Well-wishing is an important part of Chinese culture and is vital to conveying respect and building and maintaining social relationships. There are also a number of occasions in China when offering someone a respectful greeting is not only recommended but may be seen as necessary by the host or organizer.
These types of situations can include weddings, birthdays, holidays, meeting the in-laws, opening a new business, and many others. There are a number of forms well-wishing can take, and one of the more common is Chinese idioms: quick four-character phrases with a lot of meaning.
I have compiled a list below of some of the most common idioms that can be used to wish someone well. Learning several of these idioms will give any Westerners attending an event in China a big head start in terms of knowing what to say and making an impression on the Chinese.
If you’re learning Chinese or navigating Chinese social and professional settings, I regularly share practical tips here and on LinkedIn.
A Quick Note on Usage
When using one of the below idioms, although they can be used on their own, it is more common to first begin by addressing the person in question and saying 祝你 (zhù nǐ), which basically means “I wish you (to have)…” This phrase can then be followed by any idiom on the list below. And while it is fine to simply use one idiom at a time, in China it is more common to use multiple idioms for a single greeting.
While this not only confers more respect from a Chinese point of view, a Westerner using multiple idioms is almost guaranteed to make an even bigger impression with Chinese friends and hosts. For example: “zhù nǐ + idiom 1, idiom 2, idiom 3.”
However, it’s important to understand that trying to use more than three to four idioms at one time might also be seen as showing off, even for a Westerner. So, it’s always best to keep modesty in mind as well.
In any event, take a look at the idioms below for a sure-fire way to make a great impression at a Chinese party or event!
Wishing a Happy Marriage
早生贵子 (zǎo shēng guì zǐ): May you soon give birth to a son.
永结同心 (yǒng jié tóng xīn): May you forever be of one mind.
百年好合 (bǎi nián hǎo hé): May you have a harmonious union that lasts one hundred years.
互敬互爱 (hù jìng hù ài): May you have mutual love and respect.
白头偕老 (bái tóu xié lǎo): May you live together until your hair turns white with old age.
举案齐眉 (jǔ àn qí méi) May you have harmonious marital relations.
Wishing a Happy New Year
新年快乐 (xīn nián kuài lè): May you have a Happy New Year.
恭贺新禧 (gōng hè xīn xǐ): May you have a Happy New Year.
年年有余 (nián nián yǒu yú): May you have excess every year.
岁岁平安 (suì suì píng ān): May you have peace year after year.
新春大吉 (xīn chūn dà jí): May you have a lucky New Year.
Wishing Business Success
开业大吉 (kāi yè dà jí): May you have the best of luck with your new business.
财源广进 (cái yuan guǎng jìn): May your wealth be plentiful.
财源滚滚 (cái yuán gǔn gǔn): May profits pour in from all sides.
生意兴隆 (shēng yì xīng lóng): May you be endowed with a thriving business and prosperous trade.
和气生财 (hé qì shēng cái): May you succeed through harmony and friendship.
日进斗金 (rì jìn dòu jīn): May you earn huge profits every day.
招财进宝 (zhāo cái jìn bǎo): May you have wealth and success (also traditionally said during the new year).
Wishing a Long Life
长命百岁 (cháng mìng bǎi suì): May you live for one hundred years.
福如东海 (fú rú dōng hǎi): May your luck be as immense as the Eastern Sea.
寿比南山 (shòu bǐ nán shān): May you live as long as Mount Nan.
Wishing a Happy Family
天伦之乐 (tiān lún zhī lè): May you have domestic bliss.
欢聚一堂 (huān jù yī táng): May you gather happily under one roof.
幸福美满 (xìng fú měi mǎn): May you be blessed and happy.
平平安安 (píng píng ān ān): May you be blessed with safety and peace.
团团圆圆 (tuán tuán yuan yuán): May you be blessed with unity and happiness.
