发财
fācái
To get rich in Chinese is 发财 (fācái).
发财 is used to express the acquisition of a large amount of money or wealth.
What does it mean word for word?
The term is composed of the character 发 (fā), which means to send out or issue and the character 财 (cái), meaning wealth or money.
How does it change in a sentence?
To indicate that someone has undergone a change of state and has now become wealthy, you can add the particle 了 (le) after the phrase to form 发财了.
How do you pronounce it?
fācái
When do people say it?
The phrase is frequently used as a blessing or a wish for prosperity. A common example is the phrase 恭喜发财 (gōngxǐ fācái), which means 'congratulations and may you prosper'.
Did you know?
- During Lunar New Year, people often display the character 发 (fā) upside down. This is because the word for 'upside down' is 倒 (dǎo), which sounds like 'arrive', symbolizing that wealth is arriving.
- The character 财 (cái) contains a radical meaning 'shell', reflecting an ancient time when cowrie shells were used as the primary currency in China.
- The number 8 is considered the luckiest number in Chinese culture because the word for eight 八 (bā) sounds like 发 (fā). People often pay extra money for phone numbers or license plates containing the number 8 to attract wealth.
Examples in context
- 我希望通过我的创业能够发财。I hope to get rich through my entrepreneurship.
- 这个项目有潜力让我们致富。This project has the potential to make us wealthy.
- 房地产的升值让很多人发财。The appreciation of real estate has made many people rich.
- 我朋友做生意发了很大财。My friend made a fortune through business.
- 我儿子长大后一定会发达。My son will definitely become prosperous when he grows up.
- 他通过努力工作达到了大富大贵的地位。He achieved a rich and honorable status through hard work.
- 他想通过做生意发财。Tā xiǎng tōngguò zuò shēngyì fācái.He wants to get rich through business.
- 这种投资很难发财。Zhè zhǒng tóuzī hěn nán fācái.It is hard to get rich through this kind of investment.
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about a new business idea in a cafe.
- 志强 Zhiqiang我想开个餐厅发财。Wǒ xiǎng kāi ge cāntīng fācái.I want to open a restaurant to get rich.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen志强，开餐厅很辛苦的。Zhìqiáng, kāi cāntīng hěn xīnkǔ de.Zhiqiang, running a restaurant is very hard work.
- 志强 Zhiqiang但我真的很想发财。Dàn wǒ zhēn de hěn xiǎng fācái.But I really want to get rich.
- 晓雯 Xiaowen那你要做好心理准备。Nà nǐ yào zuò hǎo xīnlǐ zhǔnbèi.Then you should be mentally prepared.
