Chinese New Year Sayings
Chinese New Year, often abbreviated as CNY, is a big time. Lion, Dragon & Unicorn dances, Kung Fu demonstrations, parties, food and more fill the days with a celebratory buzz.
And it’s common to wish people a “Happy New Year!“
But just how do you do it?
There are many different ways of expressing Happy Chinese New Year greetings, wishes, and sayings. Some are popular. Some are formal. Some are short. Some are long, formal, traditional, and slightly over the top.
One phrase that many are familiar with is “Gung Hey Fat Choy.” Oddly enough, this doesn’t mean “Happy New year.”
This Cantonese phrase translates to “Happiness Prosperity.” In Mandarin, it’d be “Gong Xi Fa Cai.”
However, in use, people generally understand it to express “Happy New Year” anyway.
There are only a few common, popular Chinese New Year phrases that you need to know and, we’ve just looked at one already. But to take it a step further, we’re going to a bit of a deep-dive and give you more options and a better understanding.
Since the focus is on Mandarin (not going into the popular dialect phrases – this would get much too long!), and the Pinyin (Chinese Romanization) is listed, there will not be the typical roll-over for Mandarin/Cantonese pop-up as found elsewhere on the site.
Choosing How to Say Happy New Year
Picking the right way to express your wishes is about context and desired impression.
When wishing holiday/seasons greetings to folks, you can be formal or informal. Consider these English examples:
- “Happy New Year!”
- “Hope this one’s better than the last!”
- “I wish you Happiness, Prosperity, and Longevity.”
- “Rich blessings for health and longevity is my special wish for you in the coming year.”
- “May wealth rise for you this year.”
Want to shout or say a friendly “Happy New Year”? Are you writing a formal email to a boss or client? Maybe you’re creating marketing collateral? Or perhaps you’re sending a holiday card to friends and family?
Does anyone ever really say “Wishing you…” in conversation?
But then think about this scenario: You’re the teacher of a Kung Fu school and are giving a martial arts demonstration or Lion Dance in front of a crowd. Deciding on what tone you want to set, the impression you want to convey, etc., will help you choose the greeting to use Are we all friends here vs. the esteemed public? Would we announce “we’d like to wish you…”?
Formal vs. Informal — the Chinese Way
Casually, just using the three-, or more often, four-word, the greeting will work. “Happy New Year” would be the obvious example.
Sometimes, however, you might want to say “Wishing you…” and then whatever you’re wishing them. Although it may be a simple “Happy New Year,” but it might also be something more creative, meaningful, symbolic, or elaborate and poetic, such as “happiness and prosperity” or “a meteoric rise in business.”
You may also see many of the formal words & phrases written in gold or black characters on red paper around Chinese homes and businesses.
So, if you’d like to get a wee-bit formal and say “Wishing you…”, then it’s one of these, depending on who you’re speaking to:
| Wishing You… | ||
|---|---|---|
| Characters | Mandarin | Meaning |
| 祝 你 | Zhù Nǐ… | Wish(ing) You… |
| 祝 您 | Zhù Nín… | Wish(ing) You (to an elder, boss, estemeed stranger – respectful)… |
The great thing about “Wishing You…” is that by adding just those two words to many of the phrases below, you’ve magically added a touch of class to your greeting.
Happy New Year - Chinese Poetics
The Chinese language can get all poetic and confusing at times. Consider this New Year Greeting: 吉 星 高 照 Jí Xīng Gāo Zhào. It translates as “Lucky Star High Shines“, which makes no sense at all. However, it translates to “Fortune Will Smile [on you].”
So in the table(s) below, the “Meaning” will be what it means to people — not the direct character translation.
Chinese New Year Greetings, Sayings and Wishes
The short, easy, common, and popular ones — the ones you need to know for sure are at the top, with a variety of choices following. And remember: “Wishing You” is optional for some, only makes sense with some and doesn’t with others. Read the meanings & it should be a clear choice.
