Christmas dinner in Chinese 圣诞大餐
shèng dàn dàcān
Christmas dinner in Chinese is 圣诞大餐 (shèng dàn dà cān).
Also searched for as: Christmas lunch, Christmas meal, Christmas feast, Christmas food.
Turkey, crackers and far too many sprouts. 15 words and phrases for Christmas dinner in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
Christmas dinner is 圣诞大餐 (shèng dàn dà cān), literally 'Christmas big meal', and explaining a British one in Chinese is a great test of food vocabulary. Many of the dishes have no traditional Chinese name, so they are described: pigs in blankets become 培根卷香肠 (péi gēn juǎn xiāng cháng), 'bacon-rolled sausages', and Brussels sprouts are 抱子甘蓝 (bào zǐ gān lán). You'll also learn table talk such as 干杯 (gān bēi), cheers, and who gets to 切火鸡 (qiē huǒ jī), carve the turkey.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 圣诞大餐 | shèng dàn dà cān | Christmas dinner |
| 火鸡 | huǒ jī | turkey |
| 切火鸡 | qiē huǒ jī | to carve the turkey |
| 烤土豆 | kǎo tǔ dòu | roast potatoes |
| 抱子甘蓝 | bào zǐ gān lán | Brussels sprouts |
| 肉汁 | ròu zhī | gravy |
| 培根卷香肠 | péi gēn juǎn xiāng cháng | pigs in blankets |
| 圣诞布丁 | shèng dàn bù dīng | Christmas pudding |
| 圣诞拉炮 | shèng dàn lā pào | Christmas cracker |
| 纸皇冠 | zhǐ huáng guān | paper crown |
| 烤箱 | kǎo xiāng | oven |
| 摆桌子 | bǎi zhuō zi | to lay the table |
| 干杯 | gān bēi | cheers |
| 国王讲话 | guó wáng jiǎng huà | the King's Speech (Christmas broadcast) |
| 剩菜 | shèng cài | leftovers |
Usage tips
- 烤 (kǎo) is the key verb for a roast: 烤火鸡 (kǎo huǒ jī), roast turkey, and 烤土豆 (kǎo tǔ dòu), roast potatoes, both done in the 烤箱 (kǎo xiāng), oven, which many traditional Chinese home kitchens did not have.
- 干杯 (gān bēi) literally means 'dry the glass', so at a Chinese table it can be a cue to finish your drink; if you only want a sip, say 随意 (suí yì), as you like.
- 外脆里嫩 (wài cuì lǐ nèn), crispy outside and tender inside, is a standard compliment for roast meat, and 外脆里软 (wài cuì lǐ ruǎn) works for roast potatoes.
Common mistakes
- Calling gravy 酱 (jiàng), a thick paste or sauce, or 汤 (tāng), soup; gravy is 肉汁 (ròu zhī), literally 'meat juice'.
- Translating Christmas crackers as 饼干 (bǐng gān), which are biscuits you eat; the cracker you pull is 圣诞拉炮 (shèng dàn lā pào).
Mini dialogue
- A圣诞大餐在我家吃，你来吗？Shèng dàn dà cān zài wǒ jiā chī, nǐ lái ma?Christmas dinner's at mine. Are you coming?
- B当然来！你要烤火鸡吗？Dāng rán lái! Nǐ yào kǎo huǒ jī ma?Of course! Are you roasting a turkey?
- A对，还有烤土豆和培根卷香肠。Duì, hái yǒu kǎo tǔ dòu hé péi gēn juǎn xiāng cháng.Yes, plus roast potatoes and pigs in blankets.
- B抱子甘蓝呢？Bào zǐ gān lán ne?What about Brussels sprouts?
- A也有，不过我知道你不爱吃。Yě yǒu, bù guò wǒ zhī dào nǐ bù ài chī.There'll be some, but I know you don't like them.
- B没关系，多浇点儿肉汁就行。我早点儿来帮你摆桌子吧。Méi guān xi, duō jiāo diǎnr ròu zhī jiù xíng. Wǒ zǎo diǎnr lái bāng nǐ bǎi zhuō zi ba.That's fine, plenty of gravy will sort them out. I'll come early and help you lay the table.
Example sentences
- 今年的圣诞大餐在我家吃。Christmas dinner is at mine this year.
- 这只火鸡要烤四个小时。This turkey needs four hours in the oven.
- 爸爸负责切火鸡。Dad's in charge of carving the turkey.
- 烤土豆外脆里软，太好吃了。The roast potatoes are crispy outside and fluffy inside, delicious.
- 很多小孩不爱吃抱子甘蓝。Lots of kids don't like Brussels sprouts.
- 再多浇点肉汁。Pour on a bit more gravy.
- 我最爱吃培根卷香肠。Pigs in blankets are my favourite.
- 圣诞布丁要淋上白兰地再点火。You pour brandy over the Christmas pudding and set it alight.
- 每个盘子旁边放一个圣诞拉炮。There's a Christmas cracker next to every plate.
- 大家都戴上了纸皇冠。Everyone put on their paper crowns.
- 烤箱里放不下这么大的火鸡。A turkey this big won't fit in the oven.
- 你去摆桌子，我来端菜。You lay the table and I'll bring the food out.
- 圣诞快乐，干杯！Merry Christmas, cheers!
- 吃完饭大家一起看国王讲话。After dinner everyone watches the King's Speech.
- 圣诞节后我们吃了三天剩菜。We ate leftovers for three days after Christmas.
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Christmas dinner speaking island has 8 everyday questions about Christmas dinner to prepare your own answers to.