大吉大利

Pronunciation: dà jí dà lì Literal meaning: Great luck, great benefit

Origin & Usage

吉 means 'auspicious' and 利 'favourable' or 'profitable'; repeating 大 ('great') makes it an emphatic good-luck wish. Dictionaries trace it to divination. In 《三国演义》 chapter 54, Liu Bei is offered a marriage to Sun Quan's sister, a match Zhou Yu intends as a trap, and Zhuge Liang reassures him: 'Just now I consulted the Book of Changes and obtained a sign of great luck and great benefit' (适间卜易，得一大吉大利之兆). Liu Bei goes, and the marriage ends in his favour. Today it is a greeting for New Year and for shop openings, and it has a protective use too. When a child says something ill-omened during the holiday, adults add 童言无忌，大吉大利 ('a child's words carry no taboo; great luck'), which is meant to cancel the bad words. It suits anyone.

Examples

English: "Wishing you great luck and smooth success in the Year of the Goat."

Chinese: 新店开张那天，大家都祝老板大吉大利、生意兴隆。