平安夜

píng'ānyè
noun

Meanings

  1. 1 Christmas Eve
  2. 2 'Silent Night' (Christmas carol)

Examples

HSK 2
Píng'ānyè tā sòng le wǒ yí gè píngguǒ.
He gave me an apple on Christmas Eve.
HSK 4
Píng'ānyè dàjiā huì chàng 《 Píng'ānyè 》 zhè shǒu gē.
On Christmas Eve people sing the carol 'Silent Night'.

Tips

culture
In China, a folk tradition has emerged of giving a wrapped apple (苹果) on Christmas Eve because 苹 (píng) sounds like 平 in 平安 ('peace, safety'). These gift apples are called 平安果 and sold in decorative boxes.
memory
平安 means 'peace and safety' + 夜 'night' - the 'night of peace', matching the English original 'Silent/Holy Night'.

Stroke Order

平 píng
安 ān
夜 yè