| 释义 |
压岁钱 yāsuìqián noun money given to children as a lunar New Year gift ▸ 给小孩发压岁钱 give lunar New Year money gifts to children 压岁钱Money given at Chinese New Year by the older generation to the younger generation, usually after the New Year's Eve dinner or when paying visits during the Spring Festival period. 岁 (sui, ‘year’) has the same sound as 祟 (ghost), so in the past, copper coins were strung on a red string and hung on a child's chest as a way of driving out evil spirits. Today money is put into red paper envelopes for luck. |