envelopes is seen as a serious thing.

C. The amount of money is decided by holidays.

D. Checks can also be used in red envelopes.

Detail   4. Which of the following gifting of a red envelope is proper？

A. Gifting $41 at a wedding.

B. Gifting a check at the Chinese New Year.

C. Gifting $88 on New Years Eve.

D. Gifting 88 coins for a birthday.

Ⅱ.  Fill in each blank with only one word according to the text

[Language][Study]

Complete the following phrases according to the text

1. 紅包            red

2. 用……装饰   bewith

3. 分发            hand

4. 被用于         befor

5. 相当于         beto

6. 与……相关   beto