Title: Ｍandarin and Chill (TC) / L5 Keelung / L5 Culture Point
Tags: L5-2

MandarinText: 一開始
PinyinText: yì kāishǐ
MandarinSentence: 你們知道嗎？我的爸媽從來沒送過我生日禮物！其實我一開始並不覺得怎麼樣，直到我跟我的比利時伴侶說這件事，他感到非常驚訝。
SentencePinyin: nǐmen zhīdào ma? wǒ de bàmā cónglái méi sòng guò wǒ shēngrì lǐwù! qíshí wǒ yì kāishǐ bìng bù juéde zěnmeyàng, zhídào wǒ gēn wǒ de Bǐlìshí bànlǚ shuō zhè jiàn shì, tā gǎndào fēicháng jīngyà.
EnglishText: at the beginning
EnglishSentence: Do you know? My parents never gave me birthday gifts! Actually, at first I didn’t feel much until I told my Belgian partner about it, and he was very surprised.
Notes: 一開始 = “at first / in the beginning,” used for narrating or describing the starting point without implying recency.
剛開始 = “just started,” emphasizes that the action or situation began very recently or is in its early stage. ex. 電影才剛開始，他就睡著了。

MandarinText: 感到非常驚訝
PinyinText: gǎndào fēicháng jīngyà
MandarinSentence: 你們知道嗎？我的爸媽從來沒送過我生日禮物！其實我一開始並不覺得怎麼樣，直到我跟我的比利時伴侶說這件事，他感到非常驚訝。
SentencePinyin: nǐmen zhīdào ma? wǒ de bàmā cónglái méi sòng guò wǒ shēngrì lǐwù! qíshí wǒ yì kāishǐ bìng bù juéde zěnmeyàng, zhídào wǒ gēn wǒ de Bǐlìshí bànlǚ shuō zhè jiàn shì, tā gǎndào fēicháng jīngyà.
EnglishText: feel very surprised
EnglishSentence: Do you know? My parents never gave me birthday gifts! Actually, at first I didn’t feel much until I told my Belgian partner about it, and he was very surprised.
Notes: 驚訝 = “surprised / astonished,” neutral or slightly negative, emphasizes unexpectedness. ex. 我很驚訝他住在台灣這麼久還不會說中文！
驚喜 = “pleasant surprise / delight,” emphasizes happy, enjoyable surprise. ex.我生日的時候，很喜歡朋友給我驚喜。

MandarinText: 甚至
PinyinText: shènzhì
MandarinSentence: 我看到他生日的時候，家人都會送他禮物，甚至阿嬤有時候也會給他一些零用錢去買生日禮物，這在我眼裡也是有點不習慣，可能是因為我從小都沒有這樣的傳統吧。
SentencePinyin: wǒ kàn dào tā shēngrì de shíhou, jiārén dōu huì sòng tā lǐwù, shènzhì āmà yǒu shíhou yě huì gěi tā yìxiē língyòngqián qù mǎi shēngrì lǐwù, zhè zài wǒ yǎnlǐ yě shì yǒudiǎn bù xíguàn, kěnéng shì yīnwèi wǒ cóng xiǎo dōu méiyǒu zhèyàng de chuántǒng ba.
EnglishText: even
EnglishSentence: When I saw his birthday, his family would give him gifts, even grandma sometimes gave him some pocket money to buy birthday gifts. This was a bit unusual for me, maybe because I didn’t have this tradition since childhood.
Notes: 甚至 used to emphasize something extreme or surprising in addition to what was mentioned. It introduces an example or fact that strengthens or intensifies the previous statement.Usually placed before the word or clause.

MandarinText: 零用錢
PinyinText: língyòngqián
MandarinSentence: 我看到他生日的時候，家人都會送他禮物，甚至阿嬤有時候也會給他一些零用錢去買生日禮物，這在我眼裡也是有點不習慣，可能是因為我從小都沒有這樣的傳統吧。
SentencePinyin: wǒ kàn dào tā shēngrì de shíhou, jiārén dōu huì sòng tā lǐwù, shènzhì āmà yǒu shíhou yě huì gěi tā yìxiē língyòngqián qù mǎi shēngrì lǐwù, zhè zài wǒ yǎnlǐ yě shì yǒudiǎn bù xíguàn, kěnéng shì yīnwèi wǒ cóng xiǎo dōu méiyǒu zhèyàng de chuántǒng ba.
EnglishText: pocket money
EnglishSentence: When I saw his birthday, his family would give him gifts, even grandma sometimes gave him some pocket money to buy birthday gifts. This was a bit unusual for me, maybe because I didn’t have this tradition since childhood.

