Useful Common Chinese Phrases to Express Wishes

Courtesy plays an important role in Chinese culture. Chinese people express wishes to their friends and relatives during the New Year holiday. Meanwhile, they also do that on different festival-related occasions. As many foreigners are interested in learning how to say phrases like “Happy New Year!” in Chinese, here is your opportunity to learn some common Chinese phrases for expressing wishes.

Common Chinese Phrases to Express Wishes

Name of the festival + 快乐 (kuàilè)

“快乐” (kuàilè) means “joyful”, and this is one of the key phrases you need to learn how to express wishes. You can apply it to wishes like “Happy New Year!”, “Merry Christmas!”, etc.

Examples:

新年快乐！
Xīn Nián kuàilè!
Happy New Year!

圣诞快乐！
Shèngdàn kuàilè!
Merry Christmas!

国庆节快乐！
Guóqìng jié kuàilè!
Happy National Day!

生日快乐！
Shēngrì kuàilè!
Happy birthday!

Common Chinese Phrases to Express New Year Wishes

1. New Year Wishes

There are different wishes available when it comes to Spring Festival, which is also known as the Chinese New Year. Health and wealth are considered important elements in Chinese people’s lives. Therefore, in addition to those phrases like “新年快乐!” (Xīn Nián kuàilè!) (Happy New Year!), new year wishes in China are more or less related to health and wealth. Here are some Chinese phrases that you can learn in order to express new year wishes:

祝你身体健康!
Zhù nǐ shēntǐ jiànkāng!
Wish you health!

In this Chinese phrase, “祝” (zhù) means “to wish”, “身体” (shēntǐ) means “body” and “健康” (jiànkāng) means “healthy”. Therefore, it literally means “Wish you a healthy body”. This one of the most popular Chinese phrases which are often used when you would like to express new year wishes to old people.

万事如意
Wàn shì rúyì!
Hope everything goes your way.

In China, people often use “auspicious” Chinese phrases like this to express new year wishes to their friends. “万事” (wàn shì) means “thousands of things”, and “如意” (rúyì) means “as one wishes”. Hence, the literal meaning of this Chinese phrase is “Thousands of things will be in your favor”.

2. Wishing Good Fortune

恭喜发财!
Gōngxǐ fācái!
Wish you great fortune!
In this Chinese phrase, “恭喜” (gōngxǐ) means “to congratulate”, and “发财” (fācái) means “to get rich”. The literal meaning of this Chinese phrase is “congratulations on getting rich”. This is one of the most popular Chinese phrases that Chinese businessmen often use to express new year wishes to their clients or business partners.

We hope you’ve learned a little bit more about China. To find out more useful Chinese phrases about China and Chinese culture, check out one of our blog posts 5 Interesting Facts About Time in China