We use passwords 密码 (mì mǎ) every day: opening e-mail, shopping online, posting blog, etc. But do you know if your password is safe? Well, password management app maker SplashData has revealed this year’s worst passwords with ‘password’ and ‘123456’ taking the top two slots. Other bad passwords were: 111111, Iloveyou, abc123, 123123, monkey.
If you were to ask which day is the busiest day for barber shops 理发店(lǐ fà diàn) in northern China, then the answer would be that they are busiest on the second day of the second month in Lunar Calendar.
There is an old saying where “On the second day of the second month of Lunar Calendar, the dragon raises its head, which gave birth to the saying 二月二，龙抬头(èr yuè èr, lóng tái tóu)” Chinese astronomers divided the sky into 28 parts according the movement of the sun, moon and the stars. On this day, the star of dragon horn will raise from the east.
That’s why it is called the day of “dragon raising its head.” This day symbolizes that spring will return and the celebration of traditional Chinese spring festival has come to an end. According to the tradition which is more common in the north, one should not touch knives, scissors or cut his or her hair during the spring festival otherwise he might have bad luck in the coming year. Therefore, all people who haven’t had a haircut during the lunar first month will come for a haircut this day.
Rain Water
February 19, 2012 is the “Day of Rain Water” 雨水 (Yǔ shuǐ) according to the 24 solar terms of the lunar calendar. From this day on, the temperature becomes warmer and the amount of rainfall gradually increases. After this day, the weather is often quite unpredictable. A cold wave can appear more often in this season than in any other season. It is sometimes warm and sometimes cold. The unpredictable weather is harmful for the growing plants, trees and fruits, and even to the human body. Therefore, it is very important to keep warm and decrease humidity.
Don’t Leave Without Seeing Each Other
不见不散(bú jiàn bú sàn) literally means “don’t leave without seeing each other”; in short it means “see you then” or “be there or be square” and is often used when you make an appointment with your friend. For example, let’s say you and your friends have…
Trust is of fundamental importance to any human relationship. The great Chinese philosopher, Confucius, mentioned that each day he performs a self-examination by asking three questions, one of which was: “When dealing with friends, have I failed to keep my word?”
Today we will look a phrase used to confirm your words which is “一言为定” (yì yán wéi dìng). It means “that’s settled then” or “You have my word.”
So when you get to an agreement with your friend you can use this sentence to confirm.
Please remember： When the pain of holding on ‘坚持（Jiān chí）’ is greater than the pain of letting go‘放弃（Fàng qì）’, it’s time to let go.
From Ninhao.com
Monkey King 孙悟空(Sūn Wùkōng)is a main character in the classical Chinese epic novel Journey to the west.In the novel, he is a monkey born from a stone who acquires supernatural powers through Taoist practices. After rebelling against heaven and being imprisoned under a mountain by the Buddha, he later accompanies the monk Xuanzang on a journey to retrieve Buddhist sutras from India. The TV series Monkey and upcoming film The Monkey King are both based on this book.
Do you know which number 数字 (shù zi) is the lucky number in China?
Well, as a rule, it is customary to regard even numbers are more auspicious than odd numbers in China. Thus, guests will always give even-numbered presents.
Since the number two 二 (èr) usually suggests germination and harmony, decorations are invariably set out in pairs at wedding celebrations like a pair of red candles, a pair of pillows, and couplets hung on two sides of the hall.
Six 六, pronounced as ‘liù’, conveys the meaning “do everything smoothly”.
Eight or “八 (bā)” in Chinese has a similar sound to ‘fā’, and so has the connotation of making a fortune. Chinese business men favor this number very much.
However, four or “四”(sì) is the exception to the even number rule as it sounds like “sǐ” (death), so when choosing car license tags, phone numbers and room numbers people try to avoid it.
For odd numbers, nine or “九” (jiǔ) is an exception as it sometimes means longevity and eternality.
From Ninhao.com
The 节 character showed up twice lately. Enough reason to investigate it:
节PinYin:jie1 jie2
Frequency: 5,58
The 节 character showed up twice lately. Enough reason to investigate it:
节PinYin:jie1 jie2
Frequency: 5,58
立春 (Lì chūn) — literally, the “beginning of the spring” — the first solar terms according to the traditional Chinese calendar. This year Lichun falls on 4th of February. Like many Chinese traditions and holidays, it’s customary to celebrate with food.
The dietary concept at the beginning of spring is focused on “biting”; many foods will need to have eaten with large “bites”, thus demonstrating its freshness. People will eat spring pancakes 春饼(chūn bǐng), spring rolls 春卷(chūn juǎn) and radish. Spring pancakes are layered pancakes that are much bigger than the pancakes that are traditionally eaten with Peking duck. There are an abundance of choices in the fillings for spring pancakes such as all kinds of braised meat, smoked meat or persevered meat, different stir fries including spinach, leek, bean sprouts, vermicelli and eggs.
