Chinese New Year Greetings for The Year of the Rabbit
Are you looking for Chinese New Year greetings for the Year of the Rabbit that are a little funkier than traditional ones like 恭喜发财 (gōngxǐ fācái: Wishing you prosperity) or 新年快乐 (xīnnián kuàilè: Happy new year)? You’ve come to the right place!
DON’T BE AFRAID OF GETTING ‘PUNNY’ IN THE YEAR OF THE BUNNY!
In fact, the Lunar New Year is THE time when puns are always excused.
Puns are, of course, jokes that play with words that sound alike, but which may have different meanings. You know, the kind of jokes that Dads like to make!
In the Year of the Rabbit, that word is 兔 (tù), meaning “rabbit”.
HOW TO WRITE 兔 tù
If you squint a bit, 兔 actually looks like a rabbit.
Chinese New Year Greetings for the Year of the Rabbit
Let’s get to these greetings already! OK, OK!
If you want to show off, why not draw your greetings on square pieces of red paper and make your own 春联 (Chūnlián) Spring Couplets, just like these super-cute ones done by our Taiwan-based artist Ching Yi 姐姐?
兔飞猛进
tù fēi měng jìn
扬眉兔气
yáng méi tù qì
A play on:
扬眉吐气 (yáng méi tù qì)
Literally: Raise the eyebrows, let out the air
Meaning: The feeling of relief, after getting through a tough period
So replacing 吐(tù: expel, let out, spit) with 兔 (tù) is wishing someone happiness and calm after challenging times, i.e. so that they are no longer scared rabbits.
发奋兔强
fā fèn tù qiáng
A play on:
发奋图强 (fā fèn tú qiáng)
Literally: Work hard, strong picture
Meaning: To be determined to work hard to achieve a strong vision
So replacing 图 (tú: picture) with 兔 (tù) is to wish someone the determination to achieve their goals… like, um, plundering Mr. McGregor’s vegetable garden?
前兔一片光明
Qián tù yī piàn guāng míng
鸿兔大展
Hóng tù dà zhǎn
A play on:
鸿图大展 (Hóngtú dà zhǎn)
Literally: Exhibiting a grand picture
Meaning:Unveiling an ambitious project or plan
Replacing 图 (tú: picture) with 兔 (tù) is like congratulating someone for displaying their grand vision… because eating carrots give you good eyesight, and bunnies eat lots of carrots. (You’ve never seen a rabbit wearing glasses, have you?)
And now for a couple of really silly Chinese New Year greetings for the Year of the Rabbit:
把钱『兔』出来
Bǎ qián “tù” chūlái
A play on:
把钱吐出来 (Bǎ qián tǔ chūlái)
Literally: Spit out the money
Meaning: It means exactly what it says
Replacing 吐(tǔ: expel, let out, spit) with 兔 (tù) is like requesting someone to produce money like pulling a rabbit from a hat, I suppose.
To be used when receiving 红包 (hóngbāo: red envelopes/packets) and ONLY from people with a sense of humor, because this is really quite rude.
How many of the Chengyus above do you remember?
Try this free activity sheet!
Check these posts out
Let’s read the special Lunar New Year story CELEBRATING IS HARD WORK! 庆祝好累人! To read it, you have to
