HSK 5 · Article · 546 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/why-chinese-dumplings-look-like-ingots

饺子为什么像元宝?

Why do Chinese dumplings look like gold ingots?

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除夕chúxī晚上wǎnshang,全家人quánjiārén坐zuò在zài桌子zhuōzi旁边pángbiān吃chī饺子jiǎozi。突然tūrán,爸爸bàba停tíng了le下来xiàlai,从cóng嘴zuǐ里拿出náchū一个yígè小小xiáoxiǎo的de硬币yìngbì。“今年jīnnián我wǒ要yào发财fācái了le!”他tā高兴gāoxìng地de说shuō。奶奶nǎinai看kàn着zhe他tā说shuō:“怎么zěnme每年měinián都dōu是shì你nǐ吃chī到dào?”

在zài中国zhōngguó北方běifāng,春节chūnjié吃chī饺子jiǎozi是shì一个yígè很hěn重要zhòngyào的de传统chuántǒng。为什么wèishénme是shì饺子jiǎozi呢ne?其中qízhōng一yí个gè原因yuányīn跟gēn它tā的de样子yàngzi有关yǒuguān。你nǐ认真rènzhēn看一看kànyíkàn,饺子jiǎozi是不是shìbúshì两头liǎngtóu小xiǎo、中间zhōngjiān大dà?它tā很hěn像xiàng古代gǔdài的de元宝yuánbǎo。元宝yuánbǎo是shì用yòng金子jīnzi或者huòzhě银子yínzi做成zuòchéng的de钱qián,样子yàngzi像xiàng一yì条tiáo小船xiǎochuán。所以suóyǐ,吃chī饺子jiǎozi就jiù好像hǎoxiàng把bǎ钱qián吃chī进jìn了le肚子dùzi里,表示biǎoshì希望xīwàng新xīn的de一yì年nián能néng获得huòdé更gèng多duō财富cáifù。有些yǒuxiē家庭jiātíng还hái会huì说shuō:“新年xīnnián大dà发财fācái,元宝yuánbǎo滚gǔn进来jìnlai。”

饺子jiǎozi的de名字míngzi也yě很hěn有意思yǒuyìsi。有yǒu一yì种zhǒng说法shuōfǎ是shì,“饺子jiǎozi”的de“饺jiǎo”,发音fāyīn和hé“交换jiāohuàn”的de第一dìyī个gè字zì差不多chàbuduō。古人gǔrén把bǎ夜里yèlǐ11点diǎn到dào1点diǎn叫作jiàozuò“子时zǐshí”,而ér除夕chúxī的de子时zǐshí,正好zhènghǎo是shì旧jiù的de一yì年nián和hé新xīn的de一yì年nián交替jiāotì的de时候shíhou。因此yīncǐ,在zài这个zhège时候shíhou吃chī饺子jiǎozi,就jiù有yǒu“送走sòngzǒu旧年jiùnián、迎接yíngjiē新年xīnnián”的de意思yìsi。

至于zhìyú硬币yìngbì,这zhè也yě是shì很hěn多duō家庭jiātíng的de风俗fēngsú。包饺子bāojiǎozi的de时候shíhou,人们rénmen会huì把bǎ一个yígè洗xǐ干净gānjìng的de硬币yìngbì包bāo进jìn其中qízhōng一yí个gè饺子jiǎozi里。谁shéi吃chī到dào了le,就jiù说明shuōmíng谁shéi新xīn的de一yì年nián运气yùnqi最好zuìhǎo。有的yǒude地方dìfang还hái喜欢xǐhuān包bāo糖táng或者huòzhě花生huāshēng,吃chī到dào糖táng的de人rén,日子rìzi会huì过得guòde甜甜tiántián的de。当然dāngrán,吃chī的de时候shíhou要yào小心xiǎoxīn,别bié把bǎ牙yá咬yǎo坏huài了le。

