Happy Chinese New Year

ozuncle · Post by **ozuncle** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 2:32 pm

Happy Chines New Year to all.
avagoodweekend

Post by **Randy Cornhole** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 3:32 pm

A happy Chines new year to you as well. Oh and a happy Chinese one as well.

Post by **Vital Spark** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 4:09 pm

Sin Chia You Eee - just remember to get your dogs inside the house before sunrise, so that they don't get terrified by the fire crackers.
Most (if not all) of the people in our village are 100% Thai, but, of course, still celebrate the Chinese New Year. We asked our landlady why she celebrated Chinese New Year (she's 100% Thai) and she replied 'Because the Chinese might be right'. Can't argue with that...

V.S.

Post by **PeteC** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 4:55 pm

Vital Spark wrote:Sin Chia You Eee
V.S.

What dialect is that? Gung Hay Fat Choi is Cantonese. Pete

Post by **Vital Spark** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 5:29 pm

I thought it was Cantonese - but I really don't know. The students learning Chinese taught me this phrase. They always come back with 'Sin Nee Huat Chai' after the first bit. I think it means may you make lots of money, have many baby boys, win the lottery and live until you're 105 or so...

Post by **PeteC** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 6:53 pm

If they were learning Chinese it's probably Mandarin. That's really the national dialect. Pete

Post by **big jimmy** » Fri Feb 16, 2007 10:44 pm

The correct pronounciation is "kung Hei fat Choi "..it means happy new year in cantonese...and the tradition is to give a red licee packet which has money in it...so when you meet someone who serves you all year ( concierge, security guard, cleaner, domestic helper ) you have to give them a red packet...so you say "kung hei fat choi "...and they say '"licee dola '..whuch means ..give me money..........it took me a long time to accept this..but its the chinese culture...so I accept it.....

Post by **The understudy** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 10:44 am

A Happy Chinese New Year for you too ozuncle

May this year of the Golden Pig be prosperous for all of you Man and Woman in Hua Hin and the entire expat community.
Sim Jia Yu Ei, Sin Nie Huad Chai, (Mandarin).
To my very best friend in Hua Hin who sits behind desk every night @ Hua Hin Book almost @ the end of the 1st part of the night market.

Post by **lambella** » Sat Feb 17, 2007 11:57 pm

Happy Chinese New Year to you all.
I dined out to celebrate and received a satsuma and a little red envelope with a 25 satang coin in it. So, I'll have a lucky year!

Post by **sonmic** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:55 pm

a bit belated but a Happy Chinese NY to everybody!

In Mandarin Chinese it is actually Gong Xi Fa Cai! And not all that other nonsense sprouted earlier. Ask any Mandarin speaker..

Post by **Vital Spark** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 11:02 pm

Oh, really? A (hopefully) Happy New Year to you to. So why does a Chinese teacher, a colleague, understand Sin Chia Yew Eee (spelt phonetically, and approximately!)?

Me thinks that you are getting Mandarin and Cantonese fuddled up. The Understudy understands Mandarin, and Big Jimmy's well into Cantonese.

Writing any language phonetically is extremely difficult, and the Chinese language is one of the the most difficult. The 'x' can possibly be a 'j' sound or a 'ch' sound. I have some students who are Chantima and Jantima here in Thailand - same sound, different transliteration.

I don't really think that we're 'sprouting nonsense', just spreading goodwill, as best we can...

Post by **Winkie** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 10:17 am

Gong Xi Fa Cai is Mandarin.

Kong Hei Fat Choi is Cantonese.

The other phrases may well be Mandarin, or Cantonese. I'm sure we all know how ot wish each other in our language in many different ways.

Alternatively, they could be one of 2 or 300 other Chinese Dialects.

Just for your info, a Cantonese Speaker from Singapore finds its quite difficult to communicate with a Cantonese Speaker in Hong Kong.

Post by **seasider** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 1:42 pm

Winkie wrote:Gong Xi Fa Cai is Mandarin.

Kong Hei Fat Choi is Cantonese.

The other phrases may well be Mandarin, or Cantonese. I'm sure we all know how ot wish each other in our language in many different ways.

Alternatively, they could be one of 2 or 300 other Chinese Dialects.

Just for your info, a Cantonese Speaker from Singapore finds its quite difficult to communicate with a Cantonese Speaker in Hong Kong.

Well you are all right!!

Gong Xi Fa Kai is Mandarin

Kung Hei Fat Choi is Cantonese and means (as literally as you can get) Like to Make Money.

San Chun Yew Eee is also Cantonese and is also used as a CNY greeting and means New Year what you wish or most approximately in English Hope all your wishes come true in the New Year (Literally New Spring).

Kung Hei Fat Choi is the one used to elicit the red packet (Laisee)

SS

Post by **sonmic** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:19 pm

vital spark, did not want to get anybody´s hackles up. Just wanted to help up clarify s.th very simple to me as I lived in Being for five years.

Please do not interprete my perhaps unfortunately chosen words as unfriendly...

Post by **sonmic** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 6:20 pm

I mean Beijing...