What is Chinese paper cutting?
Chinese paper cuts (Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 箩颈ǎ苍 zhǐ) are used to decorate (Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. zhuāng shì) windows during the Chinese New Year (Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. Chūn Jié).
They are usually red (Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. hóng sè de) because the colour red symbolises happiness (Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. kuài lè) and good luck (Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. hǎo yùn).
How do you make Chinese paper cuts?
You will need:
- a sheet of A4 thin card (Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. kǎ piàn)
- a pair of safety scissors (Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 箩颈ǎ苍 dāo)
- coloured pens (Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. shuǐ cǎi bǐ) or pencils (Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. qiān bǐ)
Instructions:
Print out (Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. dǎ yìn) the template onto an A4 sheet of thin card.
Colour in the template - try adding in some red.
Carefully cut (Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. 箩颈ǎ苍) along the dotted lines.
If you don't have a printer, why not try cutting your own shape?
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Click below to download the instructions and template
Key Mandarin words
Mandarin | Pinyin | English |
---|---|---|
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | Chūn Jié | Chinese New Year |
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | hǎo yùn | good luck |
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | hóng sè de | red |
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | hóu zi | monkey |
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | 箩颈ǎ苍 zhǐ | paper cuts |
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | kuài lè | happiness |
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | lǎo shǔ | rat |
Sorry, something went wrongCheck your connection, refresh the page and try again. | 濒ó苍驳 | dragon |
马 | 尘ǎ | horse |
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