雙語：春節(jié)紅包的前世今生

柳葉眉的柳葉刀

　　Recently, I checked how many WeChat red packets I got in 2016, which contains about 10,000 yuan ($1455), most from my family and friends.

　　最近，我查看了一下,，2016年我獲得了多少微信紅包,，里面有大約一萬元（1455美元），絕大多數(shù)來自我的家人和朋友,。

　　As Chinese Lunar New Year draws near, a busy yet happy period of "grabbing red packets" on smart phones is coming too.

　　隨著中國農(nóng)歷新年臨近,，忙碌而快樂的智能手機“搶紅包大戰(zhàn)”也正在到來。

　　The 2015 Spring Festival marked the coming of digital red packets on WeChat. During that Lunar New Year, for the first time, many Chinese people started to use red packets on their WeChat to express their best New Year wishes to others.

　　2015年春節(jié)時,，微信迎來了數(shù)字紅包,。去年春節(jié)期間，很多中國人首次開始使用微信紅包向他人表達(dá)自己的最美好的新年祝愿,。

　　And "grabbing red packets" also became an extremely popular game on WeChat.

　　“搶紅包”也成為了微信上一個相當(dāng)流行的游戲,。

　　As people establish a series of groups among their contacts on WeChat, during special festivals, such as Lunar New Year, someone will distribute a certain numbers of red packets in a group, and other members will try their best to grab one red packet. Often other members will follow and go on distributing more red packets.

　　隨著人們在春節(jié)這樣特殊的節(jié)日里建立起一系列群聊，一些人會在群聊里發(fā)一定數(shù)量的紅包,，其他成員傾其所能搶一個紅包,。通常情況下，其它成員會緊隨其后繼續(xù)發(fā)放更多紅包,。

　　The money in each packet is random, from 0.01 yuan ($0.001) to less than 200 yuan ($29). Thus the amount of money one can grab largely depends on his or her luck, which is just the very fun of "grabbing red packets".

　　每個紅包的價錢是隨機的,，從0.01元（0.001美元）到200元（28美元）以下不等。因此，一個人能夠搶到的金額很大程度上依賴于他的運氣,，這也正是“搶紅包”的樂趣所在,。

　　And 200 yuan is the maximum amount each WeChat red packet can contain. The limit was elevated to 520 yuan ($76) only once on May 20, 2016 to encourage people to send 520 yuan red packets to their loved ones, for the number 520, pronounced in Chinese, sounds like "I love you".

　　200元是每個紅包所能包含的最大金額。只有在2016年5月20日的時候,，紅包上限提高到了520元（76美元）,，以鼓勵人們向愛人發(fā)放520元的紅包，數(shù)字520的中文發(fā)音很像“我愛你”,。

　　However, grabbing packets is more like a game, which does not stop people from sending paper red packets containing real cash during Spring Festival.

　　然而,，搶紅包更像是一場游戲，它不能阻止人們在春節(jié)期間發(fā)放包有真錢的紙質(zhì)紅包,。

　　The design of red paper packets to keep the lucky money is becoming more artistic as aesthetic tastes develop. Some popular illustrators and artists design their own red paper packets, which are often printed with Chinese ink paintings and auspicious Chinese characters. For example, peaches, gourds, cranes and chubby children are the images that most often appeared, as they stand for good luck, fortune and longevity in traditional Chinese culture.

　　隨著美學(xué)品味的上升,，裝有幸運錢的紙質(zhì)紅包的設(shè)計也變得越來越充滿藝術(shù)感。一些流行的插畫家和藝術(shù)家自己設(shè)計紙質(zhì)紅包,，這些紅包通常印有中國水墨畫和吉祥漢字,。比如，最常出現(xiàn)的圖像有桃子,，葫蘆,，鶴和胖乎乎的小孩，因為在傳統(tǒng)中國文化中,，這些圖像都代表著好運,，財富和長壽。

柳葉眉的柳葉刀

　　Red packets, a synonym for money in Chinese culture, originally referred to money sent to children on the first day of Lunar New Year. The money is called ya sui qian, or lucky money. In traditional Chinese culture, it was believed that children were vulnerable to evil spirits and children could use money to bribe those spirits to stay safe and live long. So people took giving children money as a blessing.

　　在中國文化中,，紅包和錢是同義詞,，起初，它是指新年第一天送給孩子的錢,。這種錢并稱為“壓歲錢”或者是幸運錢,。中國傳統(tǒng)文化認(rèn)為，孩子很易受到惡靈的傷害,，孩子可以用這些錢賄賂這些惡靈,，以保健康和長壽。所以人們把給孩子錢當(dāng)作一種祝福,。

　　The earliest lucky money appeared in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-220 AD). During that period lucky money was not everyday currency but was made of coins pressed with auspicious characters and animals.

　　最早的幸運錢出現(xiàn)在漢朝,。那時的幸運錢不是每天流通的貨幣，而是由刻有吉祥漢字和動物的銀幣做成的,。

　　In the Ming and Qing dynasties (1368-1911), there were two kinds of "red packets". One had coins attached with red strings and was put at the foot of children’s beds. The other was more like modern red packets.

　　明清時期有兩種“紅包”,。一種紅包是系有紅線的硬幣，放在孩子的被窩里,。一種和現(xiàn)代的紅包更為詳細(xì),。

　　Later, red packets gradually became a means of giving money that could be sent to anyone, apart from children.

　　隨后,，除了孩子外，紅包漸漸成為一種可以送給任何人錢的手段,。

　　As Confucius’ idea of filial piety is still deeply rooted in Chinese people’s minds, people will also send red packets to their parents during Chinese New Year or on other special festivals and anniversaries.

　　由于孔子孝道的思想仍然深深根植于中國人的思想,。中國人在春節(jié)或者其他特殊節(jié)日和紀(jì)念日里，仍會給父母紅包,。(愛語吧)