20+ Auspicious Greetings for Everyone You May Meet During Chinese New Year
If you haven’t had your fill of social events over December, Chinese New Year presents the perfect time to catch up with friends and families.
Wherever you go, one thing you cannot escape from is to spread the festive cheer with auspicious greetings. It’s ingrained into the Chinese New Year culture, partly out of courtesy (even to coworkers you’ve never laid eyes on before), but more so to impart good blessings to your loved ones. And what better way to do that than to pay them a visit (拜年) during the public holidays?
Chinese New Year festivities are fun but also frazzling, especially if you’re unprepared for the cacophony of noises and the flurry of events permeating homes and streets. But fear not; I’ve rounded up a list of fail-safe greetings that will keep you well-prepared for all the prospective red packets you run into. From homophonic sayings for the Year of the Dragon to wishes of wealth and health for elders and more lighthearted greetings for friends – it’s time to wow your friends and family.
Tip: In Chinese culture, auspicious things come in even numbers (成雙成對), so go for a double whammy with two greetings – they sound more poetic anyway. Certain characters will also keep popping up in different greetings with highly similar meanings; after all, there are only as many auspicious words. If in doubt, pick ones from different categories to cover all your bases.
Greetings for 2024, the Year of the Dragon
As the only mythological Chinese zodiac animal, the dragon has one of the highest status and has traditionally been associated with many auspicious omens.
龍年大吉 – Wishing you luck for the Year of the Dragon
龍年賀喜 – Greetings for the Year of the Dragon
龍馬精神 – May you be strong and energetic like dragons and horses
龍瑞盈門 – May auspiciousness fill your house in the Year of the Dragon
龍飛鳳舞 – May your arts be majestic and full of vigour
龍年行大運 – May you have good luck in the Year of the Dragon
龍年進寶 – May you attract prosperity in the Year of the Dragon
生意興隆(龍) – May business boom (“boom” in Cantonese is homophonic with “dragon”)
General Greetings
新年快樂 – May your new year be joyful
恭喜發財 – May you have prosperity and good fortune
新年大吉 – May you have luck for the new year
大吉大利 – May you have good luck with much profits
For Wealth
財源廣進 – May wealth and prosperity roll in
招財進寶 – May you attract wealth and prosperity
富貴有餘 – May you be wealthy with abundance to spare
年年有餘 – May you have surplus and abundance year after year
For Health
身體健康 – May you have good health
闔家平安 – May your entire family be safe and well
歲歲平安 – May you have peace at every age
快高長大 – May you grow tall and mighty soon
For Happiness
笑口常開 – May you be joyful and laugh often
萬事如意 – May all go well with you
心想事成 – May all your wishes come true
五福臨門 – May the five blessings (longevity, wealth, health, virtue, and a natural death) come to you
For Ambition
一帆風順 – May all your endeavours be smooth
步步高升 – May you progress swiftly
前程似錦 – May your future be bright
飛黃騰達 – May you advance rapidly in your career
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