一元复始

Pronunciation: yī yuán fù shǐ Literal meaning: The first returns and begins again

Origin & Usage

一 is 'one', 元 is 'the first' or 'the beginning', 复 is 'again' and 始 is 'to start'. Together: the first day comes round again, a new year begins. The phrase is usually traced to the Gongyang Commentary on the Spring and Autumn Annals (《公羊传·隐公元年》), which explains the opening words of the Annals: 'What is 元年? The ruler's first year. What is 春? The year's beginning' (元年者何？君之始年也。春者何？岁之始也). The Commentary does not contain the four-character phrase itself; later writers built it from this idea of 元 as the beginning. It is almost always followed by 万象更新, 'ten thousand things are renewed', and the pair is a standard Spring Festival couplet and opening line for formal New Year letters and speeches. It sounds formal, so it suits written greetings, cards and toasts.

Examples

English: "As the new year begins and everything is renewed, we send you our warmest wishes."

Chinese: 一元复始，万象更新，祝您新年大吉！