Congratulations & good wishes in Chinese 祝贺
zhùhè
Congratulations in Chinese is 恭喜 (gōng xǐ).
Also searched for as: congrats in Chinese, well done in Chinese, best wishes, good luck in Chinese, Chinese blessings.
The right words for someone's big moment. 15 essential congratulations & good wishes words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.
The word for congratulations in Chinese is 恭喜 (gōng xǐ), warm and suitable for almost any good news, while 祝贺 (zhù hè) is slightly more formal. Beyond these, Chinese has set four-character wishes for particular occasions: 百年好合 (bǎi nián hǎo hé) for weddings and 前程似锦 (qián chéng sì jǐn) for graduates. Matching the wish to the moment is what makes your congratulations sound natural.
| Chinese | Pinyin | English |
|---|---|---|
| 恭喜 | gōng xǐ | congratulations |
| 祝贺 | zhù hè | to congratulate |
| 恭喜恭喜 | gōng xǐ gōng xǐ | congrats! congrats! |
| 干得好 | gàn de hǎo | well done |
| 真为你高兴 | zhēn wèi nǐ gāo xìng | I'm so happy for you |
| 祝你好运 | zhù nǐ hǎo yùn | good luck |
| 一切顺利 | yī qiè shùn lì | all the best; hope everything goes well |
| 心想事成 | xīn xiǎng shì chéng | may all your wishes come true |
| 万事如意 | wàn shì rú yì | may everything go your way |
| 身体健康 | shēn tǐ jiàn kāng | good health (as a wish) |
| 旗开得胜 | qí kāi dé shèng | success from the very start |
| 百年好合 | bǎi nián hǎo hé | a lifelong happy marriage (wedding wish) |
| 前程似锦 | qián chéng sì jǐn | a bright future (graduation wish) |
| 升职 | shēng zhí | to be promoted |
| 太棒了 | tài bàng le | that's fantastic |
Usage tips
- 恭喜 (gōng xǐ) is for news that has already happened, while 祝 (zhù) introduces a wish for the future: 恭喜你升职 (gōng xǐ nǐ shēng zhí), but 祝你一切顺利 (zhù nǐ yī qiè shùn lì).
- Four-character wishes are used in cards, red-packet messages and toasts, usually introduced with 祝你 (zhù nǐ) or the respectful 祝您 (zhù nín) for older people. Keep 身体健康 (shēn tǐ jiàn kāng) and 万事如意 (wàn shì rú yì) handy for elders.
- With friends, 恭喜恭喜 (gōng xǐ gōng xǐ) or 太棒了 (tài bàng le) is plenty. 旗开得胜 (qí kāi dé shèng) suits the start of a venture, such as a new business or a competition.
Common mistakes
- Don't mix up the occasions: 百年好合 (bǎi nián hǎo hé) is only for couples getting married, so writing it to someone with a new job sounds very odd. For a job, say 恭喜你找到新工作 (gōng xǐ nǐ zhǎo dào xīn gōng zuò).
- Learners say "good luck" as 好运 (hǎo yùn) on its own. Add 祝你 to make it a wish, 祝你好运 (zhù nǐ hǎo yùn), or before an exam or match, simply say 加油 (jiā yóu).
Mini dialogue
- A我考上研究生了！Wǒ kǎo shàng yán jiū shēng le!I got into my master's programme!
- B真的吗？恭喜恭喜！真为你高兴！Zhēn de ma? Gōng xǐ gōng xǐ! Zhēn wèi nǐ gāo xìng!Really? Congrats! I'm so happy for you!
- A谢谢！下个月就要去北京了。Xiè xie! Xià ge yuè jiù yào qù Běi jīng le.Thanks! I'm off to Beijing next month.
- B太棒了！祝你一切顺利！Tài bàng le! Zhù nǐ yī qiè shùn lì!That's fantastic! All the best!
Example sentences
- 恭喜你找到新工作！Congratulations on the new job!
- 祝贺你们订婚！Congratulations on your engagement!
- 听说你升职了，恭喜恭喜！I heard you got promoted, congrats!
- 干得好！继续加油。Well done! Keep it up.
- 你考上了？真为你高兴！You got in? I'm so happy for you!
- 明天面试，祝你好运！Good luck at the interview tomorrow!
- 祝你一切顺利！Wishing you all the best!
- 新的一年，祝你心想事成！May all your wishes come true in the new year!
- 祝您万事如意！May everything go your way!
- 祝爷爷身体健康！Wishing Grandpa good health!
- 祝你们旗开得胜！Wishing you success right from the start!
- 祝你们百年好合！Wishing you a lifetime of happiness together!
- 毕业快乐，祝你前程似锦！Happy graduation, wishing you a bright future!
- 恭喜你升职加薪！Congrats on the promotion and pay rise!
- 你通过了？太棒了！You passed? That's fantastic!
Practise speaking
Ready to use these words? The Congratulations & good wishes speaking island has 8 everyday questions about congratulations & good wishes to prepare your own answers to.