成人快手

What are Chinese paper lanterns?

Lanterns ( dēng long) are hung on Chinese New Year’s Eve ( Chú Xī) and stay until the end of the Chinese Lantern Festival ( Yuán Xiāo Jié), fifteen ( shí wǔ) days after the Chinese New Year ( Chūn Jié).

Chinese lanterns are often red ( hóng sè de) and round, with Chinese characters or drawings printed on them.

How do you make a Chinese paper lantern?

A4 thin card, safety scissors, glue, tape and coloured pens and pencils.

You will need:

  • an A4 sheet of thin card ( kǎ piàn)
  • a pair of safety scissors ( 箩颈ǎ苍 dāo)
  • glue ( jiāo shuǐ) or tape ( jiāo dài)
  • coloured pens ( shuǐ cǎi bǐ) or pencils ( qiān bǐ)

Instructions:

  1. Print out ( dǎ yìn) the template onto an A4 sheet of thin card.

  2. Colour in the flowers ( 丑耻ā) and add the Chinese characters provided, or any pattern that you like.

  3. Fold ( 锄丑é) the card in half long ways, and carefully cut ( 箩颈ǎ苍) along the dotted lines.

  4. Fold the card around on itself, so that the cuts run from top ( shàng miàn) to bottom ( xià miàn), and use glue or tape to hold it together.

  5. Bend the smaller rectangle ( cháng fāng xíng) template into an arch and stick it to the top of the lantern as a handle.

If you don't have a printer, why not try tracing the template?

Image gallerySkip image gallerySlide 1 of 5, Print out the template onto an A4 sheet of thin card., Step 1

Click below to download the instructions and template

Make your own... Chinese paper lantern!

Key Mandarin words

MandarinPinyinEnglish
Chú XīChinese New Year's Eve
Chūn JiéChinese New Year
dēng longlantern
hóng sè dered
丑耻āflowers
箩颈ǎ苍cut
Yuán Xiāo JiéChinese Lantern Festival
锄丑éfold