万象更新

Pronunciation: wàn xiàng gēng xīn Literal meaning: Ten thousand scenes all renewed

Origin & Usage

A phrase for the fresh start of a new year or a new spring. 万象 is 'ten thousand phenomena', everything in view, and 更新 means to renew. It is best known in the New Year couplet 一元复始，万象更新, 'the first day returns, and everything is renewed.' Some online sources credit the phrase to 《红楼梦》, but it could not be found in the novel's text, so treat that claim with caution. One verified older use is in the Ming physician Zhang Jiebin's (张介宾) 《类经》, a commentary on the Yellow Emperor's Inner Classic, where he glosses the lines on the three months of spring with the note 万象更新也, 'all things are renewed.' That link to spring suits the Spring Festival well. Use it in speeches, cards and New Year messages that look forward to a new start.

Examples

English: "The first morning of the new year felt like a fresh start, as if everything around us had been renewed."

Chinese: 一元复始，万象更新，愿新的一年一切顺利。