The ox takes over from the rat as the third animal* in a 12-year cycle in the Chinese zodiac in 2022, and is welcomed with hope that things will change. Chinese New Year begins February 1 in 2022, and auspicious language will be the norm from the first till the 15th day of the lunar new year.
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| A wish for lots of business opportunities. 生意兴隆. |
Fortune-related greetings in business settings include:
- 和气生财 (he qi sheng cai), 'wealth arising from harmony',
- 步步高升 (bu bu gao sheng), or 'rising higher with each step taken',
- 财源广进 (cai yuan guang jin), or 'may riches enter in huge volumes', or 财源滚滚 (cai yuan gun gun), 'may riches gush in',
- 东成西就 (dong cheng xi jiu), or 'achievements everywhere, literally from east to west',
- 工作顺利 (gong zuo shun li), 'may your work go smoothly',
- 鸿运当头 (hong yun dang tou), 'may fortune find you',
- 货如轮转 (huo ru lun zhuan), 'may your products sell like hotcakes, as quickly as wheels turn',
- 马到成功 (ma dao cheng gong), 'instant success',
- 年年有余 (nian nian you yu), 'surpluses every year',
- 平步青云 (ping bu qing yun), 'an easy path to a meteoric rise',
- 升官发财 (sheng guan fa cai) 'get a promotion and a raise',
- 生意兴隆 (sheng yi xing long), or 'may the business thrive greatly',
- 事业有成 (shi ye you cheng) 'success in business' , 事业发达 (shi ye fa da) 'a successful business',
- 新年进步 (xin nian jin bu), which means 'making progress in the new year',
- 新年进步 (xin nian jin bu), which means 'making progress in the new year',
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| Statues of tigers grace Singapore's Chinatown in celebration of the year of the tiger. |
Greetings can also involve the animal for the year, such as filling in the blank accordingly for ___年大吉 (___ nian da ji), 'great fortune in the year of the ___', and ___年行大運/___年行大运, (___ nian xing da yun), 'great luck in the year of the ___ as it progresses', depending on which animal whose year it is. 福___ (fu ___), or 'the fortune-bringing ___', can also be used. It is the year of the tiger (虎, hu) this year, of the rabbit (兔, tu) in 2023, and then of the dragon (龙, long) after that.
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| The phrasing for Marigold's Chinese New Year marketing includes a reference to a fortune-bringing tiger, or 福虎 (fu hu)。 |
Puns are common in Chinese when many words sound the same, and brands may pun on positive classical Chinese sayings in their festive marketing** as a result. Some years are more fertile ground than others, however.
2019 featured very few puns on pigs in
Singapore, and 2020 was the same as the rat is often depicted negatively in classical Chinese phrases. 2021 has continued with this trend with just one phrase, 扭转乾坤 (niu zhuan qian kun) or 'a complete change' used, with the word 扭 replaced with the homonym 牛. The year of the tiger looks to be the same.
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| UFC, which makes beverages, created a sleeve for Chinese New Year with a tiger-related pun on it. The traditional saying is 五福临门 (wufu linmen), 'may the five fortunes come to your door', converted into 虎福临门 (hufu linmen) - 'may the fortune of the tiger come to your door'. The word for 'five' and the word for 'tiger' rhyme. |
Some tiger-related sayings are 虎虎生威 (huhu shengwei), 'to be as strong as a tiger', 虎进甘来 (hujin ganlai), 'when the tiger enters, sweetness arrives', and 如虎添翼 (ruhu tianyi), 'like a tiger has wings added', symbolising success that comes quickly. 猫肥家润 (maofei jiarun), 'when the cat is fat, the household works smoothly', is also considered an auspicious tiger year-related saying. Consider 虎步龙行 (hubu longxing) as a wish for someone to moves majestically and stay unbeatable.
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| Giordano's tiger message for the year is 虎虎生威 (huhu shengwei). |
No traditional Chinese New Year banquet in Malaysia and Singapore is complete without a lohei (撈起) ceremony before the meal proper. Loheis are available weeks before Chinese New Year, up to the 15th day, though celebrations have been muted with social distancing rules. In Singapore, for example, diners are asked to toss the salad quietly, while the traditional verbal wishes made as the salad is assembled have been replaced with prerecorded audio.
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| A lohei platter. Each ingredient has an auspicious meaning, including the raw salmon (abundance) in the middle, and the crackers (money). |
A platter of yusheng (鱼生), a raw fish*** salad, is first brought to the
table after which toppings are ceremoniously added individually,
accompanied by auspicious wishes.
Specific ingredients are associated with
specific phrases. The sweet sauce is typically added while saying 甜甜蜜蜜
(tiantian mimi, a wish that life will be sweet) and the fish or seafood
component arranged on the salad while saying 年年有余 because 余 (yu, surplus), sounds like 鱼 (yu, fish).
