幸运

• Pinyin: xìng yùn
• Hanzi breakdown: 幸 = lucky, escaping misfortune; 运 = 辶 (movement) + 云 (cloud, phonetic), meaning fate or transport

Meaning

Lucky; fortunate. Describes good luck or a favourable outcome by chance.

Used as an adjective to describe someone who has been favoured by fortune, or as a noun meaning 'good luck'. Common phrases: 幸运的是 (fortunately), 幸运儿 (lucky person), 幸运数字 (lucky number). Different from 幸福 (happy/blessed) — 幸运 emphasises luck and chance rather than deep contentment.

Examples

1. 他觉得遇到这个老师是一件幸运的事。 He feels that meeting this teacher was a fortunate thing.
2. 幸运的是，我们赶上了最后一班车。 Fortunately, we caught the last bus.
3. 她是这次比赛中最幸运的选手。 She was the luckiest contestant in this competition.

Usage Guide

Context: everyday, storytelling, congratulations

Tone: positive

Do Say

• 你真幸运，中了奖！(You're so lucky, you won a prize!)
• 能认识你，我觉得很幸运。(I feel very fortunate to know you.)

Don't Say

• 今天天气幸运。(Don't use 幸运 to describe weather — it describes people or situations involving chance. Say 今天天气很好.)

Origin & History

幸 means 'fortunate' and 运 means 'fate' or 'movement'. Together they describe favourable fortune or the luck of having things go well.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal