红包

紅包
hóngbāo
noun HSK 4 #28,872

Meanings

  1. 1 red envelope (with money inside)
  2. 2 monetary gift; bonus

Characters

A 'red packet' — money wrapped in a red envelope, given as a gift.

Examples

Guònián de shíhou, zhǎngbèi huì gěi háizi hóngbāo.
During Chinese New Year, elders give children red envelopes.
Tā zài Wēixìn shàng fā le yī ge hóngbāo.
She sent a red envelope on WeChat.
Wǒ shōudào le yī ge dà hóngbāo!
I received a big red envelope!

Tips

culture
红包 are given at Chinese New Year, weddings, and birthdays. The amount should be even numbers (good luck) and avoid 4 (sounds like 'death'). 88, 168, 888 are popular amounts.
usage
WeChat red envelopes (微信红包) transformed the tradition — people now send digital 红包 in group chats, and grabbing them became a national obsession.

Stroke Order

hóng
bāo