元宵

yuán xiāo

CL 个 gè 碗 wǎn

HSK 3.0 Level 6 Noun

Definitions

1. Lantern Festival
2. night of the 15th of the first lunar month
3. see also 元夜[yuán yè]
4. sticky rice dumplings

Word relationships

Related words

1 item

• 汤圆 tāng yuán 汤圆 tāng yuán boiled or deep-fried balls of glutinous rice flour, usually eaten during Lantern Festival Sweet rice dumplings eaten during Lantern Festival, though 元宵 can refer to both the festival and the dumplings, while 汤圆 specifically denotes the food.: boiled or deep-fried balls of glutinous rice flour, usually eaten during Lantern Festival

Synonyms

1 item

• 元夜 yuán yè 元夜 yuán yè Lantern Festival Both mean the night of the Lantern Festival; 元夜 is a more classical term.: Lantern Festival

Usage notes

Common mistakes

When ordering sweet dumplings, 汤圆 is preferred in southern China, while 元宵 is used in the north; they differ in preparation and texture.

Cultural notes

The Lantern Festival marks the end of Chinese New Year celebrations; eating 元宵 (glutinous rice balls) and watching lanterns are key traditions.

Example Sentences

4 shown

元宵 节人们会吃 元宵 。

People eat glutinous rice balls during the Lantern Festival.

元宵 節要吃 元宵 。

Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 5854683)

元宵 節要猜燈謎。

Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 5854684)

元宵 節要賞花燈。

Source: Tatoeba.org (ID 5854686)

Sentence data courtesy of Tatoeba.org. AI-generated examples are marked with this icon.

Words Containing 元宵

• 元宵节 元宵节 yuán xiāo jié: Lantern Festival, the final event of the Spring Festival 春節|春节, on 15th of first month of the lunar calendar

Child Words of 元宵

• 元 元 yuán: currency unit (esp. Chinese yuan)
• 宵 宵 xiāo: night