Chinese traditional culture is extensive and profound. From festival customs and artistic treasures to philosophical thoughts and wisdom of daily life, all serve as important carriers of Chinese culture. The 120 core terms selected by People’s Daily cover six major fields: festivals, cuisine, literature, art, history and philosophy, making them an essential tool for cross-cultural communication, academic research and language learning. Whether you are a student, a teacher or an enthusiast of cultural communication, mastering these accurate expressions will enable you to tell Chinese stories to the world with greater confidence!
Complete Chinese-English Comparison Table of 120 Traditional Chinese Culture Terms
1、传统节日/Traditional festivals（18个）
春节 /The Spring Festival/
除夕 /New Year’s Eve/
元宵节 /Lantern Festival/
清明节 /Qingming Festival/Tomb-Sweeping Day/
端午节 /Dragon Boat Festival/
七夕节 /Double Seventh Festival/
中秋节 /Mid-Autumn Festival/
重阳节 /Double Ninth Festival/
腊八节 /The Laba Rice Porridge Festival/Laba Festival/
冬至 /Winter Solstice/
社火 /Shohuo (folk performance during Lunar New Year)/
舞龙 /lion dance/
舞狮 /lion dance/
放鞭炮 /set off firecrackers/
拜年 /Paying a New Year Call/
压岁钱 /lucky money/red envelope/
春联 /Spring Festival Couplets/
年画 /New Year pictures/
2、传统美食/Traditional delicacies（20个）
北京烤鸭 /Beijing roast duck/
火锅 /hot pot/
饺子 /jiaozi/dumplings/
粽子 /zongzi/rice dumpling/
春卷 /spring roll/
豆腐 /tofu/bean curd/
麻辣烫 /spicy hotpot/
炸酱面 /noodles with soybean paste/
拉面 /hand-pulled noodles/
糖葫芦 /a stick of sugar-coated haws/
粽子 /zongzi/rice dumpling/
腊肉 /cured pork/
青团 /green rice balls (Qingtuan)/
月饼 /mooncake/
汤圆 /tangyuan/rice balls/
凉粉 /glass noodles/
臭豆腐 /stinky tofu/
葱油饼 /scallion pancake/
螺蛳粉 /Luosifen (fermented rice noodles with fermented black beans and sour bamboo shoots)/
过桥米线 /crossing the bridge rice noodles/
3、经典文学/Classic Literature（15个）
《史记》 /The Historical Records/
《诗经》 /The Book of Songs/
《论语》 /The Analects of Confucius/
《三国演义》 /Romance of the Three Kingdoms/
《水浒传》 /Water Margin/Outlaws of the Marsh/
《西游记》 /Journey to the West/Pilgrimage to the West/
《红楼梦》 /A Dream in Red Mansions/The Story of the Stone/
《山海经》 /The Classic of Mountains and Rivers/
《资治通鉴》 /History as a Mirror/
《道德经》 /The Tao Te Ching/
《庄子》 /Zhuangzi/
《孙子兵法》 /The Art of War/
《楚辞》 /Chu Ci/
《牡丹亭》 /The Peony Pavilion/
《长恨歌》 /Song of Everlasting Sorrow/
4、名胜古迹/Places of historic interest and scenic beauty（15个）
长城 /The Great Wall/
秦始皇陵 /Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor/
兵马俑 /Terra Cotta Warriors/
敦煌莫高窟 /Mogao Grottoes at Dunhuang/
故宫 /the Forbidden City/the Palace Museum/
天坛 /Temple of Heaven/
西湖 /West Lake/
苏州园林 /Suzhou Garden(s)/
泰山 /Mount Tai/
黄山 /Mount Huangshan/
颐和园 /the Summer Palace/
龙门石窟 /Longmen Grottoes/
平遥古城 /Pingyao Ancient City/
丽江古城 /Lijiang Ancient City/
张家界 /Zhangjiajie National Forest Park/
5、传统艺术与技艺/Traditional Arts and Crafts（20个）
中国结 /Chinese knot/
刺绣 /embroidery/
京剧 /Beijing Opera/Peking Opera/
书法 /calligraphy/
剪纸 /paper cutting/
太极 /Tai Chi/
中国武术 /Chinese martial arts/Kung Fu/
古筝 /Chinese zither/
二胡 /erhu/
皮影戏 /shadow play/
杂技 /acrobatics/
对口相声 /crosstalk/
越剧 /Yue opera/
秧歌舞 /Yangko dance/
茶道 /tea ceremony/
围棋 /Go/
紫砂壶 /Zisha teapot/
景泰蓝 /cloisonné/
泥人张 /clay figure Zhang/
苏绣 /Suzhou embroidery/
6、四大发明与其他/The Four Great Inventions and Others（15个）
造纸术 /papermaking technology/
印刷术 /printing/art of printing/
火药 /gunpowder/
指南针 /compass/
中医 /Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)/
针灸 /acupuncture/
太极拳 /Tai Chi Chuan/
二十四节气 /24 Solar Terms/
十二生肖 /the twelve Chinese zodiac signs/
本命年 /one’s year of birth considered in relation to the 12 Terrestrial Branches/
风水 /Fengshui/Geomantic Omen/
阴阳 /Yin and Yang/
五行 /Five Elements (Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal, Water)/
甲骨文 /oracle bone script/
青铜器 /bronze ware/
瓷器 /porcelain/China/
7、服饰与生活文化/Clothing and Living Culture（15个）
旗袍 /cheongsam/
唐装 /Tang suit/
汉服 /Hanfu/
马褂 /mandarin jacket/
盘扣 /mandarin collar button/
茶文化 /tea culture/
筷子 /Chinese chopsticks/
茶碗 /tea bowl/
茶壶 /teapot/
四合院 /courtyard house/
青花瓷 /blue and white porcelain/
油纸伞 /paper umbrella/
红木家具 /rosewood furniture/
宣纸 /Xuan paper/
毛笔 /writing brush/
砚台 /inkstone/