That said, Mandarin ( pǔtōnghuà, the common language) is the official standard language of China and the most commonly spoken dialect, so it’s most important to know greetings in Mandarin. Just about every Chinese immigrant back then moved to America looking for a better life, to prosper and get rich! Mandarin vs. Back in the 60s and 70s, most of the Chinese immigrants in the U.S. This greeting is more common in Hong Kong and wherever the Cantonese dialect is commonly spoken. The greeting means something along the lines of “wishing you prosperity and good fortune.” When I was growing up, the most common greeting by far was, “ gong hei fat choy,” the Cantonese pronunciation of 恭喜发财 ( gōngxǐ fācái in Mandarin), and it’s likely that many people, Chinese or otherwise, have heard this phrase at one point. That said, t here is no set date on the Gregorian calendar, and the holiday begins on a different day each year, but always in January or February. While we often say Chinese New Year, the holiday is referred to as Lunar New Year globally with Asian countries like Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam celebrating based on the traditional lunar calendar. To see the dates for the complete 12 year cycle of Chinese Zodiacs animals, see our post on When is Chinese New Year? While everyone is greeting each other, you can check our Chinese zodiac page to find your own animal sign! It symbolizes new beginnings and fresh starts. While it’s the coldest time of the year, it marks the turn-around in seasons, when people begin to look forward to spring (and in the old days, new planting). In China, Chinese New Year is known as chūnjié (春节), or Spring Festival. Yes, it’s the mark of the lunar new year, but here are some other details to brush up on! You might think that the only greeting you needs is a simple and polite “Happy New Year!”īut here at The Woks of Life, we’re going tiger parents on you with THE comprehensive list of common Chinese New Year greetings and useful phrases to spread that new year prosperity around! What is Chinese New Year? It’s time to brush up on your Chinese New Year greetings.
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