[Updated Jan 2017]
Other than kung hei fat choy, lai see dou loy 恭喜發財,利是逗來 (may you be prosperous, and hand me a red packet), what else can you whip out to say to your relatives during the Lunar New Year? Here are some popular alternatives, as well as some quirkier ones to say to your hip aunties and uncles in the Year of the Rooster.
1. Best for… grandparents: lung ma jing shen 龍馬精神 (may you be as strong and healthy as a dragon or a horse)
2. Best for… your cool relatives: deem gwor look jeh 掂過碌蔗 (may you be more awesome than a shoot of bamboo)*
*long story — deem in Cantonese can sound like “straight” or “sweet”, so if you’re straighter or sweeter than a shoot of bamboo, you’re doing very well!