Learn Chinese Weekly

今天是美利坚合众国的生日。
Jīntiān shì měilìjiān hézhòngguó de shēngrì.
It’s the birthday of the United States of America today.

1776年7月4日, 随着 “独立宣言” 的发表,
1776 nián 7 yuè 4 rì, suízhe “dúlì xuānyán” de fǎ biǎo,
With the issuance of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776,

联合殖民地切断了与英国的政治联系.
liánhé zhímíndì qiēduànle yǔ yīngguó de zhèngzhì liánxì.
the United Colonies severed their political ties to Great Britain.

现在, 每年的 7 月 4 日,
Xiànzài, měinián de 7 yuè 4 rì，
Now, on July 4th of every year,

人们都会通过家庭聚会, 爱国活动和户外活动来庆祝独立日.
rénmen dūhuì tōngguò jiātíng jùhuì, àiguó huódòng hé hùwài huódòng lái qìngzhù dúlì rì.
people celebrate Independence Day with family gatherings, patriotic events, and outdoor activities.

许多社区会举办游行、节日庆典、
Xǔduō shèqū huì jǔbàn yóuxíng, jiérì qìngdiǎn,
Many communities host parades, festivals,

户外音乐会以及大型烟花表演.
hùwài yīnyuè huì yǐjí dàxíng yānhuā biǎoyǎn.
outdoor concerts, as well as large displays of fireworks.

为了安全起见,
Wèile ānquán qǐjiàn,
For the sake of safety,

我们小镇的烟花表演在河边举行.
wǒmen xiǎo zhèn de yānhuā biǎoyǎn zài hé biān jǔxíng.
our town’s fireworks show is held by the river.

水面上倒映着美丽的烟花,
Shuǐmiàn shàng dàoyìngzhe měilì de yānhuā,
The beautiful fireworks were reflected on the water,

更加壮观.
gèngjiā zhuàngguān.
making it even more spectacular.

您会如何计划和准备自己的生日聚会？
Nín huì rúhé jìhuà hé zhǔnbèi zìjǐ de shēngrì jùhuì?
How would you plan and prepare for your own birthday party?

我们来看看这个孩子是如何做的.
Wǒmen lái kàn kàn zhège háizǐ shì rúhé zuò de.
Let’s see how this child did it.

It should be easy for you to follow the video at the above link, as the Chinese text is annotated with pinyin and English translation. I just want to bring to your attention a few of the expressions used in the story.

In 生日派对 (shēngrì pàiduì), 派对 (pàiduì) is a transliteration of the English word “party”.

超级 (chāojí) means super,supremely, ultra, or extra. For example, 超级聪明 (chāojí cōngmíng) means super intelligent. Often people shorten it to just 超 (chāo). Therefore, for super expensive, you could say 超贵的
(chāojí guì de).

棒 (bàng) as a noun is a stick, a bat or cudgel. As a slang expression, it means great or awesome. So, to describe something awesome, you could say “超棒的 (chāo bàng de)”.

一本正经 (yīběnzhèngjīng) literally refers to a book of moral codes. This expression is used for describing (sometimes satirically) the prim and proper way something is said or done.

郑重地 (zhèngzhòng dì) means solemnly or seriously, as in issuing a warning or making a declaration, a proclamation or a vow.

The verb reduplication pattern in 想了想 (xiǎngle xiǎng) indicates that the action was performed a couple times briefly. As another example, 点了点头 (diǎnle diǎn tóu) means to nod a couple times.

是 ……. 还是 (shì …….. háishì) employs a pattern that embeds an option in a question.
你是要回家还是要去他的公寓？
Nǐ shì yào huí jiā háishì yào qù tā de gōngyù?
Are you going home or do you want to go to his apartment?

又 … 又 (yòu ….. yòu) pattern provides an alternative way of ascribing two characteristics to a person or a thing.

这家餐厅的食物很美味而且价格便宜.
Zhè jiā cāntīng de shíwù hěn měiwèi érqiě jiàgé piányí.
The food at this restaurant is delicious and also inexpensive.

Alternatively, you could say:

这家餐厅的食物又美味又便宜.
Zhè jiā cāntīng de shíwù yòu měiwèi yòu piányí.
The food in this restaurant is delicious and inexpensive.

自信满满地 (zìxìn mǎn mǎn dì) is a commonly used expression that means with full confidence.

七月四日快乐！
Qī yuè sì rì kuàilè!
Happy 4th of July!