Level: All Levels | Topics: 6 | Est. Time: Self-paced
The most important holiday in China. Think Christmas × Thanksgiving × New Year's Eve, combined.
When: Lunar New Year (late January to mid-February)
What Happens:
Essential Phrases:
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 新年快乐 | Xīnnián kuàilè | Happy New Year |
| 恭喜发财 | Gōngxǐ fācái | Wishing you prosperity |
| 万事如意 | Wànshì rúyì | May all your wishes come true |
When: 15th day of the 8th lunar month (usually September)
The Legend: Hou Yi shot down 9 of the 10 suns, was rewarded with an immortality elixir. His wife Chang'e drank it to protect it from a thief, floated to the moon, and lives there still.
What You Do:
When: 5th day of the 5th lunar month (usually June)
Commemorates: Qu Yuan, a patriotic poet who drowned himself in protest of corruption. Locals raced boats to save him and threw rice dumplings into the water so fish would eat those instead of his body.
What You Do:
| Cuisine | Region | Famous Dish | Flavor Profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 川菜 Chuāncài | Sichuan | 麻婆豆腐 Mapo Tofu | Spicy + numbing (花椒 huājiāo) |
| 粤菜 Yuècài | Guangdong | 点心 Dim Sum | Fresh, light, seafood |
| 鲁菜 Lǔcài | Shandong | 糖醋里脊 Sweet & Sour Pork | Salty, crispy |
| 苏菜 Sūcài | Jiangsu | 松鼠桂鱼 Squirrel Fish | Sweet, braised |
| 浙菜 Zhècài | Zhejiang | 东坡肉 Dongpo Pork | Fresh, mellow |
| 闽菜 Mǐncài | Fujian | 佛跳墙 Buddha Jumps Wall | Umami, soup-based |
| 湘菜 Xiāngcài | Hunan | 剁椒鱼头 Fish Head with Chili | Hot, sour, smoky |
| 徽菜 Huīcài | Anhui | 臭鳜鱼 Stinky Mandarin Fish | Wild, preserved |
| Do ✅ | Don't ❌ |
|---|---|
| Tap the table with two fingers when someone pours your tea (means "thank you") | Stick chopsticks vertically in rice (looks like funeral incense) |
| Say 慢慢吃 (mànman chī) — "eat slowly, enjoy" | Point at people with chopsticks |
| The host orders more food than needed (abundance = generosity) | Finish every dish completely (implies host didn't order enough) |
| Fight to pay the bill — it's a ritual! | Split the bill evenly (the host/elder pays) |
| Order | Animal | Chinese | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rat 🐭 | 鼠 shǔ | 2020, 2032... |
| 2 | Ox 🐮 | 牛 niú | 2021, 2033... |
| 3 | Tiger 🐯 | 虎 hǔ | 2022, 2034... |
| 4 | Rabbit 🐰 | 兔 tù | 2023, 2035... |
| 5 | Dragon 🐲 | 龙 lóng | 2024, 2036... |
| 6 | Snake 🐍 | 蛇 shé | 2025, 2037... |
| 7 | Horse 🐴 | 马 mǎ | 2026, 2038... |
| 8 | Goat 🐑 | 羊 yáng | 2027, 2039... |
| 9 | Monkey 🐵 | 猴 hóu | 2028, 2040... |
| 10 | Rooster 🐔 | 鸡 jī | 2029, 2041... |
| 11 | Dog 🐶 | 狗 gǒu | 2030, 2042... |
| 12 | Pig 🐷 | 猪 zhū | 2031, 2043... |
"你属什么？" (Nǐ shǔ shénme?) — "What's your zodiac animal?"
This is one of the most common small-talk questions in China, right after "Where are you from?"
Guanxi is China's social capital system. It's the network of relationships, favors, and mutual obligations that underpins Chinese business and social life.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 关系 | guānxi | Connections, relationships, networks |
| 面子 | miànzi | "Face" — reputation, dignity, social standing |
| 人情 | rénqíng | Human feeling, the obligation of favors |
| 给面子 | gěi miànzi | To give face — to show respect publicly |
| 丢脸 | diūliǎn | To lose face — public embarrassment |
In China, who you know often matters as much as what you know. Building and maintaining guanxi is a lifelong practice. Gifts, favors, meals together — these are not bribes; they're relationship maintenance.
| Philosophy | Core Idea | Key Text | Famous Quote |
|---|---|---|---|
| **Confucianism** 儒家 | Social harmony through proper relationships | 论语 Analects | 己所不欲，勿施于人。(Don't do to others what you don't want done to you.) |
| **Daoism** 道家 | Live in harmony with the Dao (the Way) | 道德经 Dao De Jing | 道可道，非常道。(The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao.) |
| **Buddhism** 佛教 | Liberation from suffering | 心经 Heart Sutra | 色即是空，空即是色。(Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.) |
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| 📱 Mobile Payments | Over 90% of urban transactions are cashless (WeChat/Alipay) |
| 🚄 High-Speed Rail | China has more HSR track than the rest of the world combined |
| 🛒 E-commerce | Singles' Day (11.11) is the world's biggest shopping event |
| 🎮 Gaming | The world's largest gaming market |
| ☕ Coffee Culture | Luckin Coffee has more stores in China than Starbucks |
| Slang | Pinyin | Literally | Actually Means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 内卷 | nèijuǎn | Involution | Hyper-competition, rat race |
| 躺平 | tǎngpíng | Lie flat | Opting out of the rat race |
| 社恐 | shèkǒng | Social fear | Social anxiety |
| 凡尔赛 | Fán'ěrsài | Versailles | Humble-bragging |
| 破防了 | pò fáng le | Broke defense | Emotionally overwhelmed |
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