10 Chinese Idioms for a Prosperous Spring Festival 2026 (新春大吉)

Look happy and content

Literal meaning: Spring wind fills the face

This idiom describes spring wind (春风) filling (满) the face (面). It depicts someone whose face radiates warmth and happiness like the pleasant spring breeze. The phrase captures the appearance of contentment and good fortune. Modern usage describes someone who looks happy and satisfied, whose good mo...

Be beaming with joy

Literal meaning: Happy smile, face opens up

This idiom describes being so happy (喜) that one smiles (笑) and the face (颜) opens up (开). It captures the physical transformation that genuine joy brings to facial expression. The phrase depicts pure happiness visible in one's countenance. Modern usage describes obvious happiness that shows clearly...

Emerging rapidly in great numbers

Literal meaning: Bamboo shoots after spring rain

This idiom captures the natural phenomenon of bamboo shoots (春笋) growing rapidly after (后) spring rain (雨). In Chinese landscapes, bamboo groves visibly transform after rainfall as countless new shoots emerge almost overnight. The phrase first appeared in Song Dynasty texts describing rapid multipli...

Extraordinary healing skill

Literal meaning: Skilled hands bring spring

This healing idiom praises marvelous (妙) hands (手) that can bring back (回) spring/life (春), originating from Tang Dynasty medical texts. It first described legendary physician Sun Simiao's ability to revive seemingly hopeless patients. The seasonal metaphor of spring representing renewal was particu...

A refreshing new experience

Literal meaning: Ears and eyes completely renewed

This idiom appears in classical texts describing the sensation of encountering something refreshingly new. The ears (耳) and eyes (目) represent one's senses and perception, while 'completely renewed' (一新) suggests a total refresh of one's experience. The phrase emphasizes the delight of fresh perspec...

Create new from old

Literal meaning: Push old produce new

Originating in the Classic of Changes (I Ching), this phrase combines the actions of pushing away (推) the old or stale (陈) to bring forth (出) the new (新). During the Spring and Autumn period, it became a principle of scholarly innovation - respecting traditional knowledge while advancing new interpr...

Gentle, nurturing influence

Literal meaning: Spring wind becomes rain

This poetic metaphor traces back to the Han Dynasty's educational philosophy, where ideal teaching was compared to spring winds (春风) transforming into nurturing rain (化雨). The imagery draws from agricultural wisdom – spring breezes and gentle rains nurture plants without forcing growth. Scholar Han ...

Enjoyed by all; universally popular

Literal meaning: Happy to hear delighted to see

This idiom describes being happy (喜) to hear (闻) and delighted (乐) to see (见). It characterizes things that please audiences through both auditory and visual channels. The phrase appeared in texts discussing popular entertainment and public communication. It represents widespread appeal that transce...

Perfect through careful work

Literal meaning: Jade becomes perfect

Originally appearing in the Classic of Poetry, this idiom references the painstaking process of jade (玉) craftsmanship, where the stone becomes (成) perfected through careful work (汝). Ancient craftsmen observed that jade's true beauty emerged only through patient, deliberate cultivation. During the ...

Apply creative genius; show ingenuity

Literal meaning: Craftsman's heart uniquely operates

This idiom describes the craftsman's (匠) heart (心) uniquely (独) operating (运). A variant of 独具匠心, it emphasizes the active application of creative genius. The phrase depicts original creativity in action. Modern usage describes the exercise of creative genius in producing distinctive work.