福福福

For example, Chinese people normally wish their elders to “own happiness as immense as the Eastern Sea” (福如東海) when celebrating their birthdays. In a wedding ceremony, the guests wish for the bride and the groom to “l(fā)ive a happy life” (幸福美滿). Other good wishes include “may the Five Blessings come to your door” (五福臨門), “may both happiness and wealth be yours” (福祿雙全), and “may the Star of Fortune be shining on you” (福星高照). The Chinese love for the character “福 ”is so broad and profound that during the Spring Festival holiday, all the cities, towns, and villages in China are flooded by the torrents of this character.

As you can see, “福 ” now refers to far richer contents than what its structure originally implied, and becomes even more complicated in its ingredients than Western connotations about “happiness.”We know that all of us, regardless of which culture, hold similar hopes toward what we prize in this conflicting world. Anyway, my friend,iwish you all have as much福 as possible, no matter what it means to you.