春节为什么不能洗衣服和扔垃圾

What does “初一” (chūyī) mean in Chinese?

初一 (chūyī) means the first day of the lunar month. During Spring Festival, 大年初一 — the first day of the new year — carries a cluster of customs meant to protect incoming good luck. Many families avoid sweeping the floor, throwing out rubbish, washing clothes, or washing their hair — though which taboos are observed varies by region and family. The logic: 好运 (hǎoyùn, good luck) has just arrived at the house, and any cleansing action risks sweeping it or throwing it out with the dirt.

The clip’s narrator admits she secretly washed her dirty trousers anyway — her mother said no on 初一, and the ban only lifts on 初三 (the third day). Her grandmother explains the full rule: 初一到初五，好运会来到家里 (“from the first to fifth day, good luck arrives at the home”). 初 (chū) means “the beginning of,” so 初一 is “beginning-one,” 初二 is the second, and so on through the first ten days of the lunar month. The same character appears in 初学者 (chūxuézhě, “beginner”) — someone at day one of learning.