春节回家 Going Home for Spring Festival

春节Chūnjié快要kuàiyào到dào了le，我wǒ决定juédìng回家huíjiā看kàn爸爸bàba妈妈māma。

Spring Festival was coming soon, so I decided to go home to see my parents.

春节Chūnjié前qián的de火车票huǒchēpiào非常fēicháng难nán买mǎi，我wǒ在zài网上wǎngshàng看kàn了le三天sān tiān，才cái买到mǎidào一张yì zhāng。

Train tickets before Spring Festival are extremely hard to get; I searched online for three days before I finally got one.

那天nà tiān火车站huǒchēzhàn里lǐ人rén很hěn多duō，大家dàjiā都dōu拿ná着zhe很hěn多duō东西dōngxi，脸上liǎn shang带dài着zhe笑xiào。

That day the train station was packed; everyone was carrying lots of bags, with smiles on their faces.

火车huǒchē开kāi了le十shí个gè小时xiǎoshí，我wǒ一直yìzhí看kàn着zhe外面wàimiàn的de雪xuě。

The train ran for ten hours, and I kept watching the snow outside the whole way.

到dào家jiā的de时候shíhou已经yǐjīng是shì晚上wǎnshang了le，妈妈māma做好zuòhǎo了le一桌yì zhuō菜cài，还hái包bāo了le我wǒ最zuì爱ài吃chī的de饺子jiǎozi。

It was already evening when I got home; Mom had made a whole table of dishes and had also wrapped my favorite dumplings.

爸爸bàba看kàn着zhe我wǒ说shuō：“一年yì nián不bú见jiàn，你nǐ瘦shòu了le，要yào多duō吃chī一点儿yìdiǎnr！”

Dad looked at me and said, "A whole year without seeing you — you've gotten thinner. Eat more!"

吃chī完wán饭fàn，我们wǒmen一起yìqǐ看kàn电视diànshì，说shuō了le很hěn多duō话huà，一直yìzhí到dào很hěn晚wǎn。

After dinner we watched TV together and talked and talked, late into the night.

回家huíjiā的de路lù虽然suīrán很hěn长cháng，但是dànshì能néng和hé家人jiārén一起yìqǐ过guò春节Chūnjié，比bǐ什么shénme都dōu好hǎo。

Although the journey home is long, spending Spring Festival with my family is better than anything.

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Key words 生词

春节ChūnjiéSpring Festival; Chinese New Year

火车票huǒchēpiàotrain ticket

才cáionly then (later than expected)

一直yìzhícontinuously; the whole time

饺子jiǎozidumplings

瘦shòuthin

快要……了 — about to; soon

Says something is going to happen very soon: 春节快要到了。

火车快要开了，我们快走吧！ — The train is about to leave; let's hurry!

才 — later or harder than expected

才 before a verb shows the result came late or took effort: 我看了三天，才买到一张票。

他晚上十二点才睡觉。 — He didn't go to bed until midnight.

1. How long did the writer search online before getting a train ticket?

2. What did Mom make that the writer loves most?

3. What did Dad say about the writer?

After this reading

I'm Fei, and I teach Mandarin one-on-one on Preply. Bring this text to a trial lesson — we'll fix your tones and turn it into a real conversation.