birthday banquet; longevity feast
Tone colorsmāmámǎmàma
Meanings
1 sense · 3 examplesnoun
birthday banquet; feast held to celebrate longevity
formalA formal term for a banquet celebrating someone's birthday, especially for elderly people. The character 筵 (yán) refers specifically to a bamboo mat used in ancient times for seating during feasts, lending a classical, respectful tone to the word.
Míng明
rì日
jiā家
fù父
bā八
shí十
dà大
shòu寿
，
fǔ府
shàng上
lüè略
bèi备
shòu寿
yán筵
，
gōng恭
qǐng请
guāng光
lín临
。
Tomorrow is my father's eightieth birthday; we have prepared a modest longevity banquet and respectfully request the honor of your presence.
Shòu寿
yán筵
shàng上
，
zǐ子
sūn孙
men们
fēn纷
fēn纷
xiàng向
lǎo老
rén人
jìng敬
jiǔ酒
，
zhù祝
tā他
fú福
rú如
dōng东
hǎi海
。
At the birthday banquet, children and grandchildren raised their glasses to the elderly man, wishing him blessings as vast as the Eastern Sea.
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Gǔ古
dài代
fù富
guì贵
rén人
jiā家
zuò做
shòu寿
，
wǎng往
wǎng往
yào要
bǎi摆
sān三
tiān天
shòu寿
yán筵
，
yàn宴
qǐng请
sì四
fāng方
bīn宾
kè客
。
In ancient times, when wealthy families celebrated birthdays, they often held three-day longevity banquets, entertaining guests from all directions.