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Spending the weekend in a vacation house

Suggested Difficulty (Pre intermediate etc): ____
Video or Audio: ____
Lesson Idea: Hi @Constance_Fang and Team,

Hey ChinesePod team :wave:

I would really appreciate it if you did a lesson on staying in a vacation house for the weekend. I’m not quite sure how common this type of vacation is in China and Asia in general, but I know for sure that it’s very common here in Denmark (and most parts of Europe I guess?) :sweat_smile:

Nevertheless, when I talk to my friends from China about this topic I find it hard to describe certain words and situations, for instance:

  • the word for ‘vacation house’; is the best translation 度假屋?
  • how do i describe it, when i want to say that I have ‘lighted the wood burning stove’ (an indoor fireplace)?
  • the purpose of us going to the vacation house is always to ‘hygge’. It’s a danish word for ‘feeling warm, comfortable, and safe’ that comes from doing simple things such as lighting candles, baking bread, and simply spending some quality time with your family. We find that these circumstances are most easily obtained in our small and primitive vacation house based in the woods near the ocean :smiley:
    :evergreen_tree::house_with_garden::chipmunk:

It would be great, if you did a lesson on this topic, as I simply can’t find any good sources on this topic anywhere else :pray:

Keep up the good work.

  • Vennevold

Hi Vennevold,

That’s a wonderful suggestion!
I would say vacation houses are definitely getting more popular than ever for the past few years in Asia with the rise of Airbnb, and log cabins or even campsites are common as well.

Yes, the word for vacation house is 度假屋, and an indoor fireplace is called 壁炉 in Chinese.
As for ‘hygge’, I think the closest concept is 放松, which means to chill and relax. (Thank you for teaching me a Danish word!)
All of those activities you mentioned really conjured up a nice image, such as 点蜡烛 lighting candles, 烤面包 baking bread, and 享受美好时光 spending some quality time.
Again, thanks for a great suggestion, we’ll definitely put it into consideration!

Rebecca