At present, the marriage arrangement is less dependent on the parents, especially in urban areas where a marriage is commonly based on love and mutual attraction. In some remote rural areas, it is still difficult for young people to meet and get to know one another, so the marriage arrangement still works, but it is an operation of a different kind from those performed by a matchmaker in olden times. A current matchmaker, or a go-between, usually introduces the two sets of parents; the parents then consider how many members in each family share the family income and property, how many people in each family can work, and its annual income before they ask their children’s opinion. If, after the couple meet, the man is satisfied with the match, he will leave a gift, usually money; if the woman accepts the gift, they are engaged.
Notes：1）be exposed to暴露；2）prior to在……之前；3）con-ceal隐瞒；4）submit提交；5）commonly-accepted普遍接受的；6）confirmation确认；7）address讲话；9）potential潜在的；10）go-between媒介者，媒人
5.传统的订婚有哪些特点？
What is the feature of a traditional marriage engagement?
After a xiangqin date, both the two families became involved in the preparation for the marriage engagement. A traditional engagement required a marriage contract, which was formally written on high-quality paper, bent in six folds and printed with happy designs on its surface.
A matchmaker acted as the contract deliverer, making round trips at least two times between the two families. On her first trip, the matchmaker received the marriage contract from the prospective bridegroom’s family and carried it to the prospective bride’s family. The main content of the contract was a proposal of marriage; upon its arrival, the prospective bride’s family would reply with a written acceptance. On her second trip the matchmaker delivered an updated contract to the prospective bride’s family. This time the contract was called“lijian (礼柬， etiquette card),”which appeared in form with dragon designs on its surface. In return, the prospective bride’s family would present a formal acceptance letter, which had phoenix patterns on its surface.
On the contract-delivery date friends and relatives would visit the prospective bridegroom’s family, and the bridegroom’s parents entertained them with an“Engagement Dinner (定亲饭).”The dinner attendants would include the bridegroom and the matchmaker who would depart for the bride’s family with the contract after the dinner.
On the matchmaker’s second trip to the prospective bride’s family, there would be some more people to go with the matchmaker. These people’s responsibility was to carry gift boxes in hands or on shoulders. When they arrived at the prospective bride’s home, the visitors attended another banquet hosted by the prospective bride’s family. After the banquet, the matchmaker brought the acceptance letter back to the prospective bridegroom’s family.
In some areas visitors who participated in the Engagement Dinner held by the prospective bridegroom’s family would present gifts to the hosts. Visitors who participated in the Engagement Dinner held by the prospective bride’s family would receive gifts from the prospective bridegroom’s family. More importantly, the prospective bridegroom’s family would present expensive gifts to the prospective bride’s grandparents and parents, as well as the prospective bride. The gifts for the prospective bride might include jewels and materials for clothing.
Notes：1）contract合同；2）fold折叠；3）deliverer递送人；4）acceptance接受；5）entertain热情款待；6）engagement订婚
6.什么是生辰八字？
What are the Eight Characters of a Horoscope?
The Eight Characters of a Horoscope is a Chinese conceptual term in Chinese astrology. It describes the four components creating a person’s destiny or fate. These four components are the year, month, day, and time (hour) when he or she was born. In Chinese each of these components is expressed by two characters, which are a combination of the Heavenly Stems (天干) and Earthly Branches (地支), yielding a total of eight characters. The Eight Characters are also known as the 4 Pillars of Destiny or Pillars of Destiny (四柱命) because these 4 pillars make up a chart or a configuration of eight characters, which helps a fortuneteller determine a person’s qualities, relationships, potential for good career, and health risks.
In ancient China, when parents looked for a prospective wife or husband for their son or daughter, they had to consider a number of factors. One of the factors was to see if the prospective couple would be auspicious based on their four-pillar-birth-chart in conjunction with the Chinese Almanac (黄历). If the prediction did not feel right, the marriage would be called off.
Notes：1）conceptual概念上的；2）astrology占星术；3）com-ponent组成部分；4）destiny命运；5）earthly branches地支；6）pillar支柱；7）configuration表面配置；形态；8）conjunction连接；9）almanac年鉴；黄历
