# Are you doing anything special at the school for Christmas?



## yuechu

大家好！

I wrote this question down a while ago (hence the mention of Christmas). Would anyone know how to say "Are you doing anything special at the school for Christmas?" in Chinese (either to someone studying at or working at a school) For example, maybe there will be a Christmas party or some Christmas baked goods, etc.
Thanks and Happy New Year to everyone! 

(I wanted to ask this to a friend who teaches English to young children in China)


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## SimonTsai

你現在在學校有在做甚麼特別的，慶祝耶誕嗎？


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## fyl

圣诞节有什么活动吗？
圣诞节有什么特别安排吗？


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## zhshy

SimonTsai said:


> 你現在在學校有在做甚麼特別的，慶祝耶誕嗎？


我觉得这里应该是在询问未来安排，不是询问正在发生的事。



fyl said:


> 圣诞节有什么活动吗？
> 圣诞节有什么特别安排吗？


你把“at the school”漏了

我的建议：圣诞节的时候，你学校有什么特别活动吗？


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## SimonTsai

> For example, maybe there will be a Christmas party or some Christmas baked goods, etc.


Oops! Thank you, @zhshy, for pointing out that my original translation is misleading.

Then would the following work for you?
你現在在學校有在為 (慶祝) 耶誕準備甚麼 (特別的) 嗎？​


zhshy said:


> 圣诞节的时候，你学校有什么特别活动吗？


You are not necessarily doing anything for Christmas while others are celebrating.


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## zhshy

SimonTsai said:


> Would the following work for you?
> 你現在在學校有在為 (慶祝) 耶誕準備甚麼 (特別的) 嗎？


I'm afraid this is not OP wanted to convey. I think OP just wanted to know whether his friend had definite activities for Christmas at the school and it's possible that OP and his friend were just sitting in a restaurant when OP asked this question on December 20, for example. I guess this post might help you.



SimonTsai said:


> You are not necessarily doing anything for Christmas while others are celebrating.


Yes, you are right. Here is my revised version: 圣诞节的时候，你们会在学校搞什么特别活动吗？


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## SimonTsai

zhshy said:


> 搞什么特别活动


搞 often carries something negative (as in 搞革命, 搞運動, 搞是非, 搞毒品性愛派對, and so on).


> I'm afraid this is not [what] OP wanted to convey.


Perhaps. I am not absolutely sure what the original poster means after reading that thread.

Below is what I expect:

(on the phone)
Whitney: '_Are you doing anything special for Christmas?_'
Sharon: '_Sure! I am busy planning a Christmas party, which John will attend. Will you come back this week?_'​I may misunderstand, of course.


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## zhshy

SimonTsai said:


> 搞 often carries something negative (as in 搞革命, 搞運動, 搞是非, 搞毒品性愛派對, and so on).


For me, "搞活动" is very natural. Do you think it's better if I replace "搞" with "举行"?


SimonTsai said:


> (on the phone)
> Whitney: '_Are you doing anything special for Christmas?_'
> Sharon: '_Sure! I am busy planning a Christmas party, which John will attend. Will you come back this week?_'


I see your point. However, maybe I'm wrong but I think it's possible at best.


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## philchinamusical

SimonTsai said:


> 搞 often carries something negative (as in 搞革命, 搞運動, 搞是非, 搞毒品性愛派對, and so on).


Again, Simon, sorry but this is not the case in mainland China. We usually say "搞一次聚会" "搞场演出" "搞比赛" "搞音乐会" ... Try googling it and you will find more.


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## SimonTsai

It seems that sometimes Taiwanese and mainland Mandarin differ far from slightly.

Personally I would say that

舉辦派對 by itself means having/holding (not necessarily hosting) a party, and is what I usually prefer, whereas
搞搞派對 sounds more like throwing a party, typically a wild one.



zhshy said:


> if I replace "搞" with "举行"


舉行派對 sounds foreign or stilted to me: It is usually used with something bigger and more formal:

2014 年建國中學成年禮謹訂於 05 月 09 日舉行。
雅美族人每年為祈求漁獲豐富，舉行飛魚祭；新船造好下水前，則舉行船祭。
日本平安時代初期，凡成為天皇者，必經大嘗祭。大嘗祭共四天，在大嘗祭中天皇成為神在人間的代表；該祭多半在十一月舉行。
@yuechu, would you mind telling me what you mean by asking that question to your friend and what you expect him to respond? (As you see, there exists disagreement in interpreting your question; I am afraid that I am wrong.)


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## SuperXW

Although 搞 is not necessarily negative in Mainland China, it IS quite colloquial and informal.
If you don't like 搞, you may consider 办 or 做.


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## yuechu

re: interpretation
 You are both correct that those are possible interpretations! It could be what the school is doing now or in the future, for Christmas.

Thank you all for your help!


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## SimonTsai

Thank you too, @yuechu!


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