hongbao
Language: Mandarin · [xʊŋ˧˥ pɑʊ˥] · Pronunciation: hong-BOW (as in now)
Meaning
a red envelope of money, given at New Year and weddings
The story
Hong is red and bao a packet: at Lunar New Year elders hand them to children, and at weddings guests bring them instead of presents. Since 2014 WeChat has let people send them from a phone, and hundreds of millions do. English says red envelope, or in Hong Kong, lai see.
The four rounds
- Which language is it from?
- Mandarin
- What does it literally say?
- Red packet
- When is it handed over?
- At New Year and at weddings
- What does it mean?
- Banknotes given in a paper sleeve
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