恭喜发财
恭喜发财 (gōng xǐ fā cái) literally means “congratulations, and may you make a fortune” and expresses “wishing you a prosperous new year”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving life philosophy.
Also searched as: gong xi fa cai, gong xi fa cai,恭喜发财 meaning, 恭喜发财 in english
Wishing you a prosperous New Year
Pronunciation: gōng xǐ fā cái Literal meaning: Congratulations, and may you make a fortune
Origin & Usage
A folk New Year greeting with no classical source. 恭喜 means 'respectful congratulations' and 发财 'to make a fortune', so the phrase says, roughly, 'congratulations, and may you get rich'. It is young by idiom standards. One early literary appearance is in Wu Jianren's late-Qing novel 《二十年目睹之怪现状》 (chapter 8), serialised in the 1900s, where the narrator greets a friend with 'Congratulations, get rich!' (恭喜发财呢！). By the 1930s Lu Xun, in his essay 《过年》, could list it beside firecrackers, mahjong and New Year visits as a fixed part of the holiday. It is strongly associated with Cantonese-speaking communities, where it is said as 'gung hei fat choi', and Hong Kong films helped carry it overseas. Say it to anyone during the New Year period; children often add 红包拿来 ('now hand over the red envelope') as a joke.
Examples
English: "Gung hei fat choi! Wishing you a prosperous New Year."
Chinese: 过年见到长辈，孩子们都笑着说：“恭喜发财，红包拿来！”
Related Chinese Idioms
Similar idioms about life philosophy
财源广进
cái yuán guǎng jìn
May money come to you from every direction
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招财进宝
zhāo cái jìn bǎo
May money and valuables flow in
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年年有余
nián nián yǒu yú
May you have more than enough, year after year
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岁岁平安
suì suì píng ān
May you stay safe and well every year
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大吉大利
dà jí dà lì
May everything be lucky and go smoothly
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花开富贵
huā kāi fù guì
May your life flourish in wealth and status
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五福临门
wǔ fú lín mén
May every kind of good fortune come to your home
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金玉满堂
jīn yù mǎn táng
May your home overflow with wealth
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 恭喜发财 mean in English?
恭喜发财 (gōng xǐ fā cái) literally translates to “Congratulations, and may you make a fortune” and is used to express “Wishing you a prosperous New Year”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Life Philosophy category.
When is 恭喜发财 used?
Situation: Gung hei fat choi! Wishing you a prosperous New Year.
What is the pinyin for 恭喜发财?
The pinyin pronunciation for 恭喜发财 is “gōng xǐ fā cái”.