| Short Common & Popular Greetings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Characters | Mandarin | Meaning |
| 新 年 快 樂 | Xīn Nián Kuài Lè | Happy New Year |
| 恭 喜 發 財 | Gōng Xǐ Fā Cái | Happiness Prosperity (Happy New Year) |
| 新 年 好 | Xīn Nián Hǎo | Good New Year |
| 過 年 好 | Guò Nián Hǎo | Pass the New Year well |
| 新 年 進 歩 | Xīn Nián Jìn Bù | New Year Progress |
| 陽 光 燦 爛 | Yǎng Guāng Càn Làn | Sunshine around you |
| 喜 洋 洋 | Xí Yǎng Yǎng | Vast Enjoyment, Boundless Joy, Great Happiness, etc. |
| 財 源 廣 進 | Cái Yuán Guǎng Jìn | Enter broadly wealth’s source / Wealth will be plentiful |
| 年 年 有 余 | Nián Nián Yǒu Yú | Surplus year-after-year / Prosperity every year |
| 吉 星 高 照 | Jí Xīng Gāo Zhào | Fortune will Smile on you (lucky star high shines) |
| 吉 祥 如 意 | Jí Xiáng Rú Yì | Good Fortune according to your Wishes |
| 福 祿 壽 | Fú Lù Shòu | Happiness Prosperity Longevity |
| 恭 賀 新 禧 | Gōng Hè Xīn Xǐ | Happy New Year |
| 祝 賀 佳 節 | Zhù Hè Jiā Jié | Compliments of the Season / Holiday |
| 龍 馬 精 神 | Lóng Mǎ Jīng Shén | Spirit of Dragon & Horse / Vitality & Youth / Vigorous Spirit |
| 身 體 健 康 | Shēn Tǐ Jiàn Kāng | Have Good Health |
| 精 靈 活 潑 | Jīng Líng Huó Pō | Bright & Lively Spirit (Only for children under age 10 to be active & mentally astute |
| 步 步 高 陞 | Bù Bù Gāo Shēng | Step by Step on the Up & Up |
| 生 意 興 隆 | Shēng Yì Xīng Lóng | Prosperous Business |
| 萬 事 如 意 | Wàn Shì Rú Yì | Everything go as Intended |
| 工 作 順 利 | Gōng Zuò Shùn Lì | Work Go Smoothly |
| 事 業 有 成 | Shì Yè Yǒu Chéng | Professional Success |
| 平 步 青 云 | Píng Bù Qīng Yún | Meteoric Rise (of a career, social position, etc.) |
| 馬 到 成 功 | Mǎ Dào Chéng Gōng | Achieve Success |
| 闔 家 歡 樂 | Hé Jiā Huān Lè | Whole Family Happiness |
| 招 財 進 寶 | Zhāo Cái Jìn Bǎo | Ushering in Wealth & Prosperity |
| 歲 歲 平 安 | Suì Suì Píng ān | Peace throughout the Years |
| 除 舊 佈 新 | Chú Jiù Bù Xīn | Out with the Old In with the New |
| 和 氣 生 財 | Hé Qì Shēng Cái | Harmony brings Wealth |
| 心 想 事 成 | Xīn Xiǎng Shì Chéng | May your Dreams come True |
| 升 官 發 財 | Shēng Guān Fā Cái | To be Promoted & gain Wealth |
| 財 運 亨 通 | Cái Yùn Hēng Tōng | Overwhelmingly Fortunate in money-making |
| 多 福 多 壽 | Duō Fú Duō Shòu | Much Luck Much Longevity (Live long and prosper) |
| 健 康 長 壽 | Jiàn Kāng Cháng Shòu | Good Health & Longevity |
| 隹 洋 樓, 喝 洋 酒 | Zhù Yǎng Lǒu, Hē Yǎng Jiǔ | Foreign Villas & Foreign Wines (Zhu/Wishing is included here, due to it being popular rhyming phrase as is) |
A Bit Much...
We’ve covered a few short Mandarin phrases to use in different contexts.
Many of these Chinese words & phrases combine in different ways to create more robust New Year wishes — many of them merely ways to say the same thing in different ways.
Let’s look at some full-on sentence examples.
- 恭 賀 新 禧，祝 身 體 健 康、事 業 發 達.
Gōng Hè Xīn Xǐ, Zhù Shēn Tǐ Jiàn Kāng, Shì Yè Fā Dá.
Happy New Year, I wish you good health and career development. - 恭 祝 健 康、幸 運，新 年 快 樂.
Gōng Zhù Jiàn Kāng, Xìng Yùn, Xīn Nián Kuài Lè.
Wishing you Health and Luck in the Happy New Year. - 祝 來 年 好 運，並 取 得 更 大 的 成 就.
Zhù Lái Nián Hǎo Yùn, Bìng Qǔ Dé Gèng Dà de Chéng Jiù.
Good luck in the coming year, and make great achievements. - 謹 祝 新 年 快 樂 幸 福，大 吉 大 利.
Jǐn Zhù Xīn Nián Kuài Lè Xìng Fú, Dà Jí Dà Lì.
I hope you have a most happy and prosperous New Year. - 願 新 年 為 你 帶 來 快 樂，友 愛 和 寧 靜.
Yuàn Xīn Nián Wèi Nǐ Dài Lái Kuài Lè, Yǒu ài Hé Níng Jìng.
May the coming New Year bring you joy, love, and peace. - 願 快 樂 幸 福 永 伴 你 左 右.
Yuàn Kuài Lè Xìng Fú Yǒng Bàn Nǐ Zuǒ Yòu.
May the joy and happiness be around you today and always. - 祝 好 運、健 康、佳 肴 伴 你 度 過 一 個 快 樂 新 年.
Zhù Hǎo Yùn, Jiàn Kāng, Jiā Yáo Bàn Nǐ Dù Guò Yī Gè Kuài Lè Xīn Nián.
Wishing you good luck, health, and cheer throughout a Happy New Year. - 請 接 受 我 節 日 的 祝 賀.
Qǐng Jiē Shòu Wǒ Ji ér De Zhù Hè.
Please accept my Season’s Greetings.
And of course, there are many more possibilities. There are other words, phrases, and metaphors that mix in. If you’d like to take it further, consider these variables: formal and casual titles, nicknames, archaic terms, double entendres, homophones, synonyms, honorifics, among others.
As in martial arts, the actual application of properly wishing someone a “Happy New Year” will depend on the context.
Don’t get lost in choice. As mentioned, you only need to know the first few Greetings. The rest of them allow you to take your Chinese to a more advanced level once you’re ready.
So this next Chinese New Year, go out there and wish someone well.
If you enjoyed this journey into the Mandarin Chinese language, then you might enjoy our selection of Mandarin Chinese Language Learning Podcasts or Cantonese Learning Podcasts.
Check out our Chinese New Year 2018 post (and our fun video at the bottom) to see how we at PATHS Atlanta Kung Fu celebrate CNY with Kung Fu demonstrations and more!