Thanksgiving，gǎn ēn jiē
is a season of turkeys, pumpkin pies,
stuffing and gravy, cranberry sauce, and - more importantly - giving thanks!
Thanksgiving’s name in Chinese,
gǎn ēn jiē
literally means - the giving thanks holiday!
This is because Thanksgiving is the time of year
when we shout as loudly as possible:
xiè xiè！
Let’s look at some Chinese proverbs on this very special topic.
zhī ēn tú bào
This saying means that when a person receives help,
he should repay the favor.
It comes from a story about a Duke who once lost his horse.
When he went out to look for it, he saw that some hungry men had barbecued his horse.
Instead of punishing these men, the Duke forgave them.
He even gave them some wine to go with the horse meat.
Several years later, the Duke was attacked by an enemy kingdom.
Thankfully, the same men who had once received his favor, came and rescued the duke as repayment of his earlier kindness.
Over time, people used this phrase
zhī ēn tú bào
to remind ourselves to always remember other people’s kindness
so that we can return the favor when we have an opportunity to help.
yī fàn qiān jīn
Literally, this idiom means one meal, a thousand pieces of gold.
It comes from a story about a military general who was very poor when he was young
but who often received meals from his kind neighbor.
When he became a well-respected general,
he returned to his hometown and repaid this neighbor with a thousand pieces of gold to show his gratitude.
Over time, people used this saying
yī fàn qiān jīn
to encourage others to repay kindness many times over.
Nowadays, another Chinese saying with a similar meaning is more popularly used.
dī shuǐ zhī ēn ，dāng yǒng quán xiàng bào
This saying means that a favor of a drop of water should be repaid with a gushing spring.
In other words, if someone helps us with a small favor,
we should repay such kindness many times over.
dī shuǐ zhī ēn ，dāng yǒng quán xiàng bào
The final saying we will look at today is
qián rén zāi shù ，hòu rén chéng liáng
This means that the seeds planted by those who came before us
eventually grow into trees that give us shade.
After all, it takes a long time for a tree to grow
so the people who planted the tree do not benefit from their labors
but it’s those who come after who receive the favor.
qián rén zāi shù ，hòu rén chéng liáng
It reminds us to remember to give thanks for the hard work of those who came before us.
After all, we are all standing on the shoulder of giants
so that we can reach higher.
Let’s write the Chinese word for Thanksgiving
gǎn ēn jiē
gǎn
ēn
jiē
Don’t forget to say xiè xiè to everyone around you
For more fun activities, be sure to download the Thanksgiving Chinese activity pack
from www.littlechineselearners.com!