Sunday, January 29, 2006

no matter how you say it:


Happy Chinese New Year !

  • Traditional Chinese: 恭喜發財;
  • Simplified Chinese: 恭喜发财;
  • pinyin: Gōngxǐ fācái;
  • Hokkien Keong hee huat chye (POJ: Kiong-hí hoat-châi);
  • Cantonese: Kung hei fat choi (also spelt kung hei fat choy or kung hey fat choi);
  • Hakka: Kung hee fat choi, which loosely translates to "Congratulations and be prosperous."

  • Often mistakenly assumed to be synonymous with "Happy new year", its usage dates back several centuries, with the Cantonese transliteration said to have first entered English usage in the 1800s, for instance. While the first two words of this phrase had a much longer historical significance (legend has it that the congratulatory messages were traded for surviving the ravaging beast of Nian, although in practical terms in may also involve surviving the harsh winter conditions), the last two words were added later as capitalism and consumerism ideas took greater significance in Chinese societies around the world.

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