中国传统的新年食物
Given the importance of food in Chinese culture, it is not surprising that food plays a major role in Chinese New Year celebrations. "Lucky foods" are served throughout the 15-day-long celebration, also called Spring Festival.
鉴于食物在中华文化中的重要性，食物在中国庆祝新年中扮演重要的角色一点都不惊讶。在春节长达十五天的庆祝活动中，一直供应幸运的食物。
"Lucky food" sometimes is based on appearance. For example, serving a whole chicken during the Chinese New Year season symbolizes family integrity. Noodles represent a long life (an old superstition says that it is bad luck to cut them). And spring rolls symbolize wealth because their shape is similar to gold bars.
幸运的食物有时是基于外观的。例如，在中国新年期间吃全鸡象征着家庭的完整。面条代表着长寿（老迷信说把面条切断会带来坏运气）。春卷象征着财富因为它的形状和金条相似。
On the other hand, a food may be significant because of its name that sounds. For example, the Cantonese word for "lettuce is similar" to the word meaning "rising fortune", so it is very common to serve lettuce leaves filled with other "lucky foods". Tangerines and oranges are passed out freely during Chinese New Year because their names sound like "luck" and "wealth" respectively. Pomelo, the large ancestor of the grapefruit, signifies abundance because the Chinese word for it sounds like the verb "to have".
另一方面，食物或许因为它的名字听起来幸运而变得重要。例如，粤语的‘生菜’词的意思类似于增长财富，因此生菜叶子和其它幸运食物一起供应。在春节期间人们免费分发橘子和橙子因为它们的名字听起来分别像‘幸运’和‘财富’。柚子是葡萄柚的祖先，代表着富足因为它的汉语词听起来像动词有"to have"。
Fish also play a large role in the festive celebrations. The Chinese word for "fish" sounds like the words for both "wish" and "abundance". As a result, on Chinese New Year's Eve it is customary to serve a fish at the end of the dinner, symbolizing a wish for abundance during the coming year. For added symbolism, the fish is served whole, with head and tail attached, symbolizing a good beginning and end for the coming year.
鱼在欢度佳节中也起着很大的作用，鱼的汉语词发音听起来像愿望和富足。因此，除夕夜团圆饭结束的时候通常来一条代表着来年富足愿望的鱼。饭店要上带着鱼头和鱼尾的整条鱼，它的补充意义是，象征着新年良好的开端。
Snacks such as sticky rice cake have symbolic significance as well. Their sweetness symbolizes a rich, honeyed life, while the layers symbolize rising abundance for the coming year. Finally, the round shape signifies family reunion.
糯米糕小吃也有象征意义。糯米糕的甜味象征着富裕甜蜜的生活，而一层层的糯米糕象征着来年的生活蒸蒸日上，最后圆形代表着家庭团圆。
Jiaozi (one kind of dumpling) is the must-try "lucky food" during Spring Festival. Its Chinese pronunciation means "midnight" or "the end and the beginning of time". It is said that dumplings were first known in China some 1,600 years ago. According to historical records, in ancient times people from both north and south ate dumplings on Chinese New Year's Day. The shape of jiaozi resembles that of ancient gold and silver ingots or a crescent moon, and it symbolizes the hope for a year of plenty.
饺子在春节期间是必吃的幸运食物。在汉语发音中意思是‘午夜’或结束和时间的开始。据说在中国人们最初知道饺子是在1600年以前。根据历史记载，古时候北方和南方人在中国新年那天吃饺子，饺子的形状类似于古代的金银元宝和新月，它代表着对来年丰收富足的希望。
While jiaozi is popular in the north, a rice pudding called niangao (or New Year Cakes) is among the foods most popular in the south. In Chinese, "gao" is a homonym for "high". The food symbolizing progress and promotion at work and life year by year, is a sweet, sticky, brown cake made from rice flour and sugar, a kind of glutinous white cake in the shape of rectangle. It is delicious when steamed, fried, fried with eggs or even eaten cold.
尽管饺子在北方受欢迎，在南方最受欢迎的是称作年糕或新年蛋糕的米饭布丁。在汉语，"gao"的谐音是"high"。年糕象征着在工作和生活中进步和晋升一年比一年好，年糕是由米粉和糖制作的甜甜的，粘粘的棕色糕，一种长方形的白色糯米糕。糯米糕蒸，和鸡蛋一起炸，甚至凉着吃的时候都很美味可口。
The Lantern Festival is an important traditional Chinese festival, which is on the 15th of the first lunar month, marking the end of celebrations of the Chinese New Year. Besides entertainment and beautiful lanterns, another important part of the festival is eating yuanxiao (or tangtuan, small dumpling balls made of glutinous rice flour). Obviously, the name was from the festival itself. Filled with sweet stuffing and round in shape, it symbolizes family unity, completeness and happiness.
元宵节是中国一个传统的重要节日，它在正月的第十五天，标志着新年欢庆活动的结束。除了娱乐和灯展以外，节日另一个重要的部分就是吃由糯米粉制作的元宵或糖团。显然，食物的名字来源于节日本身。元宵馅是甜的，形状是圆的，象征着家庭团结，完整和幸福。
（听力课堂网Vicky编辑）
