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How to Say ‘To have’ in Simplified Chinese

💬 Usage Tip: [有] means “to have/there is.” In blessings it’s about having good things: [有福] (have blessings), [有余] (have surplus).

🇨🇳 In China: Chinese New Year greetings often focus on “having” positives—luck, health, wealth—framed as what the new year will bring.

Word-by-Word Breakdown

[yǒu]

to have; to possess

A very common verb meaning “to have.” In greetings like 年年有余 it means “to have surplus/abundance.”

Example

希望你年年有余,家里有福气。

Hope you have abundance every year and that your home is full of blessings.

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