Wishing Success at Work
步步高升 (bù bù gāo shēng): May you rise steadily (at work).
平步青云 (píng bù qīng yún): May you rise rapidly in the world (social status or career).
前程似锦 (qián chéng sì jǐn): May your future be as brilliant as embroidered cloth.
General Well-Wishing
心想事成 (xīn xiǎng shì chéng): May all your wishes come true.
出入平安 (chū rù píng ān): May you have peace wherever you go.
一帆风顺 (yī fān fēng shùn): May you have smooth sailing (i.e. figuratively).
吉祥如意 (jí xiang rú yì): May you be as lucky as you desire.
紫气东来 (zǐ qì dōng lái): May “lucky air” come to your house from the East (used when someone moves to a new house).
金玉满堂 (jīn yù mǎn táng): May treasures fill your home (can refer to children or money).
Final Thoughts
The above 35 idioms should provide a good start, though it is always a good idea to try and pick up additional sayings based on individual needs. For example, someone who does a lot of business travel would almost certainly want to focus on knowing 10-20 business-related idioms.
By contrast, a Westerner with Chinese in-laws would likely want to focus on remembering a number of idioms related to family and longevity. Keep in mind that there are hundreds of Chinese idioms that can be used for well-wishing. For those passionate about Chinese idioms, there are many more waiting to be learned!
If you’re interested in thoughtful perspectives on China, cross-border work, and how culture, incentives, and organizations shape real outcomes, you’re welcome to subscribe to China Culture Corner and receive future posts by email.
I also share related ideas and longer-form video commentary on LinkedInand YouTube, and post updates across the channels linked above.
If you or your organization is navigating China execution or cross-border alignment challenges, I work with teams on an embedded and remote basis. Reach out directly: Sean@SageSightConsulting.com
Many Westerners in China have a love-hate relationship with the Chinese language. No matter whether learning for professional or personal reasons, Westerners all over China and abroad attempt to improve their Chinese language skills on a daily basis, but to no avail.
Despite having studied Chinese for many years, it is common for many Westerners to be unable to speak Chinese fluidly or fluently. It is then no surprise that many wonder if they will ever be able to succeed in learning the Chinese language.
In fact, the Chinese language is by no means beyond the grasp of Westerners living in or planning to move to China. It simply takes the right approach and focus. After five years in China, I have identified several important factors that can make a big difference in attaining verbal fluency in Chinese. I list and discuss them below:
Spend Time with the Chinese, Not Westerners
When Westerners or other learners of the Chinese language ask me how to improve their own Chinese skills, they often confess to spending most of their time in China with other expatriates.
This is a big problem. Chinese cannot be learned by repeating a few phrases each week in restaurants or on the street. It cannot be learned by going out to Western bars. It cannot be learned by speaking English every day.
It can only be learned by engaging in real and in-depth conversations with the Chinese every day and by immersing oneself in a Chinese environment. Many Westerners assume that by being in China, they are immersing themselves in the language and culture, and the rest will follow.
This is unfortunately not the case. Learning to speak Chinese well takes effort every day and requires one to make Chinese friends and spend time with them regularly speaking the Chinese language.
Even Westerners outside of China can immerse themselves in a Chinese environment by seeking out overseas Chinese communities and surrounding themselves with Chinese video and audio material.
There is No Substitute for Making Mistakes and Feeling Awkward
When attending business events and social gatherings, I rarely see Westerners actively trying to speak Chinese with the locals. The room usually separates into two groups – Westerners and overseas Chinese speaking English, and local Chinese speaking Chinese.
This is the easy way out, and certainly not an effective way to learn the Chinese language. The way the Chinese language is learned is by putting oneself in Chinese-only environments and constantly taking risks to try out new words or expressions.
Most of the time, one will make mistakes and will feel awkward or embarrassed. But this is an absolutely necessary part of the Chinese language learning process. How many times do babies fall before learning how to stand? The same applies very much to learning Chinese.
