Ways to say it
| Mandarin | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 運氣 / 运气 | yùnqi |
| 時運 / 时运 | shíyùn |
To say someone is 'lucky', you use the phrase 運氣好 (yùnqi hǎo), which literally means 'luck is good'. Conversely, to say someone is 'unlucky', you use 運氣不好 (yùnqi bù hǎo), meaning 'luck is not good'. The idiom 临时抱佛脚 (línshí bào fójiǎo) can be used to describe the act of seeking help at the last minute, which is often seen as relying on luck rather than proper preparation.
Which one should you use?
While 運氣 / 运气 refers to general luck or fortune, 時運 / 时运 (shíyùn) is used specifically to describe a person's luck or fortune during a particular period of time or a specific stage of life.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For a more formal way to express fortune or luckiness, you can use the term 幸运 (xìngyùn). In informal settings, the phrase 狗屎运 (gǒu shǐ yùn) is used to mean 'dog poop luck.'
How does it change in a sentence?
運氣 / 运气 is a noun that functions much like the English word 'luck' and can be used as either a subject or an object in a sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
yùnqi
Did you know?
- In Chinese culture, certain numbers are associated with luck, such as 八 (bā) for eight, because its sound is similar to the word for 'to prosper'.
- The character 運 (yùn) is also used in the word for 'transportation' 運輸 (yùnshū), reflecting the idea of luck as something that is moved or shifted.
- The word 運 (yùn) in 運氣 originally referred to the movement of celestial bodies and the flow of cosmic energy known as 'qi'.
Examples in context
- 祝你好运Wish someone good luck
- 愿你一帆风顺May you have smooth sailing
- 恭喜发财，红包拿来Wishing you wealth and prosperity, give me a red envelope!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “luck” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