MandarinText: 在我眼裡
PinyinText: zài wǒ yǎnlǐ
MandarinSentence: 我看到他生日的時候，家人都會送他禮物，甚至阿嬤有時候也會給他一些零用錢去買生日禮物，這在我眼裡也是有點不習慣，可能是因為我從小都沒有這樣的傳統吧。
SentencePinyin: wǒ kàn dào tā shēngrì de shíhou, jiārén dōu huì sòng tā lǐwù, shènzhì āmà yǒu shíhou yě huì gěi tā yìxiē língyòngqián qù mǎi shēngrì lǐwù, zhè zài wǒ yǎnlǐ yě shì yǒudiǎn bù xíguàn, kěnéng shì yīnwèi wǒ cóng xiǎo dōu méiyǒu zhèyàng de chuántǒng ba.
EnglishText: in my eyes; from my perspective; the way I see it
EnglishSentence: When I saw his birthday, his family would give him gifts, even grandma sometimes gave him some pocket money to buy birthday gifts. This was a bit unusual for me, maybe because I didn’t have this tradition since childhood.

MandarinText: 傳統
PinyinText: chuántǒng
MandarinSentence: 我看到他生日的時候，家人都會送他禮物，甚至阿嬤有時候也會給他一些零用錢去買生日禮物，這在我眼裡也是有點不習慣，可能是因為我從小都沒有這樣的傳統吧。
SentencePinyin: wǒ kàn dào tā shēngrì de shíhou, jiārén dōu huì sòng tā lǐwù, shènzhì āmà yǒu shíhou yě huì gěi tā yìxiē língyòngqián qù mǎi shēngrì lǐwù, zhè zài wǒ yǎnlǐ yě shì yǒudiǎn bù xíguàn, kěnéng shì yīnwèi wǒ cóng xiǎo dōu méiyǒu zhèyàng de chuántǒng ba.
EnglishText: tradition
EnglishSentence: When I saw his birthday, his family would give him gifts, even grandma sometimes gave him some pocket money to buy birthday gifts. This was a bit unusual for me, maybe because I didn’t have this tradition since childhood.

MandarinText: 母難日
PinyinText: mǔ nán rì
MandarinSentence: 我媽媽說我生日的那一天就是他的「母難日」，這好像是佛教的一個概念，意思是這一天母親懷胎10個月，冒著生命危險把小孩生下來。
SentencePinyin: wǒ māma shuō wǒ shēngrì de nà yìtiān jiù shì tā de "mǔ nán rì", zhè hǎoxiàng shì Fójiào de yígè gàiniàn, yìsi shì zhè yìtiān mǔqīn huáitāi 10 ge yuè, màozhe shēngmìng wéixiǎn bǎ xiǎohái shēng xiàlái.
EnglishText: Mother's hardship day
EnglishSentence: My mom said the day of my birthday is her "Mother's Hardship Day," which seems to be a Buddhist concept meaning that on this day, the mother was pregnant for 10 months and risked her life to give birth.

MandarinText: 佛教
PinyinText: Fójiào
MandarinSentence: 我媽媽說我生日的那一天就是他的「母難日」，這好像是佛教的一個概念，意思是這一天母親懷胎10個月，冒著生命危險把小孩生下來。
SentencePinyin: wǒ māma shuō wǒ shēngrì de nà yìtiān jiù shì tā de "mǔ nán rì", zhè hǎoxiàng shì Fójiào de yígè gàiniàn, yìsi shì zhè yìtiān mǔqīn huáitāi 10 ge yuè, màozhe shēngmìng wéixiǎn bǎ xiǎohái shēng xiàlái.
EnglishText: Buddhism
EnglishSentence: My mom said the day of my birthday is her "Mother's Hardship Day," which seems to be a Buddhist concept meaning that on this day, the mother was pregnant for 10 months and risked her life to give birth.