Once complete, diners toss (lo) the salad with chopsticks while calling out their wishes for the coming year. The higher the salad is raised (hei), the better the luck for the coming year. The ceremony is to be a subdued affair in 2021, with restaurant diners in Singapore to be masked and no auspicious greetings to be said.
If you can't remember too many greetings, don't worry - a simple 'happy new year' is fine. The whole idea is to start off the year right, and it's traditional to hope for fortune, prosperity and success. Just stay away from anything negative. 万事如意 (wan shi ru yi), 'may all things be as you wish'!
Once complete, diners toss (lo) the salad with chopsticks while calling out their wishes for the coming year. The higher the salad is raised (hei), the better the luck for the coming year. The ceremony is to be a subdued affair in 2021, with restaurant diners in Singapore to be masked and no auspicious greetings to be said.
If you can't remember too many greetings, don't worry - a simple 'happy new year' is fine. The whole idea is to start off the year right, and it's traditional to hope for fortune, prosperity and success. Just stay away from anything negative. 万事如意 (wan shi ru yi), 'may all things be as you wish'!
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Fengshui masters typically release forecasts for a new year before Chinese New Year as well. Dato' Joey Yap of The Joey Yap Group and founder of the Mastery Academy of Chinese Metaphysics explains: "A forecast shows you your potential for the year both in terms of opportunities and challenges in the form of positive and negative stars. It’s not a “prediction” in a sense that it WILL come true; rather, you need to do your part in maximising good results while at the same time take precaution against upcoming challenges.
"Through awareness, you can start planning early. You can imagine it to be like knowing the direction of where the wind will blow beforehand so you know when to bide your time or when to set sail. At the end of the day, these forecasts serve to provide clarity for your decision-makings in 2022."
Watch Joey Yap's video about 2022, where he divides people into three categories: unstoppable, awakened, and disruptors.
Hashtags: #CNY, #ChineseNewYear, #JoeyYap, #12Animals, #YearOfTheWaterTiger
*The sequence, according to legend, came down to which 12 animals arrived first in a race to be included in the zodiac. The animals crossed the finishing line in the sequence of rat, ox or cow, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, goat or sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. What everyone also seems to agree on is that the rat took advantage of the ox. It was actually in second place, but jumped off the ox's back to get to the finish line first.
**For 2018, the year of the dog, the word 旺 (wang), which has connotations of abundance and prosperity, was common in festive decor as it sounds similar to the sound a dog makes, 汪 (wang). In 2017, the year of the chicken (鸡, ji), drinks manufacturer Pokka wished everyone 吉祥如意 (ji xiang ru yi) - all the happiness and prosperity that you hope for, but replacing 吉 with 鸡, and 祥 with 翔 (xiang), which means to 'soar' in keeping with the avian theme.
2015 was the year of the goat (or sheep), and there are a few festive greetings that take advantage of how the word for goat, 羊 (yang), is a homonym found in various Chinese idioms. 阳光灿烂 (yang guang can lan) is a wish for bright sunlight or a bright future; 喜气洋洋, converted to 喜气羊羊 (xi qi yang yang) for the year, refers to happiness everywhere; while 羊羊得意, really 洋洋得意 (yang yang de yi), is a wish that the recipient will get whatever he or she wants, in the best way possible.
马到成功 is especially apt in the year of the horse in 2014, as the character for horse, 马, begins the greeting, but it can be used at any other time as well.
**For 2018, the year of the dog, the word 旺 (wang), which has connotations of abundance and prosperity, was common in festive decor as it sounds similar to the sound a dog makes, 汪 (wang). In 2017, the year of the chicken (鸡, ji), drinks manufacturer Pokka wished everyone 吉祥如意 (ji xiang ru yi) - all the happiness and prosperity that you hope for, but replacing 吉 with 鸡, and 祥 with 翔 (xiang), which means to 'soar' in keeping with the avian theme.
2015 was the year of the goat (or sheep), and there are a few festive greetings that take advantage of how the word for goat, 羊 (yang), is a homonym found in various Chinese idioms. 阳光灿烂 (yang guang can lan) is a wish for bright sunlight or a bright future; 喜气洋洋, converted to 喜气羊羊 (xi qi yang yang) for the year, refers to happiness everywhere; while 羊羊得意, really 洋洋得意 (yang yang de yi), is a wish that the recipient will get whatever he or she wants, in the best way possible.
马到成功 is especially apt in the year of the horse in 2014, as the character for horse, 马, begins the greeting, but it can be used at any other time as well.
***Various
chefs have experimented with different takes on the salad. The raw fish
component has been replaced by Wagyu beef slices, smoked salmon, sliced abalone or lobster
for example, while the salad may be replaced by fruit. Fancier toppings
such as gold flakes or caviar have also appeared in recent years.
