春节就要到了，吃货们，新年大餐，准备好开动了吗？知道吗，一些食物吃了可以增强运气喔，快来把运气吃进肚子里吧。你还有其他好运食物要介绍？！赶快跟我们分享吧！

No matter how we did last year, all of us want to have good luck and make more fortune for the coming year. Instead of leaving everything up to fate, why not enjoy a meal to increase your good fortune? There are a variety of foods that are believed to be lucky and to improve the odds that next year will be a great one. “Lucky foods” are served throughout the 15-day-long celebration. It seems that “lucky food” may guarantee to make for a happy new year, or at the very least a happy belly.

无论上一年我们做得怎么样，我们都希望来年能有好运气，有更多的财富收获。与其等待命运的安排，倒不如在享受一顿大餐的同时增加自己的运气。据说有很多食物都会带来幸运，也会增强你的优势让你来年变得更好。在春节长达十五天的庆祝活动中，会有各式各样的幸运食物。幸运食物就算不能保证让你有一个快乐的新年，至少也能让你有快乐的食欲。

"Lucky food" sometimes is based on appearance. For example, serving a whole chicken during the Chinese New Year season symbolizes family integrity. Noodles represent a long life (an old superstition says that it is bad luck to cut them). And spring rolls symbolize wealth because their shape is similar to gold bars.

幸运的食物有时是基于外观的。例如：在中国新年期间吃全鸡象征着家庭完整；面条代表着长寿(旧时迷信切断面条会带来坏运气)；而春卷则象征着财富，因为它的形状和金条相似。

On the other hand, food may be significant because of its name that sounds. For example, the Cantonese word for "lettuce" is similar to the word meaning "rising fortune", so it is very common to serve lettuce leaves filled with other "lucky foods". Tangerines and oranges are also having good meaning, which their names sound like “luck” and “wealth” respectively. Pomelo, the large ancestor of the grapefruit, signifies abundance because the Chinese word for it sounds like the verb "to have".

另一方面，食物或许因为它的名字听起来幸运而变得重要。例如，粤语中“生菜”和“生财”发音相近，因此，在奉上其它幸运食物的同时，生菜也往往一并出场。橘子和橙子也有好的寓意，因为它们的名字听起来分别像“吉”和“财”。柚子是葡萄柚的祖先，代表着富足因为它的汉语词发音听起来像动词“有”。

Fish also play a large role in the festive celebrations. The Chinese word for "fish" sounds like the words for both "wish" and "abundance". As a result, on Chinese New Year’s Eve it is customary to serve a fish at the end of the dinner, symbolizing a wish for abundance during the coming year. For added symbolism, the fish is served whole, with head and tail attached, symbolizing a good beginning and end for the coming year.

鱼在欢度佳节中也起着很大的作用，鱼的汉语发音听起来有点像“欲”和“裕”，所以就有了“愿望”和“富足”的寓意。所以，除夕夜团圆饭结束前，人们通常会端上一条代表着来年富足愿望的鱼。另外，饭桌上的鱼一般来说都是带着鱼头和鱼尾的整条鱼，这象征着新年会有一个美好的开端和结尾。

The Tray of Togetherness 全盒

Chinese New Year tradition calls for people to pay visits to family and friends. When visiting relatives, it’s customary for the host to offer guests tea, along with a round or octagonal tray filled with a variety of treats, from nuts to sweets. This is known as "chyuhn haap", or the Tray of Togetherness, representing peace and harmony. By the way, eight is a considered to be a lucky number because the Chinese word for eight sounds like "fortune".

根据中国新年传统，人们会拜访亲朋好友。在拜访亲友时，主人家通常都会给客人们献上热茶，还有一个圆的或者八角形的、装满多样的坚果和糖果等小吃的盒子。这就是我们所谓的“全盒”，代表着和睦与和谐。

Traditionally, the tray is made of wood, with eight interior dishes of porcelain, but nowadays many people opt for plastic. Inside, each compartment is filled with a special symbolic food.

传统的全盒是木质的，里面有八个瓷盘，但现在很多人选择用塑料的制成的全盒。在全盒里面，每个小格都装有特别的有象征意义的食物。

So, what are in the tray of togetherness? In such a tray you might find:

那么，在全盒里究竟有什么呢？你会在里面找到：

Melon seeds (wealth and happiness) 瓜子(财富、幸福)

Lotus root seeds (have many children) 糖莲子 (年生贵子)

Candied melon (good health and growth) 糖冬瓜(健康成长)

Candied Coconut (friendship and unity) 糖椰子(友谊永固)

Peanuts (long life) 花生(长命百岁)

Jau gok (wealth) 油角(钱包饱胀)

Lychee nut (strong family ties) 荔枝干(家庭团结)

Longan (many good sons) 龙眼干(子孙满堂)