Lunar New Year: Complimenting host on 'lucky' home decorations

💬 过 (guò) means "to pass" or "spend", so 过年 is literally "passing the year". The same pattern works for other occasions: 过生日 "celebrate a birthday".

💬 Location words come before the thing they describe, linked by 的 (de): 门上的福字 is literally "door-on's fu character". Also 桌子上的书 "the book on the table".

💬 着 (zhe) after a verb describes the way something is done or the state it's in: 倒着贴 is "stuck on in an upside-down way". 怎么 (zěnme) before it asks "how come".

🇨🇳 Asking about the upside-down 福 is a classic friendly question that hosts love to answer. It gives them the chance to explain the pun and share the tradition.

🇨🇳 The 福 (fú) character is pasted on doors, walls and furniture at New Year. It's usually printed in gold or black on a red diamond-shaped square.

💬 倒 (dào) "upside down" sounds exactly like 到 (dào) "arrive". So 福倒了 "fu is upside down" sounds the same as 福到了 "fortune has arrived".

💬 嘛 (ma) at the end adds a tone of "obviously" or "you see", presenting the point as something self-evident. It's different from the question word 吗.

🇨🇳 Sound-alike puns drive many New Year customs. Fish, called 鱼 (yú), is eaten because it sounds like 余 "surplus".

💬 原来 (yuánlái) signals sudden understanding, like "so that's how it is!" It works in other sentences too: 原来你会说中文 "oh, so you speak Chinese!"

💬 副 (fù) is the counting word for things that come in sets or pairs, such as couplets or glasses. 一副眼镜 means "a pair of glasses".

💬 很 here doesn't really mean "very". It just completes the sentence before 漂亮 (piàoliang), so no 是 is needed.

🇨🇳 Spring Festival couplets are two matching lines of verse hung on either side of the door. A short horizontal line is hung above them, and they're written in black or gold on red paper.

💬 The pattern 是…的 picks out who did something that has already happened: 是我爸写的 puts the focus on "my dad". Swap the person in: 是我妈做的 "my mom made it".

💬 都 (dōu) follows time words like 每年 (měi nián) to mean "without exception". Similarly, 他每天都跑步 means "he runs every day".

🇨🇳 Hand-writing couplets in brush calligraphy is a point of family pride, often done by an older relative. Noticing that they're handwritten is a real compliment.

💬 Here the verb plus 得 comments on the quality of what someone did. You can reuse it for other skills: 剪得真好 "cut really well", 做得真好 "made really well".

💬 Adding 吗 (ma) to the end of a statement turns it into a yes/no question, with no change in word order.

🇨🇳 Asking whether the family made the decorations is a polite way to praise their effort. It invites them to share a little about their traditions.

🇨🇳 Window paper-cuts are red paper designs stuck onto windows at New Year. Common designs include zodiac animals, flowers and lucky characters.

💬 哪里 (nǎlǐ) literally means "where", so the phrase is like saying "where? where?", as if the praise couldn't apply to you. The first 哪 is said with a rising tone in speech: (náli náli).

🇨🇳 This is the classic modest reply to a compliment, and it can sound a bit old-fashioned or playful today. Brushing off praise like this is expected rather than rude, and many younger people just say 谢谢.

💬 With close family members, 的 is usually dropped: 我妈 rather than 我的妈. The same goes for 我爸 "my dad" and 我家 "my home".

💬 随便 (suíbiàn) means "casually" or "without much effort". On its own, 随便 is also a common reply meaning "whatever's fine".

🇨🇳 Saying it was "just casually" made is a modest way of downplaying skill after being praised. A good response is to keep complimenting, for example with 太漂亮了.

💬 太…了 wrapped around a describing word means "so ...!" and shows strong feeling. Swap in another word: 太好吃了 "so delicious!"

🇨🇳 This is a polite thank-you to a host for food and hospitality, usually said when you're about to leave. It's warm without being stiff.

💬 先 (xiān) "first" softens the leaving, implying that others will stay on. It's the standard way to excuse yourself, and it isn't about literally going before anyone else.

🇨🇳 Hosts will often protest with 再坐一会儿 "stay a bit longer". Repeating that you need to go, with a smile, is the normal back-and-forth.

🇨🇳 慢走 (màn zǒu), literally "walk slowly", is what a host says when seeing a guest out the door. The guest usually replies 留步 (liú bù) "don't bother seeing me out".

💬 祝你 followed by any good wish makes a blessing: 祝你生日快乐 "happy birthday to you", 祝你身体健康 "wishing you good health".

🇨🇳 Leaving with a New Year wish is expected and warmly received. More traditional options include 新年快乐 and 恭喜发财 "wishing you prosperity".