A: Happy Lunar New Year. I wish you joy and health in the Year of the Horse.
B: Thanks, you too. Actually, the Harvard Study of Adult Development claims that they’ve finally discovered the secret to living a happy life after 85 years of research.
A: What is it? Money? Fame? Career?
Photo: CNA 照片：中央社
B: Nope, the key is good relationships. Professor Robert Waldinger, the principal investigator, portrays one’s relationships as “social fitness,” and has worked with the New York Times to launch the “7-day Happiness Challenge.”
A: I wanna be socially fit. How can I participate in this challenge?
A: 新春愉快，祝你馬年健康快樂。
B: 謝啦你也快樂，據說哈佛大學的「成人發展研究」宣稱，經過85年的長期研究，他們已發現生活快樂的秘訣。
A: 是什麼？金錢、名聲、事業？
B: 都不是，秘訣其實是良好的人際關係！研究主持人瓦丁格教授將它視為「社交體能」，還和《紐約時報》推出了「7天快樂挑戰」。
A: 我也想鍛鍊「社交體能」。那要怎麼進行挑戰呢？
（By Eddy Chang, Taipei Times／台北時報張迪）
The Lantern Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month, is one of the most important traditional festivals in Chinese culture. The word yuan means “first,” and xiao means “night,” referring to “the first full moon night of the lunar year.” In 2026, the Lantern Festival falls on March 3 in the Gregorian calendar. Also known as the Shangyuan Festival or Festival of Lights, the Lantern Festival marks the festive conclusion of the two-week Lunar New Year period. It symbolizes hopes for brightness, peace and reunion in the year ahead. On this day, people traditionally enjoy lantern displays, riddle-guessing
1. 他沒有看過那部電影，我也沒有看過。 ˇ He hasn’t seen the movie. I haven’t seen it, either. χ He hasn’t seen the movie. I haven’t seen it, too. 註：too 表示「也」，在肯定句中與 also 同義且更口語。too 一般放在句尾，或作為插入語放在句中；also 通常靠近動詞，不放在句尾。例如： He likes chocolate; I also like it. He likes chocolate; I like it, too. 表示「也不」，不可以在否定語的後面用 too，應用 either 或用 nor 表示否定。但口語裡有時為了強調也把 also 放在否定語的前面。例如： He doesn’t like Gone With the Wind; I don’t like it, either. He doesn’t like Gone With the Wind; I also don’t like it. He doesn’t know her phone number; nor do I. 2. 他不難過，我也不難過。 ˇ He was not upset. Neither/Nor was I. χ He was not upset. So was I. 註：承接前句述詞的動作，因而構成新的句子時，新句子的詞序是動詞在前，主詞在後。但應注意：肯定時用副詞 so，否定時用 neither 或 nor。例如：
對話 Dialogue 清清：過完年回來上班，我真的有點不太適應，早上起床變得特別困難。 Qīngqing: Guò wán nián huílái shàngbān, wǒ zhēn de yǒudiǎn bú tài shìyìng, zǎoshang qǐchuáng biàn de tèbié kùnnán. 華華：我懂你。年假每天睡到自然醒，現在一聽到鬧鐘，就很想再多睡一下。 Huáhua: Wǒ dǒng nǐ. Niánjià měitiān shuì dào zìrán xǐng, xiànzài yì tīng dào nàozhōng, jiù hěn xiǎng zài duō shuì yíxià. 清清：而且過年期間吃得比較多，最近覺得褲子好像變緊了。 Qīngqing: Érqiě guònián qíjiān chī de bǐjiào duō, zuìjìn juéde kùzi hǎoxiàng biàn jǐn le. 華華：哈哈，我也是這樣。所以我打算年後開始調整生活作息，慢慢收心。 Huáhua: Hāhā, wǒ yě shì zhèyàng. Suǒyǐ wǒ dǎsuàn nián hòu kāishǐ tiáozhěng shēnghuó zuòxí, màn man shōu xīn. 清清：你是怎麼調整的？我想改變，可是常常沒有動力。 Qīngqing: Nǐ shì zěnme tiáozhěng de? Wǒ xiǎng gǎibiàn, kěshì chángcháng méiyǒu dònglì. 華華：我下班後會去快走，偶爾騎腳踏車，流點汗之後，精神會好很多。 Huáhua: Wǒ xiàbān hòu huì qù kuài zǒu, ǒu’ěr qí jiǎotàchē, liú diǎn hàn zhīhòu, jīngshén
Steam curls from a shallow iron pot as thin ribbons of beef turn from ruby to blush. Warishita — a mixture of soy sauce, sugar and mirin — goes in, and the room fills with a salty-sweet aroma. Tofu slips in beside mushrooms and greens, chopsticks hover and voices soften. More than a hot pot, “sukiyaki” is a table-side ritual that invites everyone to cook and enjoy at the same pace. The name is believed to be associated with the iron “suki,” a kind of spade once used by farmers for cooking and later replaced by shallow pots. As cultural taboos
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