聖誕節 / 圣诞节
Shèngdànjié
Christmas in Chinese is 聖誕節 / 圣诞节 (Shèngdànjié). Wiktionary also lists 耶誕節 / 耶诞节 (Yēdànjié, Yédànjié).
Meaning: festival or holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ which in Western Christianity is celebrated on December 25 in most places (name)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 聖誕節 / 圣诞节 | Shèngdànjié | |
| 耶誕節 / 耶诞节 | Yēdànjié, Yédànjié | Taiwan |
The phrase is used to refer to the festival or holiday commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, celebrated on December 25.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 聖誕 (Shèngdàn) literally means 'holy birth'. The character 節 (jié) means 'festival' or 'holiday' and is appended to the name of the occasion.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Taiwan, 耶誕節 / 耶诞节 is a common alternative term for Christmas.
How do you pronounce it?
Shèngdànjié
Did you know?
- In mainland China, it is common to give 'apples' as gifts on Christmas Eve because the word for apple 苹果 (píngguǒ) sounds similar to the word for peace 平安 (píng'ān).
- Christmas Eve is often called 平安夜 (Píng'ān Yè), which translates to 'Peaceful Night'.
- The character 誕 (dàn) in both versions of the name is the same character used to describe a 'birthday' for a monarch or a person of high status.
Examples in context
- Wǒ xǐhuān shèng dàn jié. (我喜欢圣诞节。)I like Christmas.
- Tā dǎsuàn zài yē dàn jié chūmén. (她打算在耶诞节出门。)She plans to go out on Christmas.
- Shèng dàn kuài lè! (圣诞快乐！)Merry Christmas!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “Christmas” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
