Learning Chinese Expressions: A Thanksgiving Special

“Gratitude creates the most wonderful feeling. It can resolve disputes. It can strengthen friendships, and it makes us better men and women.” -Gordon B. Hinckley

Feeling grateful is perhaps one of the most powerful emotion of all. It touches people in a spiritual level. No wonder people dedicate a day to commemorate gratitude. In the West, they call it, Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving, the American day of gratitude, is celebrated during the fourth Thursday of November. During this day, people give thanks for what they have. American people commonly commemorate this event with family gatherings over a meal. People traditionally serve roast turkey, stuffing, potatoes, vegetables, cranberry sauce, gravy, and pumpkin pie for families and friends to enjoy. During this time, volunteering is also common, centralized in hosting food drives to help the less fortunate.

感恩节 （Gǎnēn Jié）Thanksgiving

Gǎn ēn jié shì gǎn ēn de jié rì

感  恩  节  是  感  恩 的 节 日。

Thanksgiving Day is a holiday for gratitude.

感恩（Gǎn’ēn）be grateful

Chéng méng bāng zhù, gǎn ēn bú jìn

承     蒙     帮     助，感 恩 不 尽。

We owe you a debt of gratitude for you help.

Rén yào xué huì gǎn ēn

人   要    学   会   感 恩。

People should learn how to be grateful.

Thanksgiving was not an official holiday until 1863, When American President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day held each November. However,  its origin dates back to 1621, when the Plymouth Colonists and the Wampanoag shared an autumn harvest feast. People consider that the celebration was the first-ever Thanksgiving in America.

However, Thanksgiving Day isn’t from China and Chinese people don’t celebrate Thanksgiving, but Chinese people are grateful. And there are Chinese proverbs that vocalize gratitude below.

恩重如山 (ēn zhòng rú shān)

[deep favor ;Deeply grateful love.]

Wǒ  juéde zhè gè rén dài wǒ ēn zhòng rú shān

我觉得这个人待我恩重如山。

I saw a man who had meant to be my benefactor.

感激不尽 (gǎn jī bù jìn) 

can’t be thankful enough to

Tā měitiān zhàogù wǒ, wǒ duì tā gǎn jī bú jìn

她每天照顾我，我对她感激不尽。

She takes good care of me, I am deeply appreciate.

滴水之恩，涌泉相报  (dī shuǐ zhī ēn, yǒng quán xiāng bào)

Drop the boon of the water, be to flow out spring to report.

There is an old saying in China, “A drop received in need will be repaid with a whole river.” This means that even a small favor should be doubled (in action) in times of difficulty. The first written is the Zengguangxianwen· Zhuzi Family Instructions of the Qing Dynasty. The sentence was originally a folk idiom.

Gratitude is an act of appreciation for things we receive, may it be tangible or intangible. Gratitude enables people to acknowledge the goodness of life. Subsequently, connecting to existence larger than themselves. Perhaps Thanksgiving is the “national gratitude day” for the west. However, let us not forget to be grateful for every little thing we receive daily. Every day should still be a day of gratitude.

Happy Thanksgiving. Don’t forget to show your appreciation to your family members, friends, and other people who come into your life.