过年吃饺子的习俗和中国古代的计时法有关:中国古代把每一天分为十二个时段,每天开始是子时,相当于晚上11点到凌晨1点。

The custom of eating dumplings on New Year's Eve is related to an ancient Chinese method of measuring time; in ancient China, each day was divided into twelve sections: the beginning of each day was called 'first time', which corresponds to the period from 11pm to 1am.

Source: Tatoeba

Sentence Composition

=1 过年 guònián to celebrate the Chinese New Year
=1 过年 guoniàn
  1. (colloquial) next year
  2. next year
=2 chī
  1. to eat; to consume
  2. to eat at (a cafeteria etc)
  3. to eradicate; to destroy
  4. to absorb
  5. to suffer (shock, injury, defeat etc)
=2 chī variant of chī
3 饺子 jiǎozi
  1. dumpling
  2. pot-sticker

classifiers: ,

=4 de
  1. of; ~'s (possessive particle)
  2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun)
  3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis)
  4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 de "one made of leather" or 跑堂儿的 pǎotángrde "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 xīnde "new one")
  5. also pr. or di in poetry and songs
=4 a taxi; a cab (abbr. for 的士 shì)
=4 really and truly
=4 (bound form) bull's-eye; target
5 习俗
  1. custom
  2. tradition
  3. local tradition
  4. convention
=6 old variant of
=6 surname He
=6
  1. (joining two nouns) and; together with; with (Taiwan pr. hàn)
  2. (math.) sum
  3. to make peace
  4. (sports) to draw; to tie
  5. (bound form) harmonious
  6. (bound form) Japan; Japanese
=6
  1. to compose a poem in reply (to sb's poem) using the same rhyme sequence
  2. to join in the singing
  3. to chime in with others
=6 to complete a set in mahjong or playing cards
=6 huó
  1. to combine a powdery substance (flour, plaster etc) with water
  2. Taiwan pr. huò
=6 huò
  1. to mix (ingredients) together
  2. to blend
  3. classifier for rinses of clothes
  4. classifier for boilings of medicinal herbs
=6 (literary) harmonious (variant of )
=6 huo
  1. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) warm
  2. warm
7 中国 Zhōngguó China
8 古代 dài ancient times
=9 de
  1. of; ~'s (possessive particle)
  2. (used after an attribute when it modifies a noun)
  3. (used at the end of a declarative sentence for emphasis)
  4. (used after a noun, verb or adjective to form a nominal expression, as in 皮革的 de "one made of leather" or 跑堂儿的 pǎotángrde "a waiter (literally, one who runs back and forth in a restaurant)" or 新的 xīnde "new one")
  5. also pr. or di in poetry and songs
=9 a taxi; a cab (abbr. for 的士 shì)
=9 really and truly
=9 (bound form) bull's-eye; target
10 计时法 shí time reckoning
11 有关 yǒuguān
  1. to have sth to do with
  2. to relate to
  3. related to
  4. to concern
  5. concerning
12 中国 Zhōngguó China
13 古代 dài ancient times
=14
  1. to hold; to grasp
  2. to hold a baby in position to help it urinate or defecate
  3. handlebar
  4. classifier: handful, bundle, bunch
  5. classifier for things with handles
  6. (used to put the object before the verb: + {noun} + {verb})
=14 handle
=14
  1. (obsolete on its own in Standard Chinese) alternative form of (pá, “to scratch”)
  2. a surname
  3. alternative form of (pá, “to scratch”)
15 měi
  1. each
  2. every
16 一天 tiān
  1. (colloquial) the whole day
  2. one day (twenty-four hours)
  3. someday; one day
  4. the entire daytime of one day
  5. the whole day
17 分为 fēnwéi to divide sth into (parts); to subdivide
=18 十二 shíèr
  1. twelve
  2. 12
=18 十二 shí'èr twelve; 12
=19 used in 自个儿 r
=19
  1. (classifier used before a noun that has no specific classifier)
  2. (bound form) individual
=19 variant of
20 时段 shíduàn
  1. time interval
  2. work shift
  3. time slot
  4. the twelve two-hour divisions of the day
21 每天 měitiān every day
22 开始 kāishǐ
  1. to begin
  2. beginning
  3. to start
  4. initial

classifier:

=23 shì
  1. to be (followed by substantives only)
  2. correct; right; true
  3. (respectful acknowledgement of a command) very well
  4. (adverb for emphatic assertion)
=23 shì variant of shì
24 子时 shí 11 pm-1 am (in the system of two-hour subdivisions used in former times)
25 相当于 xiāngdāng equivalent to
26 晚上 wǎnshang
  1. evening
  2. night
  3. in the evening

classifier:

27 diǎn
  1. to touch briefly; to tap
  2. to mark with a dot; to check off (on a list)
  3. to order (food etc); to select
  4. to mention; to bring up (a topic or person)
  5. to hint at; to imply
  6. to administer (eye medicine etc) in drops
  7. to light (a fire, a lamp etc); to ignite
  8. to nod (one's head) in agreement; to beckon by moving (one's hand) up and down
  9. point; dot; spot; speck
  10. dot stroke in Chinese characters
  11. (math.) decimal point
  12. point in time or space
  13. (after a number) o'clock
  14. a small amount; a bit; (after a verb or adjective) a bit more
  15. classifier for small amounts
28 dào
  1. to reach; to arrive
  2. to leave for; to go to
  3. to (a place); until (a time); up to (a point)
  4. (verb complement indicating arriving at a place or reaching a point)
  5. considerate; thoughtful; thorough
29 凌晨 língchén
  1. very early in the morning
  2. in the wee hours
30 diǎn
  1. to touch briefly; to tap
  2. to mark with a dot; to check off (on a list)
  3. to order (food etc); to select
  4. to mention; to bring up (a topic or person)
  5. to hint at; to imply
  6. to administer (eye medicine etc) in drops
  7. to light (a fire, a lamp etc); to ignite
  8. to nod (one's head) in agreement; to beckon by moving (one's hand) up and down
  9. point; dot; spot; speck
  10. dot stroke in Chinese characters
  11. (math.) decimal point
  12. point in time or space
  13. (after a number) o'clock
  14. a small amount; a bit; (after a verb or adjective) a bit more
  15. classifier for small amounts