Winnie Lui
Last updated:
7 Chinese New Year Songs to Celebrate Lunar New Year 2024 Like a Local
Chinese New Year, locally known as Spring Festival, is one of the biggest holidays in China.
People visit their families and friends, have a reunion feast, light firecrackers and so much more.
And, just as you might sing “Auld Lang Syne” to ring in a new year, Chinese people have their own songs to celebrate the changing year!
Keep reading for seven Chinese New Year songs to learn for 2024—which is the Year of the Wood Dragon, by the way.
These songs will increase your Chinese vocabulary, deepen your cultural knowledge and (of course) impress your native-speaking friends, so let’s get to it.
Contents
- 1. “恭喜恭喜” (gōng xǐ gōng xǐ) — Congratulations
- 2. “新年来到多热闹” (xīn nián lái dào duō rè nào) — How Lively is the New Year
- 3. “新年团圆” (xīn nián tuán yuán) — New Year Reunion
- 4. “年来了” (nián lái le) — Year Has Come
- 5. “好今年更好” (hǎo jīn nián gēng hǎo) — This Year is Better
- 6. 新年好 (xīn nián hǎo) — Happy New Year
- 7. 恭喜发财 (gōng xǐ fā cái) — May You Be Prosperous
- And One More Thing...
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
1. “恭喜恭喜” (gōng xǐ gōng xǐ) — Congratulations
“恭喜恭喜” is a very common and traditional Chinese New Year song. This song reflects the hope and joy of a new year’s start.
The song title is something you’d say to people when they get married, have a child, start a business, etc.
On Chinese New Year, people say “恭喜恭喜” to congratulate each other on the new year. It’s almost the equivalent of saying “Happy New Year!”
Sample Lyrics:
每条大街小巷
(měi tiáo dà jiē xiǎo xiàng)
In every wide street and narrow line
每个人的嘴里
(měi ge rén de zuǐ lǐ)
In everyone’s mouth
见面第一句话
(jiàn miàn dì yī jù huà)
The first sentence
就是恭喜恭喜!
(jiù shì gōng xǐ gōng xǐ)
Is congrats! congrats!
Key Vocabulary:
2. “新年来到多热闹” (xīn nián lái dào duō rè nào) — How Lively is the New Year
“新年来到多热闹” is a more modern song, released in 2013.
It emphasizes the noise and revelry of Chinese New Year and gives us an excellent opportunity to learn lots of Chinese onomatopoeia.
Sample Lyrics:
新年多热闹
(xīn nián duō rè nào)
New Year is such a bustling time
叮叮当，叮叮当
(dīng dīng dāng, dīng dīng dāng)
Ding ding dong
你敲锣来我歌唱
(nǐ qiāo luó lái wǒ gē chàng)
You beat the gong and I’ll sing
歌声嘹亮震四方
(gē shēng liáo liàng zhèn sì fāng)
(Our) voices ring from four directions
Key Vocabulary:
- 叮叮当 (dīng dīng dāng) — ding ding dang, as in the sound of bells or cymbals
- 呯呯嗙 (píng píng pāng) — ping ping pang, as in the sound of firecrackers
- 咚咚呛 (dōng dōng qiāng) — dong dong chang, as in the sound of a gong
3. “新年团圆” (xīn nián tuán yuán) — New Year Reunion
Full Lyrics (in video)
“新年团圆” is an even newer song, released in 2015 by artists Stella Chung and Nick Chung—a brother-sister Mandopop duo from Malaysia.
The song’s name refers to families and loved ones getting together during the Chinese (or Lunar) New Year.
A reunion meal is a key part of the celebrations, similar to how families eat together during Thanksgiving in Western culture.
Sample Lyrics:
新年到
(xīn nián dào)
The new year is here
好运到
(hǎo yùn dào)
Good luck is here
人人展笑颜
(rén rén zhǎn xiào yán)
Everyone has bright smiles
Key Vocabulary:
4. “年来了” (nián lái le) — Year Has Come
“年来了” is a recent song by music group M-Girls, and it’s loaded with interesting Chinese cultural tidbits.
Have you ever wondered why people hang red paper decorations during Chinese New Year? Or why they beat gongs and set off firecrackers?
This song explains a traditional myth about the New Year, in which a monster called 年兽 (nián shòu) needs to be kept away through various customs.
