Chinese New Year Greetings 2020

你好!

So Chinese New Year is just a few days away. If you have Chinese friends and family or if you live in a Chinese neighborhood, you will be able to get a feel of the Chinese New Year festive mood.

Although the HSK syllabus doesn’t have any Chinese New Year greetings, it is still fun to learn a greeting or two, just to show off to, and surprise your friends, family or even passerby.

Below are some of the common Chinese New Year greetings:

CNY GreetingsPinyinEnglishAudio
新年快乐Xīnnián kuàilèHappy New YearLink
恭喜发财Gōngxǐ fācáiMay prosperity be with youLink
步步高升Bùbùgāo shēngGet promoted to a higher position.Link
生意兴隆Shēngyì xīnglóngProsperous and thriving businessLink
大吉大利Dàjí dàlìGreat fortune and good luckLink
龙马精神Lóngmǎ jīngshénFull of vigour and vitalityLink
年年有余Nián nián yǒuyúSurplus year after yearLink
万事如意Wànshì rúyìMay everything go as you hope! Link
财源广进Cáiyuán guǎng jìnMay wealth come generously to you!Link
心想事成Xīn xiǎng shì chéngMay all your wishes come true!Link

Chinese people are pretty sensitive, so be sure to use the appropriate greeting as every person has a different circumstance.

Just to share with you my personal experience. Gongxi facai is considered to be a universal Chinese New Year greeting in Malaysia. When I was very young,I used to go around wishing everyone Gongxi facai.

On the first day of Chinese New Year, my parents brought me to a temple for some prayers. The young me, thinking I was being polite, wished the monk 恭喜发财 (Gongxi facai). My mum was horrified and apologized to the monk profusely. I didn’t think I had done anything
wrong until my mum explained to me that it is rude to wish a monk 恭喜发财 (Gongxi facai) because a monk doesn’t possess material things and therefore cannot prosper. 

新年快乐 (Xīnnián kuàilè) is perhaps a more neutral greeting.

Last but not least, the All Musing team wish everyone a very Happy New Year. Watch out for our next Newsletter for new publications soon.

HSK Storybook Series

HSK 1 Storybook Series
HSK 2 Storybook Series
HSK 3 Storybook Series
HSK 4 Storybook Series
HSK 5 Storybook Series

Chinese Sentence Structure – HSK Grammar Workbook

HSK Grammar Workbook
HSK 1 – 3 Practice Writing Sheet
HSK 4 – 6 Practice Writing Sheet

Chinese Stories for Beginners

Chinese Stories for Beginners PDF

Chinese Classics – for HSK 5 and above

Journey to the West Series
Water Margin Series
Romance of the Three Kingdoms Series
Dream of the Red Chamber Series

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