阖家欢乐
阖家欢乐 (hé jiā huān lè) literally means “the whole family happy together” and expresses “may your whole family be happy”. This idiom is used when describing situations involving relationships and character.
Also searched as: he jia huan le, he jia huan le,阖家欢乐 meaning, 阖家欢乐 in english
May your whole family be happy
Pronunciation: hé jiā huān lè Literal meaning: The whole family happy together
Origin & Usage
A New Year wish for the whole household rather than one person. 阖 originally meant a door leaf and came to mean 'whole' or 'entire', so 阖家 is the entire family; 欢乐 means joy and happiness. There is no single classical source, but the phrase is old. It closes the Yuan-dynasty zaju play 《相国寺公孙合汗衫》, whose verdict verse announces 张员外阖家欢乐, 'the Zhang household is joyful once more,' and it recurs as a happy-ending formula in Ming and Qing novels. Because it addresses the family, it suits greetings to colleagues, clients or friends whose relatives you do not know well. It is often paired with 身体健康 or 万事如意, and in writing people sometimes use the homophone 合家欢乐.
Examples
English: "We ended our video call to Grandma with the usual wish: may the whole family be happy and together this year."
Chinese: 祝您新春快乐，阖家欢乐，身体健康！
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Wishing you a prosperous New Year
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May you have more than enough, year after year
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May you stay safe and well every year
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May your life flourish in wealth and status
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May every kind of good fortune come to your home
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May money and valuables flow in
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does 阖家欢乐 mean in English?
阖家欢乐 (hé jiā huān lè) literally translates to “The whole family happy together” and is used to express “May your whole family be happy”. This Chinese idiom belongs to the Relationships & Character category.
When is 阖家欢乐 used?
Situation: We ended our video call to Grandma with the usual wish: may the whole family be happy and together this year.
What is the pinyin for 阖家欢乐?
The pinyin pronunciation for 阖家欢乐 is “hé jiā huān lè”.