Happy New Year / Kung Hay Fat Choy...

[Clive P]

Hi,

It's a Happy new Year from me to you all.

Regards.

 

[GLENNSPARK]

yep...
happy new year to all of ya...

 

[ipf]

All the very best to everyone for a happy and prosperous New Year.

 

[Phil L]

Happy new year everyone

 

[Engineer54]

"Hello Engineer54",


"Happy New Year" to You - or as You also wrote very appropriately from China:



"Kung hei fat choi" - OR "Xin Nain Kuai Le"


I have probably spelt these incorrectly - I think that I remember this spelling from time spent in Hong Kong many Years ago [actually written in a notebook] - but I probably had it wrong then.


Also a "Happy New Year" from Me to all of our Members


Regards,

Chris

Were both probably right, i know of at least 3 English spellings ( Kung Hei Fat Choi, Kung Hay Fat Choy, Gung Hey Fat Choy) . Hong Kong uses ''Traditional'' (Cantonese) Chinese and Mainland China uses the ''Simplified'' (Mandarin) Chinese, brought in by Mao Tse-Tung, so spellings may have changed slightly. I's and Y's tends to be interchanged quite frequenty from writen Chinese to English Chinese....

The other thing to remember, is that the greeting is based around the Chinese New Year, rather than our Jan 1st... ''Kung Hei'' means ''Congratulations'' or wishing you happiness, and ''Fat Choi'', means a quick and huge/big increase in wealth which is generally related to your property. Anyway wishing everyone here a ''Sun nien fai lok'' (which actually does mean Happy New Year!!.") And people think English is difficult to understand!! ...lol!!

 

[GLENNSPARK]

what about hong yong wong chong?

 

[chris murphy]

Were both probably right, i know of at least 3 English spellings ( Kung Hei Fat Choi, Kung Hay Fat Choy, Gung Hey Fat Choy) . Hong Kong uses ''Traditional'' (Cantonese) Chinese and Mainland China uses the ''Simplified'' (Mandarin) Chinese, brought in by Mao Tse-Tung, so spellings may have changed slightly. I's and Y's tends to be interchanged quite frequenty from writen Chinese to English Chinese....

The other thing to remember, is that the greeting is based around the Chinese New Year, rather than our Jan 1st... ''Kung Hei'' means ''Congratulations'' or wishing you happiness, and ''Fat Choi'', means a quick and huge/big increase in wealth which is generally related to your property. Anyway wishing everyone here a ''Sun nien fai lok'' (which actually does mean Happy New Year!!.") And people think English is difficult to understand!! ...lol!!

"Hello Engineer54",

Thanks for your interesting reply.

I know that there are probably many differences between the Chinese language / dialect spoken in China and the Cantonese Chinese used in Hong Kong and as You mentioned there are different spellings because of that.

I thought that "Xin Nain Kuai Le" meant `Happy New Year - do You happen to know if it does - in light of your greeting ''Sun nien fai lok'' meaning Happy New Year - ?

I do realise that You may not have come across that particular Greeting as there must be Many of them in the Chinese language related to the Chinese New Year - which I think that I remember the celebrations last about a Month[?].

Regards,

Chris

 

[Engineer54]

Chinese both spoken and written is a contradition in itself, so many dialects and complicated further by the ''Traditional'' and the new ''Simplified'' Mandarin (which supposidly, is now the official language of Mainland China,) Even the tone in which you speak Chinese (of any dialect) can add a totally different meaning to what you are intending to say. lol!! ...And why i let her indoors do all the talking when we're out and about!! lol!!

"Xin Nain Kuai Le" = Is indeed ''HAPPY NEW YEAR'' in Mandarin.
''Sun nien fai lok'' = Is ''HAPPY NEW YEAR'' in Cantonese.

 

[chris murphy]

Chinese both spoken and written is a contradition in itself, so many dialects and complicated further by the ''Traditional'' and the new ''Simplified'' Mandarin (which supposidly, is now the official language of Mainland China,) Even the tone in which you speak Chinese (of any dialect) can add a totally different meaning to what you are intending to say. lol!! ...And why i let her indoors do all the talking when we're out and about!! lol!!

"Xin Nain Kuai Le" = Is indeed ''HAPPY NEW YEAR'' in Mandarin.
''Sun nien fai lok'' = Is ''HAPPY NEW YEAR'' in Cantonese.

"Hello again Engineer54",


Thanks very much for your very quick reply and for confirming that the Greeting that I asked about was Mandarin Chinese for `Happy New Year`.

I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to learn the Chinese language taking into consideration also that the `Tone` of how one is saying things can completely alter what you are saying !

Thanks again for your interesting replies.

Regards,


Chris

 

[Engineer54]

"Hello again Engineer54",


Thanks very much for your very quick reply and for confirming that the Greeting that I asked about was Mandarin Chinese for `Happy New Year`.

I cannot imagine how difficult it must be to learn the Chinese language taking into consideration also that the `Tone` of how one is saying things can completely alter what you are saying !

Thanks again for your interesting replies.

Regards,


Chris

You're more than welcome...