April 22nd, 2022 – Earth Day in Chinese is 地球日. Protecting the earth has, until this point, always been something that many of us are all a bit too casual about—we try to do something when we remember and don’t feel too bad when we don’t.

This year, our actions on Earth have taken on a new urgency as the science is showing unequivocably that climate change is rapidly accelerating, it is harming our health through floods, fires, and heat, and we are now left with only 11 years to simply avoid the most devastating consequences.

For teachers and parents whose kids are taking bilingual classes, we have compiled a list of 45 useful terms to help you discuss Earth Day in Chinese and English, so you can talk about the challenges we face and plan clear actions to protect the only planet we have.

Don’t just have a happy Earth Day—take action! 

A vocabulary resource for bilingual families and classrooms

Click on the Chinese text to hear the pronunciation!

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Our actions that are causing harm to the environment:

 

We need to cut down on our wasteful use of the following:

 

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These are the positive actions we can take to help the Earth:

Useful sayings and idioms in Chinese (成语) for Earth Day

 

In English, this saying literally means “The people who come before plant the trees, the people who come afterwards enjoy the shade they provide.” This is similar to the English idiomatic expression, “planting the seeds”. This reminds us that our actions today have consequences for tomorrow.

The literal meaning of this idiom is to drain the entire pond to get all the fish. A similar English idiom is “to kill the goose that lays the golden egg”. It is used to describe over-exploiting valuable resources till they are exhausted. It reminds us that if we continue harmful practices and use up all the Earth’s resources, we will be cutting off the source of all the benefits we derive from the planet.

The literal meaning of this is that if the bird’s nest is destroyed, the eggs in it will be broken as well. A similar English idiomatic expression would be that  “share a common fate” or that the Earth’s fate and our individual lives are completely intertwined.

This literally means to take on a heavy duty and embark on a long road. Similar English idioms include “an uphill task” or “a mountain to climb”. This reminds us that the path to restoring the Earth is a difficult and long journey – there are no quick fixes.

This literally means “green hills and clear waters”, describing a picturesque scenery with beautiful mountains and rivers. We end this vocabulary list with this beautiful dream we can all share—that our actions today will lead not to the destruction of the Earth, but the maintenance and flourishing of the environment that nourishes us.

Try our Earth Day Quiz!

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The 6 Rs of Protecting Our Planet

 Do you know the 6Rs of Protecting Our Planet? Which ‘R’ will you practice today?

The 6Rs of Protecting Our Planet were shared with us during our awesome Earth Day Doodle Date on Saturday, 16th April 2022, by our special guest Mohd Ibnur Rashad, founder and chief innovation officer of GUILD. You can re-view the event here:

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