Hello China 英文版《你好，中国》是由中国国家广电总局主办、中国国际广播电台、高等教育出版社联合策划实施的大型多媒体系列文化项目。本分享视频来自腾讯视频，版权归原作者所有，本分享旨在学生英语学习。Hello China 英文版《你好，中国》选取了100个代表中国传统文化精髓的汉语词汇，从不同侧面反映中国文化的博大精深，加深国外民众对中国和中华文化的了解。This character means moon with wax and wane. Mythical meanings are attributed to yue liang in Chinese legends. Legend has it, that Chang’e the wife of Ancient Chinese hero Hou Yi, stole her husband’s elixir and ate it. Then she became a fairy and flew to the yue liang. She lived alone on the yue liang with only the company of a rabbit. Worshipping yue liang is an ancient custom in China. A round yue liang represents family reunion and often reminds people of their family. As a ancient Chinese poem says: raise my eyes to the yue liang, lower my head and think of home. 1. wax and wane [wæks ənd weɪn] （喻事业的）盛衰，阴晴圆缺
Feelings of love may wax and wane during a relationship, but trust is constant.
一段情谊中的爱情可能会有盈亏圆缺，而信任是永恒的。
Why should the moon have wax and wane?
为什么一定会月有阴晴圆缺？
2. elixir [ɪˈlɪksər] n.圣水;灵丹妙药;长生不老药在古老的炼金术中，“哲人之石” （the philosopher's stone）是中世纪炼金术士们绞尽脑汁千方百计想要制造出来的灵石。它可以将贱金属转化成完美的纯金，有时还被认为是神奇的药剂，有着治疗万病、返老还 童和长生不老的神奇功效。在几百年间，贤者之石就像是炼金术的圣杯一样，吸引着欧洲一代又一代炼金术士前仆后继地沉浸于制造“哲人之石”的伟大工作之中。用“哲人之石”制成的干粉在阿拉伯语中被称为al-iksir，其中的al是定冠词，iksir是“干粉”的意思。英语单词elixir就来自阿拉伯语al-iksir，指的就是用“哲人之石”制成的灵丹妙药。elixir：[ɪ'lɪksɚ] n.长生不老药，万能药，炼金药Placenta extracts are very popular among us Orientals for centuries as an Elixir of life.胎盘提取物被我们东方人看作一种仙丹已经盛行了几个世纪了。In Chinese minds, the moon is associated with gentleness and brightness, expressing the beautiful yearnings of the Chinese. On the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, the moon is full and it is time to mark the Moon Festival, or the Mid-Autumn Festival. The round shape symbolizes family reunion. Therefore, the day is a holiday for family members to get together and enjoy the full moon – an auspicious token of abundance, harmony, and luck.The moon has special meaning in China. Many Chinese legends are related with the moon, and the most typical one is 'chang e ben yue' (嫦娥奔月，the Goddess Chang E flying to the moon), which is known to almost every Chinese. The moon also appears in lots of Chinese poems, which means that the poet is missing his home, friends or the beloved.According to traditional Chinese culture, the moon is a carrier of human emotions. Ancient Chinese myth and philosophy explain why the Chinese prefer the moon.In Chinese fairy tales, the fairy Chang E lived on the moon with a wood cutter named Wu Gang and her pet jade rabbit. In the old days, people paid respect to the fairy Chang E and her pet, the jade rabbit.The story takes place around 2170 B.C. At that time, the earth had ten suns circling it, each taking its turn to illuminate the earth. But one day all ten suns appeared together, scorching the earth with their heat. The earth was saved by a strong and tyrannical archer named Hou Yi. He succeeded in shooting down nine of the suns. One day, Hou Yi stole the elixir of life from a goddess. However, his beautiful wife Chang E drank the elixir of life in order to save the people from her husband's tyrannical rule. After drinking it, she found herself floating and flew all they way to the moon. Hou Yi loved his divinely beautiful wife so much, he refused to shoot down the moon.The moon and Chinese cultureChinese have a special fondness for the Moon. There is no doubt about that, particularly if you have got a chance to celebrate the well-known Mid-Autumn Festival, or Moon Festival in this country.Every year as the Autumn Moon waxes full, Chinese people gather under the night sky in admiration. The festival is held as an auspicious rite, bringing promises of abundance, harmony and good fortune.The festival is celebrated on the fifteenth day of the eighth lunar month. It is the second most important in Chinese tradition, after the Spring Festival. It's also an occasion for eating moon-cakes and enjoying family reunions.Many people are drawn to the Moon's mystery and charm. So it's not surprising that the celestial body is the theme of many songs, movies, operas, poems and plays. The Moon is often associated with romantic affairs. In the classical tune "The Moon Represents My Heart", it represents deep and faithful love.The moon, crescent or full, never fails to trigger people's infinite wonder.