How Do Chinese People Greet Each Other During Chinese New Year

New Year is meaningful for people all around the world. It not only represents the end of the old year, but also means the start of a new year. People all around the world try to go back home for reunion with their extended families during New Year. However, I found that there are some differences between what Chinese people and American people say to each other during New Year.

In the U.S., people usually say “Happy New Year!” to each other for New Year, sometimes they may even send you little gifts with cards written with this phrase. I have a few American friends and have received such little gift during New Year.

In China, people not only say “Xin Nian Kuai Le!”, which means “Happy New Year”, we also add some other phrases of wishes to our greetings. For example, “Gong Xi Fa Cai!”, which means “I wish you make more money this year”, “Jian Kang Chang Shou!”, which means “I wish you stay healthy and live long” and is often said to elderlies. There are various short but meaningful phrases that can be added to make your greeting sounds more sincere. China is the country of manner. Chinese culture educates people to be respectful and stay in close relationship with their family. This could be the reason that causes the differences in what people say during New Year between China and America.