Happy New Year 2024! I would like to talk about some expressions about the word new in the New Year's Day. Listen to my podcast here:

New in Chinese is 新(xīn). So new year is 新年(xīnnián).

When you meet a Chinese people on the new year’s day, definitely you can say 新年(xīnnián)快乐(kuàilè) or 新年(xīnnián)好(hǎo) which means happy new year. There are more expressions that you can use.

Xīnnián xīn qìxiàng

新年新气象

In a new year, everything will be renewed and things will take on a new look.

气象(qìxiàng) means atmosphere, 新气象(xīnqìxiàng) have a new atmosphere, in a new look.

Xīwàng nǐ xīnnián yǒu gè xīn qìxiàng!

希望你新年有个新气象！

This phrase is often used in New Year's greetings to wish people good luck and good development in all things in the New Year.

There is another 4 character idiom 四字成语(sìzìchéngyǔ) in Chinese language has a similar meaning with 新年新气象(xīnniánxīnqìxiàng) . That is:

Wànxiàng gēngxīn

万象更新

万(wàn) is 10 thousand, which just refers to a lot. 象(xiàng) is 气象(qìxiàng) atmosphere. 更新(gēngxīn)means renew or update. So 万象更新(wànxiànggēngxīn) means everything takes on a new look. So it's also a very good New Year wish.

I think a lot of people will decorate their house during Christmas and New Year. So this 4 character idiom 四字成语(sìzìchéngyǔ) will be very useful.

zhuāngdiǎnyìxīn)

装点一新

to decorate or dress up a new look and be refreshing

Xīnnián le, wǒ bǎ jiālǐ zhuāngdiǎn yìxīn, dàjiā kàn le dōu juéde huànrán yìxīn.

新年了，我把家里装点一新，大家看了都觉得焕然一新。

It's the New Year and I've decorated my home so that everyone looks at it and feels refreshed.

huànrányìxīn

焕然一新

to acquire a completely new look

焕然(huànrán) is a bright and shiny look. It can be used for someone or something’s phyical appearance, but also can use for someone’s mental outlook and attitude.

2024nián, wǒ yào rènzhēn xuéxí, nǔlì duànliàn, zuò yí gè huànrán yìxīn de zìjǐ!

2024年，我要认真学习，努力锻炼，做一个焕然一新的自己！

In 2024, I'm going to study hard, work out hard, and be a refreshed version of myself!

This is probably a New Year's resolution that many people made but never stick to it. So a new year resolution in Chinese is 新年计划(xīnniánjìhuà). But there is another popular saying online in China for those goals you set or resolution you made that you never stick to.

Lì flag

立flag

立(lì)means to set. Like you can say 立(lì)一个(yígè)小(xiǎo)目标(mùbiāo) set a little goal. It’s quite funny that we use the English word flag but with a different meaning in Chinese. So the flag here means the goal or resolution that you won’t achieve. So setting a goal that is hard or likely to fail you can say 立(lì)flag. And when your goal is failed, you can say flag倒了(dǎole). The flag has fallen down means the goal has failed.

Wǒ qùnián lì de flag shì yào xuéhuì zìyóuyǒng, dànshì xiànzài wǒ de flag dǎole.

我去年立的flag是要学会自由泳，但是现在我的flag倒了。

My New Year resolution for 2023 was to learn freestyle swimming or front crawl, but now my plan has failed. I don’t have enough time to practise. I can only do breaststroke for swimming now.

Suǒyǐ xīn de yìnián, wǒ xīwàng nǐ kěyǐ lì yígè kěyǐ shíxiàn de xīnnián jìhuà, ér búshì lì flag.

所以新的一年，我希望你可以立一个可以实现的新年计划，而不是立flag。

So for the New Year, I hope you can make an achievable New Year's plan instead of setting something you will never stick to.

And if your New Year's resolution is to improve your Chinese, we can definitely help. Our 12 weeks online general graded Chinese course, Business Chinese course, Chinese for international trade and Chinese course for kids are all on a new year's sale now! Book a course that you like and start your journey to fluency in Chinese in 2024!

Wish you a happy new year! 新年快乐(xīnniánkuàilè)！