Archive 2015 08

Two cherries on one stem lean in for a kiss. 七夕 is the day for couples.

七夕 (qī xī) is the Qixi Festival, often called Chinese Valentine’s Day. 七 is seven and 夕 is evening: it falls on the evening of the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.

The festival comes from the story of the cowherd and the weaver girl, 牛郎织女 (Niúláng Zhīnǚ), two lovers who can meet only once a year, on this night.

七夕快乐！ — Qīxī kuàilè! — Happy Qixi!

今年七夕是哪一天？ — Jīnnián Qīxī shì nǎ yì tiān? — What day is Qixi this year?

A white cat tilts its head at a golden lucky cat whose paw swings back and forth, and starts to sway along. Back and forth: 摇摆.

摇摆 (yáo bǎi) means “to sway” or “to swing from side to side.” It can also mean to waver, as when someone cannot make up their mind.

It is a verb. A playground swing is a different word: 秋千 (qiūqiān).

树枝在风中摇摆。 — Shùzhī zài fēng zhōng yáobǎi. — The branches sway in the wind.

他的态度摇摆不定。 — Tā de tàidu yáobǎi bú dìng. — His attitude keeps wavering.

Someone is lying flat on the sofa with their head under a glass table, watching the phone that rests on the glass above their face. That flat-out position is 躺.

躺 (tǎng) means to lie, as in lying on your back or your side. It is about body position and has nothing to do with telling a lie. 躺下 (tǎng xià) means to lie down.

我想躺一会儿。 — Wǒ xiǎng tǎng yíhuìr. — I want to lie down for a while.

他躺在沙发上。 — Tā tǎng zài shāfā shang. — He is lying on the sofa.