# Christmas Eve



## yuechu

大家好！

I was looking for the translation of "Christmas Eve" in the Wordreference dictionary today and found the following translations: "平安夜“，”圣诞前夜" and "圣诞夜". Do these all mean exactly the same thing? Is one of the more common than the others?
(For example, how might you say "Do you have any plans for Christmas Eve?" or "Christmas Eve is in about a week" in Chinese?)

Thanks! 
(and Happy Holidays to everyone! )


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## ovaltine888

平安夜 actually derives from "silent night", the famous Christmas Carol.

I think 圣诞夜 and 平安夜 are commonly used. 
圣诞前夜 sounds a bit more 翻译腔.

Do you have any plans for Christmas Eve?" 
你圣诞夜准备怎么过？
"Christmas Eve is in about a week" 
再过一个星期就是平安夜了。


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## yuechu

Thanks so much, Ovaltine888! Your translations help me a lot!


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## brofeelgood

圣诞(节)前夕


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## yuechu

Thanks, Brofeelgood!


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## SuperXW

brofeelgood said:


> 圣诞(节)前夕
> 
> View attachment 51106


I advise to avoid 前夕 because the word almost always means “right before” in contemporary Mandarin, but not its literal original meaning "eve".
圣诞前夕 becomes ambiguous as many people consider 12.20-23 also belongs to 圣诞前夕.
For example, this news.


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## brofeelgood

Maybe it's just me, but even though the definition of 「前夕」 has shifted to include the period prior to an event (e.g. 大选前夕), I've always considered 「圣诞前夕」 to be a fixed expression that's retained its literal denotation.

*美股圣诞前夕上演惊魂夜*
*圣诞节前夕多国金融市场休市*
*圣诞前夕的“免费午餐*


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## Skatinginbc

brofeelgood said:


> its literal denotation


根據字面意思, 直覺上 "聖誕夜" 是聖主耶穌誕生的那一夜, "聖誕前夕" 是耶穌誕生的前一晚. 顯然 "聖誕夜" 和 "聖誕前夕" 差了一天.  耶穌到底是什麼時候出生的?  我不確定，但我一直以為是12月24日晚上, 也就是聖誕節 (12月25日) 的前一晚, that is, "聖誕*節*前夕".


brofeelgood said:


> *圣诞节前夕多国金融市场休市*
> *圣诞前夕的“免费午餐*


圣诞夜的免费晚餐 
圣诞夜的免费午餐 
除夕夜的免费晚餐 
除夕夜的免费午餐 
除夕夜 = 除夕 (過年前的最后一天) + 夜 (晚上) = 除夕 (岁末的最后一天夜晚)
除夕的免费晚餐  (除夕: 岁末的最后一天夜晚)
除夕的免费午餐  (除夕: 過年前的最后一天)
圣诞前夕的免费晚餐  (前夕: 前一天晚上; Christmas Eve: the evening before Christmas Day )
圣诞前夕的免费午餐  (前夕: 前一天; Christmas Eve: the entire day before Christmas Day)

圣诞前夕多国金融市场休市 ==> 前夕: 前一天; Christmas Eve: the entire day before Christmas Day


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## SuperXW

brofeelgood said:


> Maybe it's just me, but even though the definition of 「前夕」 has shifted to include the period prior to an event (e.g. 大选前夕), I've always considered 「圣诞前夕」 to be a fixed expression that's retained its literal denotation.
> 
> *美股圣诞前夕上演惊魂夜*
> *圣诞节前夕多国金融市场休市*
> *圣诞前夕的“免费午餐*


It can be used to refer to the Eve, but not necessary. It does not contradict to "the period prior to the event (Christmas)" either.
Chinese usually consider xx节前夕 means a few days prior to the holiday, and Christmas is perceived as a holiday. 
Considering the news I posted, I don't think 圣诞前夕 is a fixed expression now. I think it is ambiguous.
Even in your news (the 1st one), 平安夜 / 圣诞前夜 were used instead of 圣诞前夕.



Skatinginbc said:


> 根據字面意思, 直覺上 "聖誕夜" 是聖主耶穌誕生的那一夜, "聖誕前夕" 是耶穌誕生的前一晚. 顯然 "聖誕夜" 和 "聖誕前夕" 差了一天.  耶穌到底是什麼時候出生的?  我不確定，但我一直以為是12月24日晚上, 也就是聖誕節 (12月25日) 的前一晚, that is, "聖誕*節*前夕".


Many Chinese don't really know whether 圣诞夜 is the evening of 24th or 25th. I was confused for many years too.


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## SimonTsai

Skatinginbc said:


> "聖誕夜" 是聖主耶穌誕生的那一夜, [...] 也就是聖誕節 (12月25日) 的前一晚; that is, "聖誕*節*前夕".


Very well explained. I have not given it much thought before. Interesting. Thank you.


> 除夕的免费午餐  (除夕: 過年前的最后一天)


'除夕' for me refers to the evening or night right before the first day of the new year. To refer to the whole day, I would say '除夕當天' in such a context. '夕' contradicts '午'. (It is perfectly natural to say '再過幾天就除夕了'. This is structurally analogous to '再過幾天就會考了', '再過幾天就學測了'. We refer to the whole by part of it when we say these.)

