恭喜

• Pinyin: gōng xǐ
• Hanzi breakdown: 恭 = 共 + 心 (a respectful heart); 喜 = 壴 (drum) + 口 (mouth) — expressing joy with music and words

Meaning

To congratulate; congratulations. A formal expression of joy and goodwill offered to someone on a happy occasion.

More formal and ceremonious than 祝贺 in many contexts. Widely used during Chinese New Year (恭喜发财 — 'wishing you prosperity'), as well as at weddings, graduations, promotions, and births. The doubled form 恭喜恭喜 is the title of a classic Cantonese-origin New Year song sung throughout the Chinese-speaking world.

Examples

1. 恭喜你通过了博士论文答辩，多年的努力终于得到了回报。 Congratulations on passing your doctoral thesis defense—years of hard work have finally paid off.
2. 春节期间，亲友之间互道恭喜发财，传递着对新年的美好祝愿。 During the Spring Festival, friends and relatives greet each other with wishes of prosperity, sharing their best hopes for the new year.
3. 得知她荣升部门总监，同事们纷纷上前恭喜，会议室里充满了欢声笑语。 When they heard she’d been promoted to department director, her colleagues came over one after another to congratulate her, and the meeting room filled with laughter.

Usage Guide

Context: celebrations, festivals, social occasions, workplace

Tone: warm

Do Say

• 恭喜你和新郎新娘，祝你们百年好合，永结同心。(Congratulations to you and the newlyweds — wishing you a lifetime of happiness together.)
• 恭喜贵公司成功上市，希望未来业绩更上一层楼。(Congratulations on your company's successful listing — may your performance reach even greater heights in the future.)

Don't Say

• 在庄重的悼念或慰问场合使用'恭喜' — 恭喜 is exclusively for joyful events; using it in condolence contexts would be deeply inappropriate; use 节哀 or 慰问 instead

Origin & History

恭 (respectful; reverential) + 喜 (joy; happiness; to celebrate). Literally: to respectfully celebrate another's joy.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal