Renhe sat stiffly at the Wei Ya banquet, picking at the symbolic dishes on the table. Fish for abundance, sticky rice cake for progress — it all seemed superstitious to him. The shrine to the Land God near the entrance, adorned with offerings, incense, and fruit, struck him as frivolous. “What does this have to do with running a business?” Renhe scrolled on his phone as his co-workers performed skits and poorly sung songs. He wasn’t even paying attention to the lucky draws when his name was called.
The room filled with applause and cheers as he went to the stage where his manager respectfully held the red envelope in both hands. With a warm smile, he presented it to Renhe with the words, “May you have abundance every year.” Renhe accepted with a slight bow. At his seat, he peeked inside. Only NT$2,000. Not much “abundance.”
The CEO’s speech followed. “. . .we also thank the Land God.” Renhe rolled his eyes. “He sustains our land, our team, our shared effort. Showing gratitude reminds us that we don’t succeed alone. So, thank you all. Happy New Year and may you all have prosperity and good health.” Renhe rubbed the red envelope between his fingers and appreciated its smooth texture.
Photo: AI 照片：AI
On his way to his scooter, he passed a woman in a tattered jacket sitting on a dirty blanket. He stopped and then took out the red envelope. He smoothed out the folds, respectfully held the red envelope in both hands, and presented it to her. Startled, she looked at the envelope. And then suspiciously at Renhe. She slowly took it and opened it. Her face softened and her eyes grew wide. She looked into Renhe’s eyes and tears flowed down her cheeks. No words needed to be said. Renhe smiled in return. For the first time that night — perhaps ever — Renhe felt truly grateful.
仁和拘謹地坐在尾牙宴會上，撥弄著桌上一道道具有象徵意涵的菜餚。魚代表富足，年糕象徵步步高昇，這一切在他眼裡都顯得很迷信。入口處那個總是點著香，並擺著供品和水果的土地公神壇更讓他覺得荒唐。「這跟經營事業有什麼關係？」在同事們演著小短劇還有進行拙劣的歌唱表演時，仁和自顧自地滑著手機，甚至根本沒注意到抽獎抽中他的名字。
在他走上台時，全場響起掌聲和歡呼，台上的經理恭敬地雙手捧著紅包，並面帶微笑地將紅包遞給仁和，說：「祝您年年有餘。」仁和略微鞠躬，接過紅包。回到座位後，他偷偷打開紅包，結果裡面只有兩千元。年年有餘？禮金應該要給多一點才更符合年年有「餘」吧！
接著，董事長開始致詞：「……我們也要感謝土地公的庇佑……」仁和翻了個白眼。「祂守護我們的土地、我們的團隊以及我們共同努力的成果。表達感恩這件事提醒著我們，成功不是憑著一己之力得來的，而是有大家一同努力才能獲得豐碩的果實。所以，謝謝大家，新年快樂，富貴安康。」仁和用手指磨蹭著紅包，感受著它的光滑觸感。
在前往機車的路途中，他看到一位婦人穿著破舊的夾克，坐在髒兮兮的毯子上。他停了下來，然後拿出紅包。他撫平紅包上的折痕，恭敬地雙手捧著紅包，遞給婦人。對方驚訝地看著紅包，又懷疑地看著仁和。她緩緩地接過紅包，打開後，她的臉色變得柔和，並睜大了眼睛。她望著仁和的雙眼，眼淚不禁流了下來。無需多言，仁和報以微笑。那一刻，或許是他有生以來第一次真正體會到感恩。
Epilogue 故事討論
Renhe’s story reflects the heart of “Wei Ya,” a Chinese tradition that is especially prominent in Taiwan and traditionally held on the 16th day of the 12th lunar month. It began as a farmer’s ritual to honor Tu Di Gong, the Land God, for protecting the land and sustaining the people on it. Today, it is a time for companies to thank employees and reflect on the year’s success and is held sometime before the lunar New Year. At a Wei Ya, banquet tables are usually filled with symbolic dishes — fish and sticky rice cake (see explanation in Idioms section). Employers give red envelopes as tokens of gratitude and blessing.
Renhe saw it all as superstition, an outdated tradition with no place in modern business. But that changed when he handed his red envelope to a homeless woman. Her tears moved him in a way the banquet had not. For the first time, he understood: Wei Ya is not about rituals or rewards. It is about connection and gratitude. In Taiwan, Wei Ya bridges old and new. It reminds us that success is shared, that kindness strengthens us, and that giving back can be its own reward.
仁和的故事反映了「尾牙」的真諦。尾牙是華人的一種傳統，在台灣尤為盛行，傳統上會在農曆12月16日舉行。它起源於農民向土地公祈求保佑土地、養育人民的儀式。如今，它已成為公司感謝員工、回顧一年成就的時刻，通常在農曆新年前舉行。 傳統尾牙的餐桌上通常擺滿了象徵性的菜餚，例如魚和年糕（見下文解釋）。雇主會發放紅包作為感恩和祝福的禮物。
仁和一開始將尾牙宴視為迷信，認為它是一種過時的傳統，在現代商業中毫無用處。但當他將紅包遞給無家可歸的婦人時，一切都改變了。婦人的淚水以宴會無法比擬的方式感動了他。他第一次明白：尾牙不是關於儀式或獎賞，而是關於人與人的連結和感恩。在台灣，尾牙連接了古今。它提醒我們，成功是共享的，善良使我們更強大，回饋他人本身就是一種獎賞。
Vocabulary 單字片語
1. Wei Ya (banquet) 尾牙（宴會）
2. red envelope 紅包
3. Land God 土地公
4. shrine 神壇、神社、聖祠
5. gratitude 感恩
6. symbolic 象徵的
7. abundance 大量、豐富、富足
8. blessing 祝福
9. sticky rice cake 年糕
Idioms 相關成語
1. 新年快樂 (Xīn Nián Kuài Lè)
Happy New Year
2. 富貴安康 (Fù Guì Ān Kāng)
May you have prosperity and good health.
3. 年年有餘 (Nián Nián Yǒu Yú)
May you have abundance every year. Refers to the dish of fish (Yu, 魚), as the word “魚” sounds like “餘” (abundance) in Chinese. Serving fish at Wei Ya symbolizes the hope for surplus and prosperity in the coming year.
4. 步步高升 (Bù Bù Gāo Shēng)
May you rise step by step. Refers to sticky rice cake (Nian Gao, 年糕), as the word “糕” (cake) sounds like “高” (rise). The dish is a symbol of progress and promotion in life and career.
Nigel P. Daly is a writer with a language learning newsletter called Chin-glish bilingual lab (https://ndaly.substack.com).
Cynthia Chen is a translator and writer specializing in blogs, scripts and articles.
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