情人节
In Chinese, valentine's day is said as 情人节.
The term refers to the Western Valentine's Day celebrated on February 14th.
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of 情人 (qíngrén), meaning 'lover' or 'sweetheart' and 节 (jié), meaning 'festival' or 'holiday'.
Which one should you use?
While 情人节 refers to the Western Valentine's Day on February 14th, the traditional Chinese 'Valentine's Day' is called 七夕节 (Qixi Festival), which occurs on the 7th day of the 7th lunar month.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hong Kong and Macau, the term 情人節 is used. In Taiwan, the Mandarin term 愛人節 is commonly used and translates to Lovers' Day.
Did you know?
- In mainland China, it is common to see 情人节 associated with the '520' phenomenon, where the numbers five two zero sound similar to 'I love you' in Mandarin.
- While you may use 情人节 for February 14th, the characters 情人 (qíngrén) are also frequently used in literature to describe a 'paramour' or 'mistress', which can carry a connotation of an illicit affair.
- The traditional Chinese version of this holiday, 七夕节 (Qīxī Jié), is actually based on a myth about a weaver girl and a cowherd who can only meet once a year on a bridge of magpies.
Examples in context
- 今天是情人节。Today is Valentine's Day.Tatoeba #8993706 by changerduo520, translation #1083652 by CM
- 我讨厌在情人节一人独处。I hate being alone on Valentine's Day.Tatoeba #3289583 by sadhen, translation #2208682 by CK
- 我为我男朋友忘了情人节对他生气。I'm angry with my boyfriend for forgetting about Valentine's Day.Tatoeba #767678 by eastasiastudent, translation #767681 by CM
- 祝你们情人节快乐！(Zhù nǐmen qíngrén jié kuàilè!)Wishing you a happy Valentine's Day!
- 亲爱的，情人节快乐！(Qīn ài de, qíngrén jié kuàilè!)Dear, happy Valentine's Day!
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
A couple is discussing their plans for the upcoming holiday.
- 梓涵 Zihan俊杰，情人节你想去哪里吃饭？Jùnjié, qíngrénjié nǐ xiǎng qù nǎlǐ chīfàn?Junjie, where do you want to eat for Valentine's Day?
- 俊杰 Junjie我还没想好，你有建议吗？Wǒ hái méi xiǎng hǎo, nǐ yǒu jiànyì ma?I haven't decided yet, do you have any suggestions?
- 梓涵 Zihan我想去那家新开的法餐厅。Wǒ xiǎng qù nà jiā xīn kāi de fǎ cāntīng.I want to go to that newly opened French restaurant.
- 俊杰 Junjie没问题，我现在就订位。Méi wèntí, wǒ xiànzài jiù dìngwèi.No problem, I'll make a reservation right now.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
