How to Say ‘For good luck.’ in Traditional Chinese
討個吉利。
💬 Usage Tip: Literally “ask for a bit of auspiciousness.” Often said with a light, joking tone to make things friendly.
🇹🇼 In Taiwan: Common when receiving a small gift, candy, or symbolic amount of money—meaning “just doing it for luck,” not the value.
Word-by-Word Breakdown
討
[tǎo]
to seek; to try to get (for a good result)
Used here in a polite, cultural sense: doing/saying something “for good luck.”
我跟你說聲恭喜發財，討個吉利。
I’ll say “Wishing you prosperity” to you—just for good luck.
個
[gè]
(measure word) one; a; some
A very common measure word. In “討個吉利,” it means “seek a bit of auspiciousness / for luck.”
過年多說幾句吉祥話，討個吉利。
Say a few more auspicious phrases during New Year—just for good luck.
吉利
[jí lì]
auspicious; lucky
In this set phrase, it refers to an auspicious sign/feeling—saying it is like “for luck.”
紅包給你，大家討個吉利。
Here’s a red envelope for you—let’s all take it as a lucky gesture.
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