{"id":9100,"date":"2019-10-27T19:20:57","date_gmt":"2019-10-27T19:20:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/chinese-words-phrases\/practical-expressions-for-spring-festival\/"},"modified":"2019-10-27T19:20:57","modified_gmt":"2019-10-27T19:20:57","slug":"practical-expressions-for-spring-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinesemoment.com\/my\/practical-expressions-for-spring-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"Practical Expressions for Spring Festival"},"content":{"rendered":"
On the first day of Lunar Year, Chinese people traditio<\/em>nally go from house to house to visit their friends, relatives, and neighbors. This action is called Bainian (bài nián\u62dc\u5e74) in Chinese, which means “to pay a New Year’s call” . People start the first day of a year by having breakfast earlier than usual, dressing children in new clothes, and heading out to pay a lot of visits.  If you are an expat living in China, this is a perfect opportunity to express your best wishes. Come to learn some ex<\/em>pressions at the last moment!<\/p>\n

Basic ex<\/em>pressions<\/p>\n

\u8fc7\u5e74\u597d!  (guò nián h\u01ceo)
\u65b0\u5e74\u5feb\u4e50! (x\u012bn nián kuài lè)
\u7ed9\u60a8\u62dc\u5e74\u4e86! (g\u011bi nín bài nián le)<\/p>\n

Greetings for Spring FestivalThe sentences above are similar to “Happy New Year” in English. The first two is used by almost everyone, while the last one is used when a young person pays a visit to an elderly or respected person.<\/p>\n

With the rapid spread of Internet, the methods of Bainian have developed into a great variety of forms. There’s no need for you to express greetings from door to door if you are busy. Alternatively, you can send e-mails, o<\/em>nline videos, e-cards, or text messages to give a new year’s wish.<\/p>\n

Beginnings of GreetingsSpring Festival in China<\/p>\n

As for greetings, there is no difference in ex<\/em>pressions resulted by the age. However, ex<\/em>pressions to the elder and the young are different in Chinese.<\/p>\n

\u795d\u60a8… (zhù nín…)
Meaning : Wish you or bless you…
If the person you are to greet is older than you, you can say: \u795d\u60a8…<\/p>\n

\u795d\u4f60…(zhù n\u01d0)
Meaning: Wish you or bless you…
If the one you are to greet is younger than you, you can say: \u795d\u4f60…<\/p>\n

Common Greetings<\/p>\n

\u5fc3\u60f3\u4e8b\u6210 (x\u012bn xi\u01ceng shì chéng):
Meaning: All your wishes come true.<\/p>\n

\u4e07\u4e8b\u5982\u610f (wàn shì rú yì)
Meaning: May everything goes the way you wish for.<\/p>\n

\u7b11\u53e3\u5e38\u5f00 (xiào k\u01d2u cháng k\u0101i)
Meaning: Be happy and wear smiles every day.<\/p>\n

The Year of Snake\u5409\u661f\u9ad8\u7167 (jí x\u012bng g\u0101o zhào)
Meaning: Wish you be blessed by God of Fortune, God of Prosperity and God of Longevity.<\/p>\n

\u5409\u7965\u5982\u610f (jí xiáng rú yì)
Meaning: Wish you good luck on everything that you are willing to do.<\/p>\n

\u65b0\u6625\u5927\u5409 (x\u012bn ch\u016bn dà jí)
Meaning: May the new spring brings you good fortune.<\/p>\n

\u5927\u5409\u5927\u5229 (dà jí dà lì)
Meaning: I wish you happiness, luck and wealth in a new year.<\/p>\n

\u606d\u559c\u53d1\u8d22\uff0c\u7ea2\u5305\u62ff\u6765 (G\u014dng x\u01d0 f\u0101 cái, hóng b\u0101o ná lái)
Meaning: Wish you prosperous in the new year. Please give me a red envelope!
Note: On Chinese New Year, one of the most loved pastimes is exchanging “\u7ea2\u5305” (hóng b\u0101o, red envelopes), also called “\u538b\u5c81\u94b1” (y\u0101 suì qián, gift money), especially for kids. The gift is what adults give the youth during spring festival to bring blessings and good luck to them.<\/p>\n

