电子红包为老传统注入新色彩

 　　Giving "lucky money" in electronic form has become a trendy spin on the Chinese tradition of giving red envelopes of cash, or hongbao, to children to mark Lunar New Year's Eve.

　　Stats from Alipay, Alibaba's e-payment system, shows over 100 million people sent gifts of money via mobile apps during the holiday.

　　Some people even "pulled an all-nighter" as they played the e-hongbao "game" on their mobile phones.

　　"Most of my friends have been playing the e-hongbao game. Some of the lucky ones received e-hongbao in 100-yuan denominations¹. Some only managed to get a few fen²."

　　Alibaba says on New Year's Eve, some 4-billion yuan was sent out as e-gift money.

　　电子红包为老传统注入新色彩

　　Huang Zhen with the Central University of Finance and Economics says there's a reason the e-hongbao phenomenon has been so catchy³ this year.

　　"First, hongbao is a representation of luck. Second, people are curious to see how much money is in the packet itself. So no matter how much they receive, in the end, people are willing to try their luck."

　　Several Internet companies, including Tencent, Alibaba, Sina and Baidu have developed red envelope features.

　　To use it, people have to link their debit⁴ or credit cards to their accounts to send out money.

　　E-hongbao is being lauded⁵ as a benefit for consumers, the companies and the environment.

　　Those who send out the e-hongbao's receive money and -in theory- luck.

　　The companies providing the e-hongbao earn brand awareness⁶ and more users paying through their mobile devices, which makes them more money.

　　And the environment benefits, as it cuts down on the use of physical red envelopes.

　　However, some have complained the e-hongbao is just a way to make consumers spend more money.

　　"To activate⁷ the hongbao, you need to spend it on something first. It's just another way of marketing⁸."

　　One person actually received a five-million yuan e-hongbao.

　　However, this hongbao can only be used to purchase an airplane from Boeing.

　　On top of this, some people say they've been cheated tens-of-thousands of yuan by giving out their ID numbers or the pin codes of their bank accounts.

　　For CRI, I'm Niu Honglin.

1 denominations   

n.宗派( denomination的名词复数 )；教派；面额；名称

参考例句：

• Christians of all denominations attended the conference. 基督教所有教派的人都出席了这次会议。
• The service was attended by Christians of all denominations. 这次礼拜仪式各教派的基督徒都参加了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 fen   

n.沼泽，沼池

参考例句：

• The willows over all the fen rippled and whitened like a field of wheat.沼泽上的柳树，随风一起一伏，泛出白光，就象一片麦田一样。
• There is a fen around each island.每个岛屿周围有一个沼泽。

3 catchy   

adj.易记住的，诡诈的，易使人上当的

参考例句：

• We need a new slogan.The old one's not catchy enough.我们需要新的口号，旧的不够吸引人。
• The chorus is very catchy to say the least.副歌部分很容易上口。

4 debit   

n.借方，借项，记人借方的款项

参考例句：

• To whom shall I debit this sum?此款应记入谁的账户的借方？
• We undercharge Mr.Smith and have to send him a debit note for the extra amount.我们少收了史密斯先生的钱，只得给他寄去一张借条所要欠款。

5 lauded   

v.称赞，赞美( laud的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They lauded the former president as a hero. 他们颂扬前总统为英雄。 来自辞典例句
• The nervy feats of the mountaineers were lauded. 登山者有勇气的壮举受到赞美。 来自辞典例句

6 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

7 activate   

vt.使活动起来，使开始起作用

参考例句：

• We must activate the youth to study.我们要激励青年去学习。
• These push buttons can activate the elevator.这些按钮能启动电梯。

8 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。