Auspicious Words to Greet Your Parents, Boss and Relatives

88DB Festive Guide, Career, Guide & Tips — By 88DB Knowledge on January 9, 2012 5:58 pm

It’s the Lunar New Year, and you’ve just arrived at your relative’s house for the obligatory house visit. You enter the house and happily bring out the mandarin oranges you’ve prepared well ahead. You smile warmly at the host as your brain scrambles for appropriate New Year greetings.

While some of us are stumped for words at this annual celebration of a fresh beginning, some practice before you step into the house would help.

To Your Parents/In-Laws

恭喜发财 (Gōngxǐ fācái) – Congratulations & Prosperity! This is the most common phrase used when someone is receiving gifts or angpao money. However, those who regularly buy 4D and Toto would welcome this before they head down to scribble their new lucky numbers.

龙马精神 (lóng mǎ jīng shén) – Health is Wealth, especially for your parents and in-laws who are becoming older as years go by. Wish them the energy and longevity of the Horse and Dragon, an apt greeting for the Dragon Year.

子孙满堂 (zǐ sūn mǎn tang) – This is one phrase that will turn your parent’s grand-parenting instincts to go into overdrive, and soon you will be bombarded with questions of “when will you let your poor mother have a grandson”, etc. This phrase expresses hopes that they will have many grandchildren. But if you want drop hints that a baby is on its way, go ahead!

To Children/Young Ones

学习进步 (xué xí jìn bù) – In our competitive study climate in Singapore, it is easy to lose sight of what is important in learning. Thus remind your nephew/nieces/someone’s little one of the joys of learning, and hope that they will learn and gain knowledge everyday, and improve to gain academic success.

To Your Boss

生意兴隆 (shēng yì xīng lóng) – When your company prospers, your salary is likely to be raised along with increasing sales figures. So go ahead and wish your boss a prosperous business year ahead.

财源广进 (cái yuán guǎng jìn) – Tell your boss that lots of fortune is coming his way, and if your boss is pleased, some will eventually come to you too.

To Your Colleagues

新年不做CEO，但求公司IPO! (xīn nián bù zhuò CEO, dàn qíu gōng sī IPO!) – Joke around with your colleagues, post-CNY celebrations, that your wish is not to become the CEO this year, but for the company to go on the stock exchange.

To Newly-Weds

添丁发财 (tiān dīng fā cái) – If you want to be a little cheeky, you can wish newly-weds to quickly bear sons and also become prosperous!

To Your Host When You Break A Glass

岁岁平安 suì suì píng ān – You will hear this phrase shouted immediately after something is accidentally smashed in the house during the Lunar New Year. The phrase wards off bad luck, by turning the Mandarin word 碎 (suì: shattered) into 岁 (suì, the full phrase means ‘Years of Everlasting Peace’), turning an unlucky situation into something that has an auspicious meaning.

To Everyone You Meet

新年快乐 xīn nián kuài lè – It’s a happy occasion, so greet everyone you see with a Happy New Year!

龙年行大运 (lóng nián xíng dà yùn): This means “Good luck in the Year of the Dragon”. You can easily recycle this greeting by changing the first word into the corresponding zodiac of the year.

Wishing you a happy and prosperous new year! 新年快乐, 恭喜发财!