When one makes a mistakes it is clear that one is pushing at their own limits. Only through persistence and dedication can one surpass those limits and increase one’s fluency in the Chinese language.
Don’t Focus on Studying Vocabulary
A question I hear a lot is, “Can you recommend a book or Chinese dictionary to study?” From my own perspective, while it is of course necessary for new students of the Chinese language to put a certain amount of focus on dictionaries and course books, this is a bad frame of mind to get into for those with an existing proficiency in Chinese.
With this approach, a student of the Chinese language ends up with lots of words that they have never or rarely put into practice. Even when one CAN remember all the words they have learned, the words are usually not spoken in a sure and confident manner. Instead, I would suggest that books and other study material be thought of as tools to assist one’s study of Chinese, not be the sole focus of study.
So learn some new words, and then go out into the world and practice using them. When a Chinese person uses a word one doesn’t understand, it’s important to ask what it means, and then remember it. Only by constantly putting newly learned Chinese into practice can it be remembered and mastered.
Decide How Much Chinese is Right for You
In the end, learning any language requires a definite commitment to one’s time. Chinese is especially so due to its characters, tones, and other differences from Latin-based languages.
And learning Chinese is more difficult when combined with the obligations of work and family. Because of these limits on time, many Chinese learners constantly feel that they are spinning their wheels and never improving.
Therefore, I would recommend that current and future students of the Chinese language consider how much Chinese they both want to learn, as well as need to learn. Instead of constantly trying to learn new words and phrases, pick a set number of words and phrases and concentrate solely on mastering their usage.
This and continuous practice can allow Westerners to achieve increased verbal fluency in the areas that matter most to them. In any case, there is one point I hope becomes clear from the above discussion. Learning to speak Chinese may not be easy, but it is simple and straightforward, as outlined above.
If you’re interested in thoughtful perspectives on China, cross-border work, and how culture, incentives, and organizations shape real outcomes, you’re welcome to subscribe to China Culture Corner and receive future posts by email.
I also share related ideas and longer-form video commentary on LinkedInand YouTube, and post updates across the channels linked above.
If you or your organization is navigating China execution or cross-border alignment challenges, I work with teams on an embedded and remote basis. Reach out directly: Sean@SageSightConsulting.com
With the rise of the Chinese economy, not only have many Westerners taken it upon themselves to visit the Middle Kingdom, but Western countries are also playing host to greater and greater numbers of Chinese tourists, students, and businessmen.
However, big differences in language and communication styles can create an array of difficulties for a Western tourist in remote areas, let alone a Western businessperson attempting to negotiate a multi-million dollar deal.
This has prompted a shift in the traditional Western English-centric model of doing business, with an increasing number of Westerners actively studying the Chinese language. And this is not merely limited to travelers and professionals; Chinese is being taught on an increasing basis in Western schools, and children are starting to learn at an increasingly young age.
While it is true that many Westerners might never actually visit China, the odds are increasing that they may encounter Chinese citizens in their home countries. As such, it is a good idea for Westerners to be able to at least pronounce most Chinese names (e.g,. a guest’s name) and be reasonably competent in several common phrases.
How Pinyin Helps
The simplest way to start this process is learning the fundamentals of how the Chinese people speak and write. However, this is made more difficult due to the fact that the Chinese writing system is composed of ideographs (called characters in vernacular), and unlike English or other European languages, the written Chinese language has no clear link with spoken Chinese.
Thus, pronunciations must be memorized on a word-by-word basis. Luckily, there is a convenient go-between for Westerners. Pinyin (literally meaning “joining sounds together”) is written with the Roman alphabet and acts as a first step in helping Westerners learn how to pronounce the Chinese language and speak in complete sentences even before any characters are learned.
The following article aims to introduce the fundamentals of using, reading, and pronouncing Pinyin, both for Westerners who simply want to be able to pronounce Chinese words, as well as those who plan to study the language full-time.