Hanging red on the doorframe, making festive, loud noises and other New Year customs stem from a belief that these things will scare the ghoul away.
Sample Lyrics:
阿公说，年兽怕红春联
(ā gōng shuō, nián shòu pà hóng chūn lián)
Grandpa says the Nian monster is afraid of red paper decorations
阿嫲说，家里要打扫一遍
(ā ma shuō, jiā lǐ yào dǎ sǎo yì biàn)
Grandma says we need to tidy the house
爸爸说，鞭炮要响连天
(bà ba shuō, biān pào yào xiǎng lián tiān)
Dad says we need to set off loud firecrackers
妈妈说，打锣打鼓，年兽就不会再出现
(mā mā shuō, dǎ luó dǎ gǔ, nián shòu jiù bú huì zài chū xiàn)
Mom says, beat the drum and gong so that the Nian monster will not appear again
Key Vocabulary:
- 春联 (chūn lián) — red paper decorations, usually long strips that frame the main entrance
- 打鼓 (dǎ gǔ) — play the drum
- 打扫 (dǎ sǎo) — tidy up
5. “好今年更好” (hǎo jīn nián gēng hǎo) — This Year is Better
Full Lyrics (in video)
“好今年更好” (also by Nick and Stella) is the perfect song for new beginnings and New Year’s resolutions.
The song is called “This Year Is Better” and talks about new starts and moving forward.
Sample Lyrics:
这是一个新的开始
(zhè shì yí ge xīn de kāi shǐ)
This is a new start
这是一个新的诞生
(zhè shì yí ge xīn de dàn shēng)
This is a new birth
新的计划，新的理想，新的发展
(xīn de jì huà, xīn de lǐ xiǎng, xīn de fā zhǎn)
New plans, new ideals, new breakthroughs
Key Vocabulary:
6. 新年好 (xīn nián hǎo) — Happy New Year
Full Lyrics (in video’s description)
“新年好” is a song from late Malaysian singer and actress Queenzy (part of M-Girls above), who was well known for her renditions of various Lunar New Year songs.
This catchy tune talks about many of the holiday’s traditions, including firecrackers, dragon dances and greeting friends and family.
Sample Lyrics:
过新年，人人笑
(guò xīn nián, rén rén xiào)
Celebrating the new year, everyone smiles
见面说声新年好，新年好
(jiàn miàn shuō shēng xīn nián hǎo, xīn nián hǎo)
And says Happy New Year! Happy New Year! when we meet
快乐的新年多热闹
(kuài lè de xīn nián duō rè nào)
The happy new year is so lively
无论男女和老少
(wú lùn nán nǚ hé lǎo shào)
For men and women, young and old
Key Vocabulary:
- 过 (guò) — to pass, to celebrate
- 收成好 (shōu chéng hǎo) — good harvest
- 家家户户 (jiā jiā hù hù) — every family, every household
7. 恭喜发财 (gōng xǐ fā cái) — May You Be Prosperous
From Andy Lau, this song’s title literally wishes others to be happy and prosperous, but it’s also a popular phrase that essentially means “Happy New Year” (particularly in Cantonese). You can use it as a Chinese New Year greeting yourself!
“恭喜发财” is full of well wishes, in fact: for couples to be together, for children to be smart, for the health and success of various family members and many other things that come with a new year.
Sample Lyrics:
最好的请过来
(zuì hǎo de qǐng guò lái)
The best (things) please come
不好的请走开
(bù hǎo de qǐng zǒu kāi)
Bad (things) please go away
礼多人不怪
(lǐ duō rén bù guài)
Courtesy costs nothing
Key Vocabulary:
- 发财 (fā cái) — get rich, make a fortune
- 精彩 (jīng cǎi) — wonderful
- 礼多人不怪 (lǐ duō rén bù guài) — [common saying] it’s okay to give gifts to many people (lit. When there are many gifts, people don’t complain)
Songs are just one of the many creative ways you can immerse yourself in the Chinese language and culture. You can find more songs (and hundreds of other videos) on the FluentU program, with subtitles and other learning tools.
The melodies and rhythms of songs help our brains to store linguistic information, making music an excellent language-learning resource.
So this Spring Festival, you can enjoy Chinese New Year songs just like the locals as you prepare for your best year yet!
Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)
And One More Thing...
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