恭喜发财

恭喜發財

gōngxǐfācái

phrase #68,005

Meanings

1 Happy New Year!
2 May you prosper!
3 Congratulations and wishing you wealth (Lunar New Year greeting)

Characters

joy / congratulate

issue forth / become

Examples

恭喜发财，红包拿来！

Gōngxǐ fācái, hóngbāo ná lái!

Happy New Year — now hand over the red envelope!

春节见面都要说一句恭喜发财。

Chūnjié jiànmiàn dōu yào shuō yí jù gōngxǐ fācái.

When you meet people at Spring Festival, you always say 'gōngxǐ fācái'.

Tips

culture

THE standard Lunar New Year greeting, especially among Cantonese and overseas Chinese communities. 恭喜 = 'congratulations' (wishing something good), 发财 = 'to make a fortune / become wealthy'. Often followed by 红包拿来 ('hand over the red envelope') as a playful rejoinder by kids.

culture

Also the title of a hit 2005 Chinese New Year song by Andy Lau (刘德华), which made the phrase even more inescapable at CNY. Shopping malls across the Chinese-speaking world play it on loop during the holiday.

In Pop Culture

刘德华《恭喜发财》 Liú Déhuá 《Gōngxǐ Fācái》

Andy Lau, 'Gong Xi Fa Cai' (2005)

Cantopop star Andy Lau's hit Chinese New Year song, which cemented the phrase as a holiday earworm.

Stroke Order

恭 gōng

喜 xǐ

发 fā

财 cái