咬春

yǎochūn

verb

Meanings

1 to "bite spring", eating spring pancakes or raw radish at the Beginning of Spring

Characters

Examples

HSK 7-9

北方有立春咬春的习俗。

Běifāng yǒu lìchūn yǎochūn de xísú.

In northern China there is a custom of "biting spring" on the Beginning of Spring.

HSK 7-9

立春这天，奶奶切了一盘生萝卜，让全家咬春。

Lìchūn zhè tiān, nǎinai qiē le yì pán shēng luóbo, ràng quánjiā yǎochūn.

On the Beginning of Spring, Grandma sliced a plate of raw radish so the whole family could "bite spring".

Tips

culture

On 立春, the Beginning of Spring (around 4 February), people in Beijing, Tianjin and much of the north eat 春饼, thin pancakes rolled around shredded vegetables and meat, or crunch raw 萝卜 radish. The crisp bite was said to chase away 春困, the drowsiness of early spring.

usage

Its autumn counterpart is 贴秋膘, eating rich meat dishes when autumn begins.

Stroke Order

咬 yǎo

春 chūn