庆幸

• Pinyin: qìng xìng
• Hanzi breakdown: 庆 = 广 + 大 (celebrate/rejoice); 幸 = 土 + 辛 (luck/fortune)

Meaning

To feel fortunate; to rejoice at a lucky or favourable outcome. The feeling of relief and gratitude that something good has happened or something bad has been narrowly avoided.

Expresses a personal sense of relief and thankfulness — 'thank goodness for X.' Commonly used alongside 还好 or 幸好 in the same sentence. 庆幸自己 (count oneself lucky) is a common collocation. Differs from 幸运 (lucky) in that 庆幸 describes the emotional reaction to one's good fortune.

Examples

1. 他庆幸出门前带了伞，否则一定会被突如其来的暴雨淋成落汤鸡。 He felt lucky he brought an umbrella before heading out; otherwise, he would’ve been soaked by the sudden downpour.
2. 事故发生后，她庆幸当时系了安全带，才得以在猛烈碰撞中毫发未损。 After the accident, she felt fortunate she was wearing a seat belt, which kept her completely unhurt in the violent collision.
3. 体检结果一切正常，他深深庆幸自己多年来坚持规律作息、注重健康的生活方式。 With a clean bill of health from his checkup, he felt deeply grateful that years of regular routines and health-conscious living had paid off.

Usage Guide

Context: personal reflection, narrative, daily life, safety

Tone: relieved

Do Say

• 她庆幸及时发现了合同中的漏洞，否则极有可能引发一场难以收拾的法律纠纷。(She felt fortunate to have discovered the loophole in the contract in time, as it could otherwise have led to a legal dispute that would have been very difficult to resolve.)
• 多年后再次回想，他由衷地庆幸当年做出了那个看似冒险却意义深远的人生抉择。(Looking back years later, he was genuinely grateful that he had made that seemingly risky but profoundly meaningful life decision back then.)

Don't Say

• 他庆幸朋友取得了好成绩 — use 为朋友感到高兴 or 替朋友欣慰 for rejoicing at another's success; 庆幸 is about one's own relief at a personally lucky outcome, not someone else's achievement

Origin & History

庆 (celebrate/rejoice) + 幸 (fortune/luck) — to rejoice at one's good fortune

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal