Chinese word

拜年

Pronunciation

Pinyinbài nián

Meaning

  • verbgive New Year's greetings

Example

春节我去爷爷奶奶家拜年。chūn jié wǒ qù yé yé nái nǎi jiā bài nián

During the Spring Festival, I go to my grandparents' home to give them New Year's greetings.

Illustration for 拜年 (give New Year's greetings)

More examples

今年我给爸妈打电话拜年。jīn nián wǒ gěi bà mā dǎ diàn huà bài nián

This year, I will call my parents to give them New Year's greetings.

Core concept

New Year goodwill carried to family, friends, or elders through personal contact.

Common phrases

  • 给长辈拜年gěi zhǎng bèi bài nián

    give New Year's greetings to elders

  • 去亲友家拜年qù qīn yǒu jiā bài nián

    go to relatives' and friends' homes to give New Year's greetings

  • 互相拜年hù xiāng bài nián

    exchange New Year's greetings

Similar words

问候wèn hòu: Greeting someone while showing concern for their well-being.
祝福zhù fú: Expressing wishes for someone's happiness and other good things.
拜访bài fǎng: Visiting someone's home or workplace to meet them in person.
祝贺zhù hè: Offering congratulations on someone's happy event.

Definition in Chinese

向亲友或长辈在新年时表达祝福的行为，既可通过拜访，也可用电话或短信等方式表示。xiàng qīn yǒu huò zhǎng bèi zài xīn nián shí biǎo dá zhù fú de xíng wéi jì kě tōng guò bài fǎng yě kě yòng diàn huà huò duǎn xìn děng fāng shì biǎo shì

Word origin

拜 (bài, "pay respects") + 年 (nián, "year") names the custom of paying respects at the start of the year, which later extends beyond visits to other forms of greeting.

Usage tips

  • An English speaker may picture a doorstep visit, but Mandarin also uses this verb for a New Year greeting sent by phone or message.

Other meanings

  • New Year's visitnoun

Opposites

Related words

  • 拜年词bài nián cíNew Year's greeting phrasenoun
  • 拜年短信bài nián duǎn xìnNew Year's greeting text messagenoun

Word lists with this word