MandarinText: 懷胎
PinyinText: huáitāi
MandarinSentence: 我媽媽說我生日的那一天就是他的「母難日」，這好像是佛教的一個概念，意思是這一天母親懷胎10個月，冒著生命危險把小孩生下來。
SentencePinyin: wǒ māma shuō wǒ shēngrì de nà yìtiān jiù shì tā de "mǔ nán rì", zhè hǎoxiàng shì Fójiào de yígè gàiniàn, yìsi shì zhè yìtiān mǔqīn huáitāi 10 ge yuè, màozhe shēngmìng wéixiǎn bǎ xiǎohái shēng xiàlái.
EnglishText: be pregnant
EnglishSentence: My mom said the day of my birthday is her "Mother's Hardship Day," which seems to be a Buddhist concept meaning that on this day, the mother was pregnant for 10 months and risked her life to give birth.

MandarinText: 冒著生命危險
PinyinText: màozhe shēngmìng wēixiǎn
MandarinSentence: 我媽媽說我生日的那一天就是他的「母難日」，這好像是佛教的一個概念，意思是這一天母親懷胎10個月，冒著生命危險把小孩生下來。
SentencePinyin: wǒ māma shuō wǒ shēngrì de nà yìtiān jiù shì tā de "mǔ nán rì", zhè hǎoxiàng shì Fójiào de yígè gàiniàn, yìsi shì zhè yìtiān mǔqīn huáitāi 10 ge yuè, màozhe shēngmìng wéixiǎn bǎ xiǎohái shēng xiàlái.
EnglishText: risking life
EnglishSentence: My mom said the day of my birthday is her "Mother's Hardship Day," which seems to be a Buddhist concept meaning that on this day, the mother was pregnant for 10 months and risked her life to give birth.

MandarinText: 慶祝
PinyinText: qìngzhù
MandarinSentence: 比較傳統的人會覺得，不應該「慶祝孩子的出生」，反而應該「感謝母親的辛勞」。
SentencePinyin: bǐjiào chuántǒng de rén huì juéde, bù yīnggāi "qìngzhù háizi de chūshēng", fǎn'ér yīnggāi "gǎnxiè mǔqīn de xīnláo".
EnglishText: celebrate
EnglishSentence: More traditional people think you shouldn’t celebrate a child’s birth, but rather thank the mother for her hard work.

MandarinText: 出生
PinyinText: chūshēng
MandarinSentence: 比較傳統的人會覺得，不應該「慶祝孩子的出生」，反而應該「感謝母親的辛勞」。
SentencePinyin: bǐjiào chuántǒng de rén huì juéde, bù yīnggāi "qìngzhù háizi de chūshēng", fǎn'ér yīnggāi "gǎnxiè mǔqīn de xīnláo".
EnglishText: birth
EnglishSentence: More traditional people think you shouldn’t celebrate a child’s birth, but rather thank the mother for her hard work.

MandarinText: 辛勞
PinyinText: xīnláo
MandarinSentence: 比較傳統的人會覺得，不應該「慶祝孩子的出生」，反而應該「感謝母親的辛勞」。
SentencePinyin: bǐjiào chuántǒng de rén huì juéde, bù yīnggāi "qìngzhù háizi de chūshēng", fǎn'ér yīnggāi "gǎnxiè mǔqīn de xīnláo".
EnglishText: hard work
EnglishSentence: More traditional people think you shouldn’t celebrate a child’s birth, but rather thank the mother for her hard work.

MandarinText: 現代的社會
PinyinText: xiàndài de shèhuì
MandarinSentence: 但是在現代的社會裡面，我覺得幫小孩慶生是蠻普遍的。
SentencePinyin: dànshì zài xiàndài de shèhuì lǐmiàn, wǒ juéde bāng xiǎohái qìngshēng shì mán pǔbiàn de.
EnglishText: modern society
EnglishSentence: However, in modern society, I think celebrating children's birthdays is quite common.

MandarinText: 普遍
PinyinText: pǔbiàn
MandarinSentence: 但是在現代的社會裡面，我覺得幫小孩慶生是蠻普遍的。
SentencePinyin: dànshì zài xiàndài de shèhuì lǐmiàn, wǒ juéde bāng xiǎohái qìngshēng shì mán pǔbiàn de.
EnglishText: common
EnglishSentence: However, in modern society, I think celebrating children's birthdays is quite common.