<p>The greeting is:</p>

<p>给您拜年了。</p>

<p>If it is before the spring festival:</p>

<p>给您拜个早年。</p>

<p>I cannot answer the origin now, and this coincide with your other question.</p>

<hr>

<p><strong>EDIT</strong></p>

<p>As today is the Spring Festival, I heard 过年好(啊) is most often used as a greeting.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-16T09:19:04.237Z
2012-01-23T06:07:27.520Z
2012-01-23T06:07:27.520Z
fefe
<p>Also another:</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>过年好<br>
  guo4 nian2 hao3</p>
</blockquote>

<p>It is used in spring festival greeting, because "过年" refers specially to celelbrating the Chinese new year in China -- we don't say "过年" on Jan.1.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-19T03:43:21.587Z
2012-01-19T05:27:06.947Z
2012-01-19T05:27:06.947Z
Dante WWWW
<p>The most common I have heard is</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>恭喜发财 gōng xǐ fā cái</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Which is a wish of a prosperous coming year. This is very common in Hong Kong and Taiwan, but I heard that it was frowned upon by the communists on the mainland, since it is a wish that does not align very well with communistic ideals.</p>

<p>One story I read related to this is that there was a legend about a monster called 年 (<em>nian2</em>) that would come down from the mountains around new year and eat people. He is afraid of the colour red, so that's why people would put up red paper on and around their doors. The following morning, when you see someone, you would greet them with 恭喜!; 'Congratulations (to still being alive)!', and then wish that they will 发财; 'get rich', i.e. will have a fruitful and prosperous year ahead.</p>

<p>In Taiwan there is a playful childrens' rhyme related to this. The tradition is that adults give children (without an income of their own) red envelopes with cash, 红包. So the adult says "恭喜发财" and the child immediately (and greedily) replies "红包拿来"; 'Give me the red envelope'.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-16T14:37:41.350Z
A translation of all this would be useful :)
laurent
CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-16T09:12:16.890Z
2012-01-18T11:20:38.253Z
2012-01-18T11:20:38.253Z
Lars Andren
<p>I know people often say 新年快乐 to mean happy new year, but is there a traditional greeting used in Chinese to express your good wishes for the new year? If so, what, and how did it originate? </p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2012-01-19T10:58:34.237Z
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year <- this page has several common phrases used during chinese new year
Zhanger
<mandarin><mainland-china>
Is there a traditional Chinese New Year greeting?
# Is there a traditional Chinese New Year greeting?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2012-01-16)

I know people often say 新年快乐 to mean happy new year, but is there a traditional greeting used in Chinese to express your good wishes for the new year? If so, what, and how did it originate?

**Tags:** mandarin, mainland-china

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_New_Year <- this page has several common phrases used during chinese new year  

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2012-01-16. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

The most common I have heard is

> 恭喜发财 gōng xǐ fā cái

Which is a wish of a prosperous coming year. This is very common in Hong Kong and Taiwan, but I heard that it was frowned upon by the communists on the mainland, since it is a wish that does not align very well with communistic ideals.

One story I read related to this is that there was a legend about a monster called 年 (*nian2*) that would come down from the mountains around new year and eat people. He is afraid of the colour red, so that's why people would put up red paper on and around their doors. The following morning, when you see someone, you would greet them with 恭喜!; 'Congratulations (to still being alive)!', and then wish that they will 发财; 'get rich', i.e. will have a fruitful and prosperous year ahead.

In Taiwan there is a playful childrens' rhyme related to this. The tradition is that adults give children (without an income of their own) red envelopes with cash, 红包. So the adult says "恭喜发财" and the child immediately (and greedily) replies "红包拿来"; 'Give me the red envelope'.

> **Comments:**
> **username_5**: A translation of all this would be useful :)  

---

### Answer by username_2 on 2012-01-16. Score: 3

The greeting is:

给您拜年了。

If it is before the spring festival:

给您拜个早年。

I cannot answer the origin now, and this coincide with your other question.

---

**EDIT**

As today is the Spring Festival, I heard 过年好(啊) is most often used as a greeting.


---

### Answer by username_3 on 2012-01-19. Score: 1

Also another:

> 过年好  
> guo4 nian2 hao3

It is used in spring festival greeting, because "过年" refers specially to celelbrating the Chinese new year in China -- we don't say "过年" on Jan.1.


---

