Upper-Intermediate - Celebrating a Baby’s First Month

(D1618)

A: 老婆，我回来啦！快来让我亲亲我们的小宝宝。
lǎopó, wǒ huı́lái la! kuài lái ràng wǒ qı̄n qin wǒmen de xiǎo-
bǎobao.
Honey, I’m home. Let me kiss our little baby.

B: 他今天啊真不老实，踢了我好几下了。
tā jı̄ntiān a zhēn bù lǎoshi, tı̄ le wǒ hǎo jı̌ xià le.
He’s really not being good today. He’s kicked me tons of
times already.

A: 待在妈妈的肚子里是不是憋得慌啊？再过两个月
你就出来了，耐心点啊！
dāi zài māma de dùzi lı̌ shı̀ bu shı̀ biēdehuāng a? zài guò
liǎng ge yuè nı̌ jiù chūlái le, nàixı̄n diǎnr a!
Feeling like you can’t take it in mommy’s tummy anymore,
huh? You’ll be out of there in just two months. Be a little
patient.

B: 唉，你快梳洗一下。过会儿不是去吃满月酒吗？
ái, nı̌ kuài shūxı̌ yı̄xià. guò huı̌r bùshı̀ qù chı̄ mǎnyuèjiǔ ma?
Oh, hurry up and get ready. We have to go to that baby’s
one-month celebration dinner in a little while, no?

A: 哦，我差点儿忘了。你同事小陈是吧？

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 o, wǒ chàdiǎnr wàng le. nı̌ tóngshı̀ Xiǎo Chén shı̀ ba?
Oh, I almost forgot. Your coworker, Xiao Chen, right?

B: 嗯，她上个月生了个女宝宝，现在满月了。
ng, tā shàng ge yuè shēng le ge nü
ǔ bǎobao, xiànzài mǎnyuè
le.
Yeah. She had a baby girl last month, so it’s been a month
now.

A: 那咱们礼金要送多少啊？
nà zánmen lı̌jı̄n yào sòng duōshao a?
Then how much cash should we give them?

B: 她生孩子那会儿我不是已经给过了吗，你忘了？
tā shēng háizi nàhuı̌r wǒ bùshı̀ yı̌jı̄ng gěi guo le ma, nı̌ wàng
le?
Didn’t I already give her some when she had the baby? Re-
member?

A: 我还以为这次也要给呢。
wǒ hái yı̌wéi zhècı̀ yě yào gěi ne.
I thought we still had to give them some this time too.

B: 满月酒一来是庆祝宝宝满月，二来是答谢亲朋好
友，让大家看看小宝宝。所以，有些在生孩子时
给过礼金的就一定要请的。

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 mǎnyuèjiǔ yı̄lái shı̀ qı̀ngzhù bǎobao mǎnyuè, èrlái shı̀ dá-
xiè qı̄npénghǎoyǒu, ràng dàjiā kàn kan xiǎobǎobao. suǒyı̌,
yǒuxiē zài shēng háizi shı́ gěi guo lı̌jı̄n de jiù yı̄dı̀ng yào qı̌ng
de.
For one, the one-month celebration dinner is to celebrate
the baby’s first month, and second to thank friends and fam-
ily and let them see the baby. Because of that, you definitely
have to treat the people who gave money when the baby
was born.

A: 那当初没给的人这次被请去的话，肯定也会意思
意思的。
nà dāngchū méi gěi de rén zhècı̀ bèi qı̌ng qù dehuà, kěn-
dı̀ng yě huı̀ yı̀si yı̀si de.
Then the people who haven’t given anything and are still
being treated today will certainly bring a little something.

B: 那肯定的咯！给来给去的都是人情债嘛。不过
今天客人应该不会太多。因为满月酒一般排场不
大，也就两三桌吧。
nà kěndı̀ng de lo! gěiláigěiqù de dōu shı̀ rénqı́ng zhài ma.
bùguò jı̄ntiān kèrén yı̄nggāi bùhuı̀ tài duō. yı̄nwèi mǎnyuèjiǔ
yı̄bān páichǎng bù dà, yě jiù liǎng sān zhuō ba.
Yeah, definitely. Giving and receiving, it’s all a part of obli-
gation. There shouldn’t be very many guests today though.
Usually the one-month celebration isn’t very extravagant,
just 2 or 3 tables.

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 A: 对了，我订的四箱红蛋明天送来。你到时候收一
下。唉，这红蛋应该送几个才对啊？
duı̀ le, wǒ dı̀ng de sı̀ xiāng hóngdàn mı́ngtiān sòng lái. nı̌
dàoshı́hou shōu yı̄xià. ài, zhè hóngdàn yı̄nggāi sòng jı̌ ge
cái duı̀ a?
That’s right, the four boxes of red eggs I ordered will be here
tomorrow. When they come, sign for them. Hey, how many
eggs is the right amount to give?

B: 我也不太清楚，有说四个，有说两个。
wǒ yě bùtài qı̄ngchǔ, yǒu shuō sı̀ ge, yǒu shuō liǎng ge.
I’m not too sure myself. Some people say 4, some people
say 2.

A: 我听说好像男孩送三个，女孩送两个再加一些
糖。
wǒ tı̄ngshuō hǎoxiàng nánhái sòng sān ge, nü
ǔhái sòng liǎng
ge zài jiā yı̄xiē táng.
I think I heard that if it’s a boy, you give 3, and if it’s a girl
you give 2 plus a little candy.

B: 我回头问一下我妈。
wǒ huı́tóu wèn yı̄xià wǒ mā.
I’ll ask my mom later.

A: 唉，你知道为什么说男孩要送三个吗？
ái, nı̌ zhı̄dào wèishénme shuō nánhái yào sòng sān ge ma?

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 Hey, do you know why you’re supposed to give 3 if it’s a
boy?

B: 不知道。
bù zhı̄dào.
No.

A: 嘿嘿，很有象征意义的哦。
hēihēi, hěn yǒu xiàngzhēng yı̀yı̀ de o.
Hee-hee. It symbolizes something.

B: 说呀。
shuō ya.
What?

A: 因为啊......
yı̄nwèi a......
Because...

Key Vocabulary

老实 lǎoshi well-behaved

踢 tı̄ to kick

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 憋 biē to suppress, to suffo-
cate

憋得慌 biēdehuāng to feel suffocated, sti-

fled

梳洗 shūxı̌ to comb one’s hair and

wash up

满月 mǎnyuè one month old

满月酒 mǎnyuè jiǔ a baby’s one-month

birthday dinner cele-
bration

礼金 lı̌jı̄n cash gift

排场 páichǎng extravagant

一来，二 yı̄lái, èrlái for one, for two

来

庆祝 qı̀ngzhù to celebrate

答谢 dáxiè to express thanks

亲朋好友 qı̄npénghǎoyǒu friends and relatives

当初 dāngchū originally, at first

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 意思意思 yı̀si yı̀si a little something, a to-
ken of one’s apprecia-
tion

给来给去 gěiláigěiqù giving and receiving

人情 rénqı́ng relationships

人情债 rénqı́ng zhài debt of gratitude, obli-

gation of relationships

红蛋 hóngdàn red egg

象征 xiàngzhēng to symbolize

Supplementary Vocabulary

憋不住 biēbuzhù to be unable to sup-

press

场面 chǎngmiàn scene, occasion

规模 guı̄mó scale

感谢 gǎnxiè to thank

永恒 yǒnghéng eternal

抽象 chōuxiàng abstract

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