恭喜
gōngxǐ
The English word "congratulations" is translated into Chinese as 恭喜 (gōngxǐ). Wiktionary also lists 恭喜恭喜 (gōngxǐ gōngxǐ).
Meaning: expressing approbation (intj)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 恭喜 | gōngxǐ |
| 恭喜恭喜 | gōngxǐ gōngxǐ |
恭喜 is used for positive life events like promotions, weddings or new babies, rather than just general praise.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 恭喜 (gōngxǐ) is composed of 恭 (respectfully) and 喜 (joy/happiness).
Which one should you use?
While 恭喜 is used as an exclamation or a direct greeting, 祝賀 (zhùhè) is a more formal verb used when one wants to say 'to extend congratulations to someone'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Cantonese, 恭喜恭喜 (gūnghei gūnghei) means Congratulations and 恭喜发财 (gūnghei fācái) means Wishing you prosperity. In Taiwan, 恭喜你 (gōngxǐ nǐ) is often used.
How do you pronounce it?
gōngxǐ
Did you know?
- Because the character 喜 is associated with weddings, it is often doubled to form 囍, a special ligature symbol. This 'double happiness' symbol is pasted on walls and used in decorations during wedding celebrations.
- In traditional Chinese culture, if you are the one being congratulated, it is polite to respond with modesty. Instead of a simple 'thank you', one might downplay the achievement to avoid appearing arrogant.
- The character 喜 for 'joy' is visually composed of two components that represent a drum and a mouth. This evokes the image of beating drums and cheering to celebrate a happy occasion.
Examples in context
- 恭喜成為本店第一千位顧客！Congratulations! You are our thousandth visitor!This example shows how to use 恭喜 to congratulate a customer.Tatoeba #13996452 by LeviHighway, translation #3167678 by Theocracy
- 恭喜！Congratulations!This example shows the use of 恭喜 as a standalone exclamation.Tatoeba #4990053 by boanw, translation #1437 by CK
- 恭喜你的臉。Congratulations on your face.This example shows a sentence using 恭喜.Tatoeba #1108438 by Arraroak, translation #1099156 by Arraroak
- 恭喜你获得了博士学位Congratulations on earning your Ph.D.
- 祝贺你在比赛中取得的胜利，继续加油Congratulations on your victory in the competition. Keep up the good work!
- 衷心祝贺你晋升为公司副总裁Hearty congratulations on your promotion to Vice President of the company.
- 恭喜你成功完成马拉松比赛，你的毅力令人钦佩Congratulations on successfully completing the marathon. Your perseverance is admirable.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are celebrating a job promotion.
- 浩然 Haoran恭喜你升职了！Gōngxǐ nǐ shēngzhí le!Congratulations on your promotion!
- 雨婷 Yuting谢谢你，浩然！Xièxiè nǐ, Hàorán!Thank you, Haoran!
- 浩然 Haoran我们要不要去庆祝一下？Wǒmen yào bù yào qù qìngzhù yīxià?Shall we go celebrate?
- 雨婷 Yuting好啊，我请客！Hǎo a, wǒ qǐngkè!Sure, it's my treat!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “congratulations” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
