你的生日
The English phrase "your birthday" is translated into Chinese as 你的生日.
When wishing someone a happy birthday, the standard phrase is 生日快乐. For a friendlier and warmer tone, you can say 祝你生日快乐哦 by adding the particle 哦 to the end. If you are speaking to a child, it is common to playfully say 快点长大, which means "Grow up quickly!"
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase 你的生日 is composed of 你 (you), the possessive particle 的 and 生日 (birthday).
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase more respectful when addressing elders or superiors, you can replace 你 with 您 to say 您的生日. The phrase 你的生日 remains the same whether you are addressing one person or multiple people.
Did you know?
- If you are calculating a person's age for their birthday in a traditional sense, Chinese tradition often counts the time spent in the womb as the first year of life.
- In some regions, it is customary to eat 寿桃 or 'longevity peaches', which are steamed buns shaped like peaches, during a birthday celebration.
- In traditional Chinese culture, the most important birthday is often not the day of birth, but the 60th birthday, as it marks the completion of one full cycle of the traditional sexagenary calendar.
Examples in context
- 你的生日是几月几号？When is your birthday?This sentence is useful for asking when someone's birthday is using 你的生日.Tatoeba #382981 by sysko, translation #16997 by CK
- 衷心祝賀你的生日，穆里爾！Congratulations for your birthday, Muriel!This sentence shows how to congratulate someone on their birthday using 你的生日.Tatoeba #809728 by Martha, translation #809731 by Martha
- 今天是你的生日，不是嗎，尤里？It's your birthday, isn't it, Yuri?This sentence is used to confirm if it is someone's birthday using 你的生日.Tatoeba #861120 by Martha, translation #242984 by CN
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about party planning.
- 浩然 Haoran你的生日是什么时候？Nǐ de shēngrì shì shénme shíhou?When is your birthday?
- 佳怡 Jiayi我的生日是下周五。Wǒ de shēngrì shì xià zhōu wǔ.My birthday is next Friday.
- 浩然 Haoran我要为你准备惊喜。Wǒ yào wèi nǐ zhǔnbèi jīngxǐ.I want to prepare a surprise for you.
- 佳怡 Jiayi太谢谢你了，浩然！Tài xièxiè nǐ le, Hàorán!Thank you so much, Haoran!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
