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New Year's Eve Family Dinner

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IN THIS LESSON
ID: 2836 Upper Intermediate
  年夜饭 Nián yèfàn is the large family dinner that kick-starts the festive season. It happens the night before the start of the Chinese New Year (Spring Festival). In this lesson we learn about some of the foods eaten at this time, some traditions, and also how some people like to eat out instead of going home.
Thu Feb 04 2016 | Fiona Tian, Constance Fang
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Detailed Vocabulary
Each lesson has it's unique vocabulary and will provide you with definitions and recordings so you can practice the pronunciation. You will also be able to grasp the core material of a lesson at a glance. Here we're showing you the Simplified Chinese version.
SIMPLIFIED PINYIN ENGLISH  
居然 jūrán unexpectedly
如今 rújīn nowadays
年味儿 niánwèir5 Chinese New Year festivities
激动 jīdòng stirred up; excited
天呐！再过一个多月居然又要过年了又老了一岁咯。
tiān ！zài guò yī ge duō yuè jūrán yòu yào guònián le yòu lǎo le yī suì lo 。
Gosh! After just one more month another year will be gone and I'll be another year older.
谁说不是呢！可如今的年味儿是越来越淡了，不像小时候，一到过年就激动兴奋得不得了！
shéi shuō bùshì ne ！kě rújīn de niánwèir5 shì yuèláiyuè dàn le ，bù xiàng xiǎo shíhou ，yī dào guònián jiù jīdòng xīngfèn de bùdeliǎo ！
Tell me about it! But there's less and less of a festive atmosphere nowadays, unlike when I was younger, when as soon as it got to Chinese New Year it was really exciting!
是啊，小时候平时吃不到的好东西都能在过年時一饱口福。家家户户一早就开始张罗年夜饭了，可热闹了。
shì a ，xiǎo shíhou píngshí chībudào de hǎo dōngxi dōu néng zài guònián shí yī bǎo kǒufú 。jiājiāhùhù yī zǎo jiù kāishǐ zhāngluó niányèfàn le ，kě rènao le 。
Yeah, when we were little, around Chinese New Year you could eat your fill of all the good things that you normally couldn't eat. Every house started preparing Chinese New Year's dinner from early in the morning, it was so lively.
确实，一想到过年就会想到吃年夜饭，全家老少围坐在一起吃团圆饭，热热闹闹，和乐融融。
quèshí ，yī xiǎngdào guònián jiù huì xiǎngdào chī niányèfàn ，quánjiā lǎo shǎo wéi zuò zài yīqǐ chī tuányuánfàn ，rèrenaonao ，hélè róng róng 。
Indeed, as soon as I think of Chinese New Year I think of Chinese New Year dinner, with the whole family from the eldest to the youngest gathered around for a meal, such a buzz with everyone having fun together.
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