      Greetings for Health
Greetings for Health<\/p>\n

\u8eab\u4f53\u5065\u5eb7 (sh\u0113n t\u01d0 jiàn k\u0101ng)
Meaning: I wish you the best of your health.<\/p>\n

\u9f99\u9a6c\u7cbe\u795e (lóng m\u01ce j\u012bng shén)
Meaning: Wish you be energetic.<\/p>\n

Greetings for Work or Business<\/p>\n

spring festival scrolls\u606d\u559c\u53d1\u8d22 (g\u014dng x\u01d0 f\u0101 cái) New Year scrolls
Meaning: Wish you be prosperous.<\/p>\n

\u8d22\u6e90\u5e7f\u8fdb (cái yuán gu\u01ceng jìn)
Meaning: May you have abundant source of income and receive wealth and fortune.<\/p>\n

\u751f\u610f\u5174\u9686 (sh\u0113ng yì x\u012bng lóng)
Meaning: May your business thriving.<\/p>\n

\u5de5\u4f5c\u987a\u5229 (g\u014dng zuò shùn lì)
Meaning: Everything goes well with your work<\/p>\n

\u4e8b\u4e1a\u6709\u6210 (shì yè y\u01d2u chéng)
Meaning: May you make achievements in your career.<\/p>\n

\u4e8b\u4e1a\u84b8\u84b8\u65e5\u4e0a (shì yè zh\u0113ng zh\u0113ng rì shàng)
Meaning: Wish your business flourishing.<\/p>\n

\u6b65\u6b65\u9ad8\u5347 (bù bù g\u0101o sh\u0113ng):
Meaning: May you have a good prospect in job promotion.<\/p>\n

\u5e73\u6b65\u9752\u4e91 (píng bù q\u012bng yún)
Meaning: Wish you get promoted rapidly.<\/p>\n

\u9a6c\u5230\u6210\u529f (m\u01ce dào chéng g\u014dng)
                            Meaning: Wish you meet with success at the very beginning.<\/p>\n

Greetings for Students
Idioms for Spring Festival
\u5b66\u4e1a\u6709\u6210 (xué yè y\u01d2u chéng)
Meaning: Make achievements on school work.<\/p>\n

\u5b66\u4e60\u8fdb\u6b65 (xué xí jìn bù)
Meaning: Make progress on studies.<\/p>\n

\u91d1\u699c\u9898\u540d (j\u012bn b\u01ceng tí míng)
Meaning: Succeed in the examinations (especially for those who are going to take an im<\/em>portant examination, such as college entrance examination.)<\/p>\n

      2013 Chinese New Year
Greetings for the family<\/p>\n

\u9616\u5bb6\u6b22\u4e50 (hé ji\u0101 hu\u0101n lè)
Meaning: Have a happy family.<\/p>\n

\u5bb6\u548c\u4e07\u4e8b\u5174 (ji\u0101 hé wàn shì x\u012bng)
Meaning: Harmo<\/em>nious family brings good wealth.<\/p>\n

\u5e74\u5e74\u6709\u4f59 (nián nián y\u01d2u yú)
Meaning: Always get more than you wanted. (a wish for surplus and bountiful harvests every year)<\/p>\n

\u86c7\u5e74\u884c\u5927\u8fd0 (Shé nián xíng dà yùn)
Meaning: Good luck for the year of Snake.<\/p>\n

\u5c81\u5c81\u5e73\u5b89 (suì suì ping \u0101n)
Meaning: Wish you get rid of all mishaps.
Note: It is often used when tea-things is broken during Chinese New Year, because “\u5c81” (suì, each year) is a homophone for “\u788e” (suì, break).<\/p>\n

Greetings for Single Female<\/p>\n

\u65e9\u65e5\u627e\u5230\u5982\u610f\u90ce\u541b (z\u01ceo rì zh\u01ceo dào rú yì láng j\u016bn)
Meaning: Find your Mr. Right as soon as possible.
<\/div>\n