On that night, unmarried girls prayed to the Weaving Maid star for the special gift. When the star Vega was high up in the sky, girls performed a small test by placing a needle on the water's surface: If the needle did not sink, the girl was considered to be ready to find a husband. Once a year, on this day, girls could wish for anything their hearts desired。
这里“乞巧”的这个“乞”,我们可以说beg,也可以用plead这个词,plead to be endowed with perfect sewing skills. 貌似这两个词都和浪漫气氛不符哦,plead其实更常见于法庭上,律师为某人辩护,就是plead one's case;而那句我们耳熟能详的“不认罪”,则是plead not guilty,反之“认罪”就是plead guilty——注意这里的用法,比较特殊哦,是在动词plead后面直接加形容词guilty——法官就会经常问这句话:Do you plead guilty or not guilty?你可认罪?也有一个更常见的情况,就是被告人plead insanity,以精神失常为借口,试图减轻刑罚。
至于祈求姻缘,这个恐怕还是要看缘分哦,如果两个人是predestined to be together,那么是无论如何都会相遇并相爱的吧。在这里祝天下有情人终成眷属吧!(All shall be well, and Jack shall have Jill!)
On the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, the moon is round and the Chinese people mark their Moon (or Mid-autumn) Festival.
每年农历八月十五日,圆月当空,是中国传统的中秋佳节。
The round shape to a Chinese means family reunion.
“圆”对于中国人来说意味着团圆。
Therefore the Moon Festival is a holiday for members of a family to get together wherever it is possible.
因此,中秋节也是一个合家团圆的节曰。
On that day sons and daughters will bring their family members back to their parents’ house for a reunion.
这一天,子女会回到父母身边。
Sometimes people who have already settled overseas will come back to visit their parents on that day.
甚至远在他乡的游子,也会不远万里回到故乡看望自己的亲人。
As every Chinese holiday is accompanied by some sort of special food, on the Moon Festival, people eat moon cakes, a kind of cookie with fillings of sugar, fat, sesame, walnut, the yoke of preserved eggs, ham or other material.
中秋节的传统食品是月饼(一种以糖、油、芝麻、核桃仁、咸蛋黄、 火腿等为馅料的糕点)。
In Chinese fairy tales, there live on the moon the fairy Chang E, a wood cutter named Wu Gang and a jade rabbit which is Chang E’s pet.
在中国 神话故事 中,月宫中住着嫦娥、玉兔以及砍树人吴刚。
In the old days, people paid respect to the fairy Chang E and her pet the jade rabbit.
古时候的中秋节,人们会在月下摆设香案,向善良的嫦娥祈求吉祥平安。
The custom of paying homage to the fairy and rabbit is gone, but the moon cakes are showing improvement every year.
现如今,向嫦娥、玉兔致意的习俗已经淡漠了,但是每年的月饼都在改进。
There are hundreds of varieties of moon cakes on sale a month before the arrival of the Moon Festival this year.
在距离中秋节还有一个月时,各种各样的月饼就开始销售了。
Some moon cakes are of very high quality and very delicious.
不乏一些美味可口的高质量月饼。
An overseas tourist is advised not to miss it if he or she happens to be in China during the Moon Festival.