Mastering Your Chinese New Year Greetings and Well-Wishes

Do you hear that? It's the sound of Chinese New Year knocking at the door, which means it's time to dust off your well-wishes and polite phrases before you get knocked upside the head with food, baijiu, and fireworks (not).

Whether you’re joining your Chinese friend’s or spouse’s family for this merry festival, or simply want to exchange greetings with people you bump into, equip yourself with some of the most commonly used greeting expressions beyond 新年好 xīn nián hǎo (Happy New Year), and prepare for the wows and, if you're really lucky, hongbaos you may receive in return for your studious efforts.

New Year's expressions tend to be quite specific depending on the age and occupation of the receiver. You can begin every greeting with 祝你 zhù nǐ or 祝您 zhù nín. Both mean “may you,” but nín is more respectful and usually used to address elders or new acquaintances.

General well-wishes

龙年大吉！

Lóng nián dàjí!

Good luck for the Year of the Dragon!

万事如意！

Wànshì rúyì!

May all go well with you!

心想事成！
Xīn xiǎng shì chéng!
May all your wishes come true!
 
    一帆风顺！
Yīfān fēngshùn!
Wishing you every success!
 
岁岁平安！
Suì suì píng'ān!
Wishing you everlasting peace and safety for the years to come!
 
阖家幸福！
Hé jiā xìngfú!
Wishing you a happy family!

To elders

健康长寿 / 福寿安康

jiànkāng chángshòu / fúshòu ānkāng

May you have good health and longevity.

福如东海，寿比南山

fú rú dōnghǎi, shòu bǐ nánshān

May your happiness be as immense as the Eastern Sea, and may you live as long as the Zhongnan Mountains.

To businesspeople

生意兴隆！

Shēngyì xīnglóng!

May your business prosper!

财源广进！

Cáiyuán guǎng jìn!

May a river of gold flow into your pockets!

To colleagues

工作顺利

gōngzuò shùnlì

May everything go smoothly with your work.

步步高升！

Bùbùgāo shēng!

Wishing you frequent promotions!

事业有成！

Shìyè yǒu chéng!

Wishing you a successful career!

To students

学习进步！

Xuéxí jìnbù!

Wishing you progress in your studies!

学业有成！

Xuéyè yǒu chéng!

Wishing you great achievements in your studies!

金榜题名！

Jīnbǎng tímíng!

Wishing you success in your exams!

(Specifically for someone who has an important exam such as the gaokao coming up.)

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And with that, may you have a happy Chinese New Year!

Photos: Andrew Haimerl and Shreyaan Vashishtha (via pexels.com), giphy.com, pinterest.com, huffingtonpost.ca

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