一路平安
yí lù píng'ān
In Chinese, "safe trip" is expressed as 一路平安 (yí lù píng'ān).
一路平安 is a wish for someone to travel without danger or accidents. It is commonly used when seeing someone off at an airport, a train station or any other place of departure.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 一路平安 literally means "the whole way [is] peace and safety".
Which one should you use?
一路平安 focuses specifically on safety and avoiding accidents. This differs from 一路顺风, which focuses on the journey being smooth and easy, much like the English expression "smooth sailing" or "favorable wind".
How does it change in a sentence?
To turn the phrase into a complete sentence, add 祝你 (zhù nǐ) at the beginning, which means "wish you". For example, 祝你一路平安 means "Wish you a safe trip".
How do you pronounce it?
yí lù píng'ān
Did you know?
- The character 安 in 一路平安 originally depicted a woman 女 under a roof 宀, suggesting that a home is only truly peaceful and safe when a woman is present.
- While 'safe trip' is a common wish, you should avoid saying 一路顺风 (yí lù shùn fēng) to someone traveling by air, as the literal 'favorable wind' might imply the turbulent or gusty winds pilots try to avoid.
- The grammatical structure of 一路平安 is a remnant of classical Chinese, where an adverbial phrase like 'the whole way' modifies a state of being directly without needing a verb.
Examples in context
- 祝你一路平安。Have a safe trip.This sentence is useful for learning how to wish someone a safe trip using 一路平安.Tatoeba #435209 by GlossaMatik, translation #28483 by CK
- 我祝你一路平安。I wish you a safe trip.
- 希望你旅途愉快。Wishing you a pleasant journey.
- 愿你一路顺风。May you have a smooth journey.
- 祝你旅途一路顺利。Wishing you a smooth journey.
- 希望你在旅途中一路愉快。Hope you have a joyful journey.
- 顺利出发，旅途平安。Have a smooth departure and a safe journey.
Example conversation
Jiayi is seeing Wei off at the airport.
- 佳怡 Jiayi伟，我要走了，再见！Wěi, wǒ yào zǒu le, zàijiàn!Wei, I'm leaving now, goodbye!
- 伟 Wei好，祝你一路平安！Hǎo, zhù nǐ yīlù píng'ān!Okay, have a safe trip!
- 佳怡 Jiayi谢谢你，到家后我告诉你。Xièxiè nǐ, dào jiā hòu wǒ gàosù nǐ.Thank you, I'll let you know when I get home.
- 伟 Wei没问题，慢走。Méi wèntí, màn zǒu.No problem, take care.
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
