Gong Xi Gong Xi
"Gong Xi Gong Xi" (Chinese: 恭喜恭喜; pinyin: Gōngxǐ gōngxǐ; lit. 'congratulations, congratulations') is a popular Mandarin Chinese song and a Chinese Lunar New Year standard. Other English titles for the song include "Congratulations" and "Happiness To You".
History
The music and words of the song are both by Chen Gexin (under the pen name Qing Yu). It was written in Shanghai in 1945 to celebrate the defeat of Japan and liberation of China at the end of the Second Sino-Japanese War (World War II). The final lines of this song replicate the typical beat of the Chinese drum. An early popular recording of the song was by Yao Lee and her brother Yao Min.
Because its Mandarin title is also a common Lunar New Year greeting and the song celebrates the arrival of spring, it quickly became associated almost exclusively with New Year celebrations and remains a part of the season's musical canon. Contemporary versions of the song frequently appear on Chinese New Year musical collection albums, sometimes as electronic dance music performances and occasionally also feature lyrics in Taiwanese Hokkien and even English.
A more modern rendition of the song appeared on the 2002 China Dolls album 多一點點 – 小調大風行. This song was included in the Pink Martini Christmas album Joy to the World released in 2010, under the title "Congratulations - A Happy New Year Song" with vocals by China Forbes and Timothy Yuji Nishimoto.
Lyrics
| Chinese lyrics | Hanyu Pinyin | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
每条大街小巷， |
měitiáo dà jiē xiǎo xiàng, |
On every street and in every lane, |
冬天已到尽头 |
dong tian yi dao jin tou, |
|
浩浩冰雪融解, |
hao hao bing xue rong jie, |
|
经过多少困难, |
jing guo duo shao kun nan, |