*NOTE*: '_eve_' is etymologically associated with '_evening_'. Mandarin and English are similar in this respect.


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## Skatinginbc

2020/01/23 華視新聞 台北報導: 明天*除夕一早*會有一波南下的車潮...高公局預估，*除夕早上*開始，國道一號楊梅到新竹...預估會從早上塞到下午四點。==> 除夕: 過年前的最後一天

百度百科: *除夕夜*是指每年农历十二月的最后一天的晚上 ==> 假如 '除夕' 只能指歲末最後一天的晚上，那麼，'除夕夜' 豈非是歲末最後一天晚上的晚上? 什麼是 "晚上的晚上" (夕夜)?


SimonTsai said:


> '_eve_' is etymologically associated with '_evening_'. Mandarin and English are similar in this respect.


台灣天賜百匯的廣告: *除夕午餐* 只要 NT$990. *除夕夜*晚餐 只要 NT$1680.  Likewise, some restaurants in Canada also offer Christmas *Eve* *lunch* (as well as Christmas *Day* *dinner *although 'day' is etymologically assoicated with the period during which the sun is above the horizon).


SuperXW said:


> Many Chinese don't really know whether 圣诞夜 is the evening of 24th or 25th.


時間順序:
孩子夜裡出生了，隔日一早親朋好友便趕來道賀, 大家聚集在一起慶祝、吃盛宴。英語 "Christmas" 是 "Christ's mass" 的縮寫, "mass" 是 彌撒 (意思是 “聚集, 聚會”), 指大家因 Jesus Christ 的誕生而聚集慶祝、吃盛宴。中文把 Christmas Day 翻成  "聖誕日", 使人以為那是 "*聖*主耶穌*誕*生的那一*日*" (耶穌生日)。其實,  "聖誕節" 是賀誕日, 大家共聚賀誕的那一天。


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## yuechu

Thank you all for your explanations! 



SimonTsai said:


> To refer to the whole day, I would say '除夕當天' in such a context.


I hope you don't mind if I ask a question about this! Is 当天 here pronounced dāngtiān or dàngtiān?


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## SimonTsai

To @yuechu: 除夕當 (1) 天 (1).

Language evolves or devolves. Maybe I am in the minority.


Skatinginbc said:


> *除夕　午餐*　只要 NT$  990
> *除夕夜*晚餐　只要 NT$1680.


I know what is intended but would probably not put it like that, in writing; I would write instead,

除夕當天，午餐只要 NT$990，晚餐只要 $1680。​


> 明天*除夕一早*會有一波南下的車潮


There '除夕' seems to be parenthetical: You can safely remove it without any loss in meaning.


> *除夕早上*開始，國道一號楊梅到新竹、彰化到埔鹽路段，還有國道三號三鶯到關西、快官到霧峰路段都會塞；


I think that I would write,

除夕當天，國道一號楊梅到新竹、彰化到埔鹽路段，還有國道三號三鶯到關西、快官到霧峰路段，從早上開始，很可能會出現塞車的狀況。​
The original is not horribly wrong but—is it just for me—is not my first choice.


> 那麼，"除夕夜" 豈非是歲末最後一天晚上的晚上? 什麼是 "晚上的晚上"?


In my mind, '夕' and '夜' are sufficiently close in time so that it does not sound jarring.


> Christmas *Eve* *lunch*


How would you say it in Mandarin, then? Does '耶誕夜午餐' sound right to you?


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## Skatinginbc

SimonTsai said:


> In my mind, '夕' and '夜' are sufficiently close in time so that it does not sound jarring.



I think "除夕夜" is 除夕 + 夜, not 除 + 夕夜 (a compound word like 朝日).


SimonTsai said:


> Does '耶誕夜午餐' sound right to you?


I didn't say '_Christmas Night lunch_' (耶誕夜午餐).  I said '_Christmas Eve lunch_'. In English, _Christmas Eve_ refers to the evening or entire day before Christmas Day.


SimonTsai said:


> It is perfectly natural to say '再過幾天就除夕了'. This is structurally analogous to '再過幾天就會考了', '再過幾天就學測了'. We refer to the whole by part of it when we say these.


明天就是除夕了. Google results: 167,000 
明天就是會考了.  Google results: 1,020 
明天就是學測了.  Google results: 1,100  
明天就是選舉了.  Google results: 748 
明天就是大會了.  Google results: 1,960 
I think 除夕 (a particular time, like 明天) behaves quite differently from 會考 (a particular event) and 學測 (a particular event).


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## SimonTsai

Let me try again: Does '耶誕節前夕午餐' sound right to you?

*EDIT*: Oh, I forgot that you have given '耶誕節前夕的免費午餐' a green tick, so it probably sounds right to you. When I heard '決戰前夕', I would be expecting something like '輾轉反側' and '枕戈待旦' (or '最後的晚餐'—just kidding ).


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