Title: Ｍandarin and Chill (SC) / L5 Keelung / L5 Culture Point

MandarinText: 一开始
PinyinText: yì kāishǐ
MandarinSentence: 你们知道吗？我的爸妈从来没送过我生日礼物！其实我一开始并不觉得怎么样，直到我跟我的比利时伴侣说这件事，他感到非常惊讶。
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: 一开始 = “at first / in the beginning,” used for narrating or describing the starting point without implying recency.
刚开始 = “just started,” emphasizes that the action or situation began very recently or is in its early stage. ex. 电影才刚开始，他就睡着了。

MandarinText: 感到非常惊讶
PinyinText: gǎndào fēicháng jīngyà
MandarinSentence: 你们知道吗？我的爸妈从来没送过我生日礼物！其实我一开始并不觉得怎么样，直到我跟我的比利时伴侣说这件事，他感到非常惊讶。
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: 惊讶 = “surprised / astonished,” neutral or slightly negative, emphasizes unexpectedness. ex. 我很惊讶他住在台湾这么久还不会说中文！
惊喜 = “pleasant surprise / delight,” emphasizes happy, enjoyable surprise. ex.我生日的时候，很喜欢朋友给我惊喜。

MandarinText: 甚至
PinyinText: shènzhì
MandarinSentence: 我看到他生日的时候，家人都会送他礼物，甚至阿嬷有时候也会给他一些零用钱去买生日礼物，这在我眼里也是有点不习惯，可能是因为我从小都没有这样的传统吧。
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: 零用钱
PinyinText: língyòngqián
MandarinSentence: 我看到他生日的时候，家人都会送他礼物，甚至阿嬷有时候也会给他一些零用钱去买生日礼物，这在我眼里也是有点不习惯，可能是因为我从小都没有这样的传统吧。
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: 在我眼里
PinyinText: zài wǒ yǎnlǐ
MandarinSentence: 我看到他生日的时候，家人都会送他礼物，甚至阿嬷有时候也会给他一些零用钱去买生日礼物，这在我眼里也是有点不习惯，可能是因为我从小都没有这样的传统吧。
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: 传统
PinyinText: chuántǒng
MandarinSentence: 我看到他生日的时候，家人都会送他礼物，甚至阿嬷有时候也会给他一些零用钱去买生日礼物，这在我眼里也是有点不习惯，可能是因为我从小都没有这样的传统吧。
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: 母难日
PinyinText: mǔ nán rì
MandarinSentence: 我妈妈说我生日的那一天就是他的「母难日」，这好像是佛教的一个概念，意思是这一天母亲怀胎10个月，冒着生命危险把小孩生下来。
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: 我妈妈说我生日的那一天就是他的「母难日」，这好像是佛教的一个概念，意思是这一天母亲怀胎10个月，冒着生命危险把小孩生下来。
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: 怀胎
PinyinText: huáitāi
MandarinSentence: 我妈妈说我生日的那一天就是他的「母难日」，这好像是佛教的一个概念，意思是这一天母亲怀胎10个月，冒着生命危险把小孩生下来。
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: 冒着生命危险
PinyinText: màozhe shēngmìng wēixiǎn
MandarinSentence: 我妈妈说我生日的那一天就是他的「母难日」，这好像是佛教的一个概念，意思是这一天母亲怀胎10个月，冒着生命危险把小孩生下来。
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: 庆祝
PinyinText: qìngzhù
MandarinSentence: 比较传统的人会觉得，不应该「庆祝孩子的出生」，反而应该「感谢母亲的辛劳」。
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: 比较传统的人会觉得，不应该「庆祝孩子的出生」，反而应该「感谢母亲的辛劳」。
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: 辛劳
PinyinText: xīnláo
MandarinSentence: 比较传统的人会觉得，不应该「庆祝孩子的出生」，反而应该「感谢母亲的辛劳」。
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: 现代的社会
PinyinText: xiàndài de shèhuì
MandarinSentence: 但是在现代的社会里面，我觉得帮小孩庆生是蛮普遍的。
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: 但是在现代的社会里面，我觉得帮小孩庆生是蛮普遍的。
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.