AAE教你用英文给外国友人介绍“端午节”传统文化

AAE教你⽤英⽂给外国友⼈介绍“端午节”传统⽂化

每年农历五⽉初五，是中国的传统节⽇——端午节，是汉民族四⼤传统节⽇之⼀。那么我们该如何向外国友⼈展⽰其中

的⽂化内涵？今天就由AAE（美国英⽂学院，American Academy of English,简称AAE）带给⼤家关于“端午节”的正宗

美式英语，希望当你遇到外国友⼈时，能⾃豪地向他们介绍端午节⼀⼆事。

端午节之起源

端午节由来已久，⼤约始于春秋战国时期，⾄今已有2000多年历史。

Dragon Boat Festival dates back to early times and has had a history of more than 2,000 years.

关于端午节的起源，有很多不同的说法，⽽其中流传最⼴、影响最⼤的是纪念屈原⼀说。

There are a number of legends explaining its origins, and the best-known story is centered on a patriotic court official

named Qu Yuan.

屈原是⼀位历史上伟⼤的浪漫主义诗⼈，他⾃感⽆⼒挽救楚国的衰亡，于五⽉五⽇⾃沉汨罗江⽽死。⽼百姓很同情屈原

的遭遇，为了避免屈原的⼫体被鱼鳖吞⾷，便于五⽉五⽇这⼀天划着龙⾈在江中驱赶鱼鳖，并将包好的粽⼦投放江中来

喂鱼鳖，以保护屈原的⼫体。

Qu Yuan is a great Romantic poet in history. In a desperate protest, he drowned himlf into the river. Later Qu Yuan's

sympathizers rowed in the river on their dragon boats and scattered rice dumplings wrapped in reed-leaves (zongzi)

into the Miluo River in the hopes that the fish in the river would eat the rice dumplings instead of the body of the

decead poet.

2008年，端午节被确⽴为法定节假⽇。

In 2008, Dragon Boat Festival was officially recognized as a National Holiday.

《⽜津英语词典》收录了“端午节”的英⽂ Dragon Boat Festival，其定义如下：Dragon Boat Festival, which takes place

on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month of the Chine calendar throughout China and in Chine communities

worldwide. It commemorates the death of Qu Yuan (c340–), China's first known poet, who drowned himlf

when his home state of Chu was overthrown; the dragon boat races traditionally reprent the arch for his body.

端午节在农历 5 ⽉ 5 ⽇，中国各地和全球的华⼈⼩区均有庆祝。这个节⽇纪念的是中国第⼀位著名的诗⼈屈原，他因故

⼟楚国灭亡⽽投江⾃尽。传统上，龙⾈竞渡代表的是搜寻他的遗体。

因此，对外国⼈介绍端午节的时候，不要说Duanwu Festival，因为⼤多数外国⼈不明为何物，⽽Dragon Boat Festival

却为外国⼈所熟悉。

我们该如何给外国友⼈介绍端午节的起源？以下四句话⾜以：

1

Legend has it that Qu Yuan, one of China's most famous poets, drowned himlf when his home state of Chu was

overthrown.

传说诗⼈屈原因故⼟出国灭亡⽽投江⾃尽。

2

People rowed dragon boats and scattered rice dumplings into the Miluo River to protect the body of Qu Yuan.

百姓们划龙⾈驱赶鱼鳖、⽤粽⼦喂鱼鳖，以保护屈原⼫体。

3

In 2008, Dragon Boat Festival, the fifth day of the fifth lunar month of the Chine calendar, was officially recognized as

a National Holiday.

⾃2008年起，每年农历五⽉初五被确定为端午节的法定节假⽇。

4

Dragon Boat Festival is a way to commemorate the great ancient poet named Qu Yuan.

端午节是为了纪念⼀位古代的伟⼤诗⼈屈原。

端午节之习俗

端午节吃什么？

What do we eat?

