Quick answer: 恭喜 is the everyday word
恭喜 (gōngxǐ) means congratulations. It is the phrase people actually say out loud when someone gets married, has a baby, passes an exam, gets a promotion or wins something. 恭喜你 (gōngxǐ nǐ) adds “to you”, and 恭喜恭喜 is a common doubled form that sounds warm and slightly celebratory.
祝贺 (zhùhè) also means congratulate, but it belongs to a more formal register. It is the word you write on a card, print on a banner or use in a speech. 表示祝贺 means “to offer congratulations”. If you are speaking to a friend, 恭喜 is the natural choice; if you are writing a formal message, 祝贺 fits better.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 恭喜 | gōngxǐ | Congratulations | Everyday speech; weddings, births, exams, promotions |
| 恭喜你 | gōngxǐ nǐ | Congratulations to you | Direct, one person |
| 恭喜恭喜 | gōngxǐ gōngxǐ | Congratulations (warm) | Doubled for friendliness; very common |
| 祝贺 | zhùhè | Congratulate | Formal writing, cards, speeches, announcements |
| 恭喜发财 | gōngxǐ fācái | Wishing you prosperity | New Year only |
恭喜发财 is a New Year phrase, not a general one
恭喜发财 (gōngxǐ fācái) literally wishes that you become wealthy, and it is bound to Chinese New Year. It is exchanged during the festival, printed on red decorations and said alongside 红包 (hóngbāo, red envelopes). Using it at a wedding, a graduation or a birthday would sound odd, in the way that “Merry Christmas” sounds odd at a summer wedding.
If the occasion is New Year, the broader greeting is 新年快乐 (xīnnián kuàilè, Happy New Year), and 恭喜发财 is the prosperity-specific line that usually follows it.
恭喜 versus 庆祝 versus 祝福
These three are easy to mix up and Chinese speakers do not treat them as synonyms. 恭喜 congratulates someone on something that already happened. 庆祝 (qìngzhù) means to celebrate an event, and it describes the activity rather than the message: 庆祝生日 is to celebrate a birthday. 祝福 (zhùfú) means to give a blessing or good wish for the future, and it does not require anything to have happened yet.
The practical test: if something good just happened, use 恭喜. If you are marking the occasion with an event, use 庆祝. If you are wishing someone well ahead of time, use 祝福.
What to say on specific occasions
For a wedding the standard set includes 新婚快乐 (xīnhūn kuàilè, happy newlywed) and 百年好合 (bǎinián hǎohé, harmony for a hundred years). For a graduation, 恭喜毕业 (gōngxǐ bìyè) is direct and natural. For a promotion, 恭喜升职 or simply 恭喜.
Congratulations on a new baby
For a new baby, speak to the parents rather than addressing the baby. 恭喜 (gōngxǐ) is enough, and a specific line is warmer than a long speech. A safe default is 恭喜你们，宝宝平安出生 (gōngxǐ nǐmen, bǎobǎo píng’ān chūshēng): congratulations, the baby arrived safely.
| Chinese | Pinyin | Meaning | Use and caution |
|---|---|---|---|
| 恭喜你们，宝宝平安出生 | gōngxǐ nǐmen, bǎobǎo píng’ān chūshēng | Congratulations, the baby arrived safely | Neutral; said to the parents after the birth |
| 祝宝宝健康成长 | zhù bǎobǎo jiànkāng chéngzhǎng | Wishing the baby healthy growth | A warm follow-up, not a replacement for 恭喜 |
| 母婴平安 | mǔ yīng píng’ān | Mother and infant are safe | A statement or blessing; use with 恭喜 rather than alone |
| 喜得贵子 | xǐ dé guì zǐ | Joyfully gained a son | Traditional and gender-specific; can sound formal or dated |
| 喜得千金 | xǐ dé qiān jīn | Joyfully gained a daughter | Traditional and gender-specific; pair with 喜得贵子 |
| 辛苦了 | xīnkǔ le | You have worked hard | Kind to the mother or partner; not itself a congratulation |
| 满月快乐 / 百日快乐 | mǎnyuè kuàilè / bǎirì kuàilè | Happy one-month / hundred-day milestone | Use at the milestone, not immediately at birth |
喜得贵子 and 喜得千金 are traditional and gender-specific. They can sound formal, dated or awkward if you do not know the family’s preference. If the baby’s gender is unknown, or you want neutral wording, use 宝宝 (bǎobǎo, baby) instead. 母婴平安 focuses on mother and infant being safe; it is reassuring, but it is not a complete congratulation on its own.
辛苦了 recognises the effort of the mother or partner and can be thoughtful after a birth, but it is not a translation of “congratulations.” Use it together with a real congratulation when appropriate. 满月快乐 and 百日快乐 belong to the one-month and hundred-day milestones, not to the first message after birth.
A safe new-baby message
恭喜你们！宝宝平安出生，太好了。祝宝宝健康成长，也祝妈妈好好休息。
This says: congratulations — the baby arrived safely, that is wonderful. I wish the baby healthy growth, and I hope the mother can rest well.
One cultural note that matters for tone: Chinese congratulations tend to be shorter and more formulaic than English ones. A simple 恭喜 delivered warmly reads as sincere, and an elaborate English-style paragraph can sound heavy. The exception is a written card or a formal message, where 祝贺 plus a specific sentence is normal.
What it does not mean
恭喜 is not a blessing for future luck; it congratulates something that already occurred. It is not a toast — 干杯 (gānbēi) is what you say with a glass. It is not used for condolences or recovery from illness, where 保重 (take care) or 早日康复 (get well soon) belong instead.
Common mistakes
- Using 恭喜发财 outside the New Year period.
- Assuming 恭喜 and 祝贺 are interchangeable; 祝贺 is markedly more formal.
- Saying 庆祝 when you mean to congratulate a person.
- Using 祝福 for something that already happened.
- Writing a long English-style congratulation where a short 恭喜 would land better.