The Year of the Horse 2026 is here! What are some essential Chinese New Year greetings you should learn?

The Chinese New Year is one of the most important festivals for Chinese people, and it also boasts the longest holiday. Everyone, regardless of age, is overjoyed during the New Year.

Traditions of the Chinese New Year

During the New Year holiday, Chinese people prepare many delicious foods, participate in traditional deity parades, and reunite with family after a long separation. Most importantly, younger generations receive red envelopes (containing lucky money in red paper bags), creating a joyful atmosphere.

The traditional Chinese New Year holiday is also known as the "Spring Festival," and the last day of the old year, Lunar New Year's Eve, is called "New Year's Eve" or "Passing the Year," signifying bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new.

Starting from the first day of the Lunar New Year, people begin to "pay New Year's visits," inevitably exchanging auspicious greetings with relatives, wishing them a smooth and prosperous new year.

So, what auspicious greetings can you use to impress and please others during the Chinese New Year?

• The first phrase: "恭喜发财!"( gōng xǐ fā cái)in Chinese means "Wishing you prosperity!"

Making money is something every Chinese person looks forward to. Therefore, saying "Happy New Year! Wishing you prosperity!" when you meet relatives or friends for the New Year is a big plus.

• The second phrase: "身体健康!" (shēn tǐ jiàn kāng)in Chinese means "Good health!"

Good health is a basic need for everyone, and I believe this is the same in every country. Good health is the foundation for enjoying the good things in the world. This phrase is especially useful for the elderly.

• The third phrase: "步步高升!"(bù bù gāo shēng) in Chinese means "Promotion and salary increase."

In China, working people, especially civil servants, all hope to be promoted and receive a raise every year. Therefore, "promotion and salary increase" is a very auspicious phrase for this group.

• The fourth phrase: "学业进步!"( xué yè jìn bù)means "Progress in studies!"

Students generally don't pursue wealth or promotions too much, and they don't all expect to be group leaders this year or class monitor next year. For diligent students, academic progress is their happiest result. Therefore, this phrase is very useful for students.

• The fifth phrase: The Chinese phrase "万事如意!" (wàn shì rú yì)means "May all your wishes come true!"

This is the most universally accepted and foolproof phrase. "万事如意" signifies the wish that everyone's desires will be fulfilled, whether it's wealth, a promotion, good health, or academic progress—as long as they wish, it can be achieved. Therefore, you can say this to anyone, and it's the best blessing.

Additionally, what other special New Year's greetings are there for the Year of the Horse?

Chinese tradition uses the sexagenary cycle, which, simply put, uses the twelve zodiac animals to name each year, arranged in the order of Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster, Dog, and Pig. This year, 2026, is the Year of the Horse.

What other special New Year's greetings are there for the Year of the Horse?

• First: The Chinese phrase "马到功成"( mǎ dào gōng chéng)means "May you achieve success and smooth progress in everything you do."

This phrase is a blessing for others to have a successful and smooth year in the Year of the Horse.

• Second: The Chinese phrase "车水马龙" (chē shuǐ mǎ lóng) means a large flow of customers.

"Wishing you a prosperous new year with a constant stream of customers at your doorstep" is suitable for friends or relatives who own shops or businesses. It means wishing them a prosperous new year with a constant flow of customers.

• Third: The Chinese phrase "龙马精神" (lóng mǎ jīngshén) means "full of energy and spirit."

This phrase describes someone who is energetic and full of vitality. In practical use, you can say, "Wishing you a prosperous new year with a spirit like a dragon and a horse, and all your wishes fulfilled!"

Alright! The New Year is almost here, and here I send you all my blessings:

祝你们新的一年，恭喜发财，身体健康，步步高升，学业进步，万事如意，马到功成，客户车水马龙，龙马精神，天天开心！

The following is the Chinese translation of this article.

2026马年到了！中式新年有哪些拜年的祝福语你必须学会？

中国传统新年是中国人最为重视的节日之一，也是放假最长的节日。一到新年，所有人不论哪个年龄段的都是非常高兴的。因为新年假期中国人会做很多好吃的东西，会有很多传统的游神活动，久别重逢的家人又能欢聚一堂，最重要的是小一辈的还有红包收，其乐融融。

中国的传统新年假期又称为“春节”，而农历大年三十，也就是旧年的最后一天中国人称之为“除夕”，“过年”，意思就是辞旧迎新，过完旧的一年。而大年初一开始就会开始去“拜年”，到亲戚家里免不了要说一些吉祥的话，寓意新的一年顺顺利利。

那么中国的新年，有哪些吉祥话能够让你大方得体，讨人喜欢呢？

第一句：“恭喜发财！”

发财是每个中国人都非常期待的一件事情。因此，在你跟亲人或者朋友新年见面，说上一句：“新年好！恭喜发财！”，那就是非常加分的。

第二句：“身体健康！”

身体健康是每个人的基本需要，我相信这个在每一个国度都是一样的，身体好是享受世界上美好事物的基础。这句话对老人家来说特别受用。

第三句：“步步高升！”

在中国，上班一族都期待每一年都能够升职加薪，特别是公务员。因此，步步高升对这一类群体是非常吉利的一句话。

第四句：“学业进步！”

学生时代一般都不会太追求发财或者升职，不会都期待今年当组长，明年当班长，而对于认真读书的好学生来说学习进步是他们最高兴的结果。因此，这句话对学生来说非常受用。

第五句：“万事如意！”

这是最通用，一定不会错的话。万事如意就表示祝福每个人心里所想的都能够实现，无论是发财还是升职还是希望身体健康，学习进步，只要他想就能够实现。所以这一句你可以跟任何人说，也是最好的祝福。

另外，在马年新年又有哪些特别的祝福语呢？

中国传统是用干支纪年法，通俗地讲，也就是使用十二生肖来称呼每一个不同的年份，按照鼠牛虎兔龙蛇马羊猴鸡狗猪的顺序排列十二年。今年2026年是马年。

马年又有什么不同的祝福语？

第一：马到功成

这句话就是祝福别人马年做事成功顺利。

第二：车水马龙

“祝你新一年门前客户车水马龙”，这句话适合对开铺面做生意的朋友或者亲戚讲，意思就是祝他新年客如云来，生意兴隆。

第三：龙马精神

这句话形容人的精神矍铄，精力充沛。在实际使用可以这样说“祝你新年龙马精神，万事胜意！”

好了！新年很快就到了，在这里我把所有的祝福都送给你们：

祝你们新的一年，恭喜发财，身体健康，步步高升，学业进步，万事如意，马到功成，客户车水马龙，龙马精神，天天开心！