端午节不可不吃的美味⾷物就是粽⼦。粽⼦的内馅⼀般是糯⽶、猪⾁、坚果或⾖沙，然后⽤⽵叶或⾹蕉叶包裹起来煮

熟。吃粽⼦的习俗，现在已经在朝鲜、韩国、⽇本和东南亚国家流⾏开来。

The customary food for the Dragon Boat Festival is zongzi. It is filled with glutinous rice, meat, nuts or bean paste and

wrapped in bamboo leaves or banana leaves. The tradition of eating zongzi is now popular in North Korea and South

Korea, Japan and Southeast Asian nations.

粽⼦的英⽂是rice-dumpling，属于⽐较书⾯的表达，更常⽤的是zongzi，就是粽⼦的拼⾳直译。

端午节玩什么？

What activities do we do?

端午节最应景的节⽬就是赛龙⾈。龙⾈⼤⼩不⼀，船头饰龙头，船尾饰龙尾。龙头的颜⾊有红、⿊、灰等⾊，均与龙灯

之头相似，姿态不⼀。

The most popular activity of the Dragon Boat Festival is the dragon boat race. Dragon boats vary in size. The bow of

the ship is the dragon’s head, and the stern of the ship is the dragon's tail. The colors of the bows are red, black, grey

and so on. They are similar to tho of the dragon lantern.

龙船竞渡⽐赛，枪声⼀响，我们就会看到龙⾈上的运动员，伴随着快速的⿎点，迅速⼜整齐划⼀地划动船桨，冲向终

点。这项运动在中国全国上下推⾏，并随着华⼈华侨的⾜迹遍布世界各地，西⽅国家也渐渐兴起了端午热。

端午节戴什么？

What do we wearing?

端午节最有特⾊的饰物就是⾹包。在端午节，⽗母也会为孩⼦们佩戴⾹囊。他们⾸先⽤⾊彩鲜艳的丝布缝⼀个⼩袋⼦，

然后在⾥⾯装上⾹料或者草药，最后⽤丝线串起来。⾹囊通常挂在脖⼦上，或是作为⼀种饰品系在⾐服前⾯。相传它们

有避邪驱瘟的功效。

The most distinctive ornament of the Dragon Boat Festival is the sachet. On Dragon Boat Festival, parents would

accessorize their children with a perfume pouch. They w colorful silk into little bags, fill the bags with perfume or

herbal medicines, and string them with silk thread. The perfume pouches will be hung around the neck or tied to the

front of a garment as an ornament. They are said to be able to ward off evil.

端午节挂什么？

What do we hang?

挂艾叶菖蒲 Hanging mugwort or calamus

民谚说：''清明插柳，端午插艾''。在端午节，家家都洒扫庭除，以菖蒲、艾条插于门眉，悬于堂中，⽤于驱病、防蚊、

辟邪。

The folk proverb says: ''the Qingming inrts the willow; the Dragon Boat Festival inrts the mugwort.'' On Dragon

Boat Festival, every family cleans up their courtyard, and sticks calamus and mugwort above the door frame in hope of

dispelling dia, mosquito and evil spirits.

拴五⾊丝线 Tying five-color silk thread

端午节，⼤⼈在孩⼦⼿腕、脚腕、脖⼦上拴五⾊线以保安康。系线时，禁忌⼉童开⼝说话。五⾊线不可任意折断或丢

弃，只能在夏季第⼀场⼤⾬或第⼀次洗澡时，抛到河⾥。

On Dragon Boat Festival, adults tie a five-color silk threads on their children's wrist, ankle and neck to protect their

health. During the tying for children, children are not allowed to speak. The five-color silk thread may not be broken or

discarded arbitrarily. It can only be thrown into the river during the first heavy rain or the first bath of the summer.

当外国友⼈问：What is the custom of Dragon Boat Festival?

你可以给外国友⼈介绍⼀下端午节的习俗，如果上⾯过于复杂，可⽤下⾯5句英⽂简略的介绍：

1

3