那么nàme,饺子jiǎozi是shì谁shéi发明fāmíng的de?民间mínjiān流传liúchuán着zhe一yí个gè故事gùshi。传说chuánshuō东汉dōnghàn有yǒu一yí位wèi医生yīshēng叫jiào张仲景zhāngzhòngjǐng。有yǒu一yì年nián冬天dōngtiān特别tèbié冷lěng,他tā看到kàndào很hěn多duō穷人qióngrén的de耳朵ěrduo都dōu冻dòng坏huài了le,就jiù把bǎ羊肉yángròu和hé一些yìxiē药yào放fàng在zài一起yìqǐ煮zhǔ,再zài用yòng面粉miànfěn做zuò的de薄báo皮pí包bāo起来qǐlai,做成zuòchéng耳朵ěrduo的de样子yàngzi,送给sònggěi大家dàjiā吃chī。这zhè就是jiùshì“娇jiāo耳ěr”,后来hòulái慢慢mànmàn变成biànchéng了le今天jīntiān的de饺子jiǎozi。这zhè只是zhǐshì一个yígè传说chuánshuō,不过búguò很hěn多duō人rén都dōu愿意yuànyì相信xiāngxìn它tā。

那天nàtiān晚上wǎnshang,奶奶nǎinai终于zhōngyú发现fāxiàn了le爸爸bàba的de秘密mìmì:那个nàge有yǒu硬币yìngbì的de饺子jiǎozi是shì他tā自己zìjǐ包bāo的de,比bǐ别的biéde饺子jiǎozi都dōu大dà。

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
停tíngto stop; to halt
其中qízhōngamong them; in it
原因yuányīncause; reason
样子yàngziappearance; look
肚子dùzibelly; abdomen; stomach
表示biǎoshìto express; to indicate; to state
获得huòdéto obtain; to gain; to win
家庭jiātíngfamily; household
叫作jiàozuòto be called; to be known as
正好zhènghǎohappen to; as it happens
因此yīncǐtherefore; consequently; for this reason
说明shuōmíngexplanation; instructions; to explain; to illustrate

English (for the teacher)

New Year’s Eve: the whole family sits round the table eating dumplings. Suddenly Dad stops and takes a tiny coin out of his mouth. “This is my year to get rich!” he says happily. Grandma looks at him: “How come it’s you who finds it every year?”

In northern China, eating dumplings at Spring Festival is an important tradition. Why dumplings? One reason has to do with their shape. Take a good look: isn’t a dumpling small at both ends and fat in the middle? It looks a lot like an ancient yuanbao ingot. A yuanbao was money made of gold or silver, shaped like a little boat. So eating dumplings is a bit like putting money in your stomach: it shows you hope to gain more wealth in the new year. Some families even say: “Get rich in the New Year, let the ingots roll in!”

The name is interesting too. One explanation is that the “jiao” in “jiaozi” sounds almost the same as the first character of “jiaohuan”, to exchange. In the old days, 11 pm to 1 am was called the “zi hour”, and the zi hour on New Year’s Eve is exactly when the new year takes over from the old one. So eating dumplings at that moment means “seeing off the old year and welcoming the new”.

As for the coin, that’s a custom in many families too. When making the dumplings, people wrap a washed coin inside one of them. Whoever finds it will have the best luck in the new year. Some places wrap sugar or peanuts as well, and whoever gets the sugar will have a sweet year. Of course, eat carefully, or you’ll break a tooth.

So who invented dumplings? There’s a folk story. Legend has it that in the Eastern Han dynasty there was a doctor called Zhang Zhongjing. One winter was so cold that he saw many poor people with frostbitten ears, so he boiled mutton with some medicines, wrapped it in thin flour skins shaped like ears, and gave them to everyone. These were the “tender ears”, which slowly became today’s dumplings. It’s only a legend, but plenty of people like to believe it.

That night, Grandma finally discovered Dad’s secret: the dumpling with the coin was one he had wrapped himself, and it was bigger than all the others.