24．It's that time of year again，when red envelopes （信封） are given to and （1）r
from friends and families.Here we explain two things.
The story behind giving red envelopes
As you probably know，the Chinese love the red color.It's a color that represents luck，happiness，and good （2）e
.In China，a red envelope is （3）t
called "ya sui qian".
According to the story，a monster named Sui came around to hurt children on New Year's Eve.To prevent Sui from （4）c
to harm children，parents would light candles and pray in the night.And people started to join eight coins along red strings （線） and place them under （5）c
pillows （枕頭）.Soon，it became a tradition.Sui was kept off by these protective symbols and finally stopped scaring children.
So why are the envelopes called "ya sui qian"？The （6）c
"sui" actually has exactly the same pronunciation as "祟" （Sui），the monster's name.These coins were called "ya sui qian"，meaning "lucky money to keep off harmful spirits".As generations passed，coins were replaced with （7）n
and the strings were replaced with envelopes.
Who gives red envelopes and how much should they give？
If you have a job and can make money，it's time for you to start giving out "ya suiqian"!A general （8）r
is that the more money you earn，the more money should be （9）a
to the envelopes.
According to customs，your parents and grandparents will probably still （10）k
giving you "ya sui qian" to show their love and wishes.For your own children，you should give from RMB100 to whatever amount you prefer.