Introduction to the Hanyu Pinyin System
The Pinyin system in use today in Mainland China (also called “Hanyu Pinyin”) was created through a project sanctioned by the Chinese government in the 1950’s, building upon and perfecting the work of several preexisting Chinese romanization systems.
The Hanyu Pinyin system has now become the most commonly used system in the world for the romanization of the Chinese language. Some regions, such as Taiwan, are still known to use older systems, such as the one known as Wade-Giles, which is also still common in older Chinese history books and dictionaries.
Indeed, Hanyu Pinyin is not only used by foreigners who are learning Chinese. Hanyu Pinyin also serves many purposes for Mainland Chinese themselves, including entering Chinese characters into computers as well as in aiding in language education for both children and adults.
Hanyu Pinyin: Basic Pronunciation
When first learning Hanyu Pinyin, it is important to be aware that this writing system contains some very specific pronunciation rules, which all must be learned beforehand in order to ensure proper pronunciation.
Mandarin Chinese, the dialect upon which Hanyu Pinyin is based, possesses many sounds that do not exist in English. To solve this problem, the creators of the Hanyu Pinyin system took letters or combinations of letters from the Roman alphabet and assigned them new and unique pronunciation rules.
The chart at the right lists several examples of words and sounds that are in practice, some of the most difficult for new students of the Chinese language. Mastering these new sounds is an important first step on the journey to speaking the Chinese language. For additional convenience, a link is provided at the end of this article, complete with many different Chinese words in Hanyu Pinyin and audio aids.
Chinese Tones
An additional difficulty presented by the Chinese language is its tonal nature. The Mandarin Chinese dialect (the national language of China) is composed of four distinct tones: flat, rising, falling, and rising (or “v” shaped), and falling. In addition, different characters/words can possess the exact same pronunciation and tone but still hold different meanings.
For example, while the Hanyu Pinyin word Mă means horse in the example to the left, the same word and pronunciation also mean “ant” and “code.” While this sounds complex and unwieldy, within daily conversation, this potential obstacle is usually avoided in two ways.
First, context goes a long way towards allowing a speaker of Chinese to understand what the word “Mă” might mean at a given time. Second, despite the fact that many words or concepts can be explained or defined by a single character, in practice, most Chinese words and expressions take the form of two, three, four, or more characters.
A single word with a specific tone may be meaningful by itself, but add a few more characters to represent a single word or meaning, and the potential meanings decrease significantly. In the case of the word “ant,” the common combination of words/characters would be “mǎ yǐ.”
There are, of course, additional rules with regard to Hanyu Pinyin and its pronunciation, but they are not as important as mastering the basic elements described above.
Practice Your Pronunciation
Now that you’ve studied the basics of pronouncing Hanyu Pinyin, the next step is practice. And the best way to practice effectively is to first listen to a specific word spoken aloud by a native (or near native) speaker, and then practice speaking aloud again, and again, and again.
In truth, the more you actually practice, the better you will become. An excellent and comprehensive Hanyu Pinyin chart, along with audio aid,s is provided on the website Chinese.Yabla.com, which can be viewed by clicking on the button.
Once the chart has loaded, simply move your mouse cursor over the top row or the far left column to view notes on the mechanics of Pinyin pronunciation. All complete words (in Pinyin) within the chart can be clicked to provide a clear audio example of the correct pronunciation for said word, and in all four tones as well. Best of luck to everyone!
If you’re interested in thoughtful perspectives on China, cross-border work, and how culture, incentives, and organizations shape real outcomes, you’re welcome to subscribe to China Culture Corner and receive future posts by email.
I also share related ideas and longer-form video commentary on LinkedInand YouTube, and post updates across the channels linked above.
If you or your organization is navigating China execution or cross-border alignment challenges, I work with teams on an embedded and remote basis. Reach out directly: Sean@SageSightConsulting.com
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