dà jí dà lì: 大吉大利 - Great Luck and Great Profit; Very Auspicious

• Keywords: 大吉大利, da ji da li, Chinese good luck, auspicious Chinese phrase, Chinese blessing, Chinese New Year greeting, what does da ji da li mean, PUBG Chinese phrase, Winner Winner Chicken Dinner Chinese
• Summary: 大吉大利 (dà jí dà lì) is a popular and powerful Chinese blessing that wishes someone “great luck and great profit.” It's a cornerstone of good wishes for significant events like Chinese New Year, business openings, or new beginnings. In modern culture, its fame has exploded globally thanks to the video game PUBG, where it appears as the Chinese equivalent of “Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!”, forever linking this traditional phrase with the thrill of victory.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): dà jí dà lì
• Part of Speech: Idiomatic Expression / Blessing
• HSK Level: N/A
• Concise Definition: To have great luck and achieve great success and profit.
• In a Nutshell: 大吉大利 is a four-character powerhouse of positivity. It's used to wish someone the best possible fortune, covering both abstract luck (吉, jí) and tangible prosperity or benefit (利, lì). Think of it as an upgraded “good luck” that also wishes you wealth and smooth success in your endeavors. It's a sincere hope that everything will turn out not just well, but fantastically and profitably.

• 大 (dà): Big, great, grand. This character is repeated to add emphasis, wishing not just luck, but great luck.
• 吉 (jí): Auspicious, lucky, good fortune. This character represents all things positive and fortunate. It’s the kind of luck that makes things go smoothly and wards off trouble.
• 利 (lì): Benefit, profit, advantage. This character adds a material dimension to the blessing. It originally depicted a sharp knife cutting grain, symbolizing a harvest or gain. It’s the wish for a tangible, positive outcome.

The structure is simple and powerful: “Great Luck, Great Profit.” By combining spiritual good fortune (吉) with material gain (利), the phrase covers all bases for a successful and happy life, making it a comprehensive and cherished blessing.

大吉大利 is deeply embedded in the Chinese cultural emphasis on auspiciousness and prosperity. In Chinese culture, starting a new venture—be it a new year, a new business, or a marriage—on a positive and lucky note is considered crucial for future success. This phrase is a verbal tool to bestow that positive energy.

• Comparison to a Western Concept: Compare 大吉大利 to the English phrase “Good luck.” While both are well-wishes, “Good luck” is often casual and general. You can say it for almost anything. 大吉大利, however, is more potent and typically reserved for more significant occasions. It carries a much stronger and more explicit wish for prosperity and profit (利), a component often absent in standard Western well-wishes. It reflects a cultural perspective where spiritual luck and material success are seen as interconnected and equally desirable outcomes.
• Related Values: The phrase reflects the pragmatic value placed on well-being, which includes both spiritual harmony and material security for one's family and business. It's a verbal embodiment of the wish for `福 (fú)`, or all-encompassing good fortune.

This phrase is far from being an ancient relic; it's vibrant and widely used today.

• Festivals and Celebrations: It is a go-to greeting during Chinese New Year, often said while exchanging `红包 (hóngbāo)`. It's also appropriate for weddings, birthdays (especially for elders), and housewarming parties.
• Business Contexts: It's frequently used at the grand opening of a new store or company (`开业大吉 kāiyè dàjí` - “Great luck on your opening”). Business partners might say it to each other before signing a major deal.
• The “Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner” Phenomenon:

The phrase gained international fame from the Chinese version of the video game PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG). When a player wins a match, the victory screen displays: “大吉大利，晚上吃鸡!” (dà jí dà lì, wǎnshang chī jī!). This translates to “Great luck and great profit, tonight we eat chicken!” This clever localization links the thrill of winning to the traditional blessing, introducing 大吉大利 to a massive global audience of gamers.

• Example 1: (Chinese New Year Greeting)
  • 祝您新的一年大吉大利，万事如意！
  • Pinyin: Zhù nín xīn de yī nián dà jí dà lì, wànshì rúyì!
  • English: Wishing you great luck and great profit and that all your wishes come true in the new year!
  • Analysis: A classic, respectful New Year's blessing. `您 (nín)` makes it polite. It's often paired with other auspicious phrases like `万事如意 (wànshì rúyì)`.
• Example 2: (For a New Business)
  • 恭喜你的店今天开业！祝你生意兴隆，大吉大利！
  • Pinyin: Gōngxǐ nǐ de diàn jīntiān kāiyè! Zhù nǐ shēngyì xīnglóng, dà jí dà lì!
  • English: Congratulations on your store opening today! I wish you a prosperous business, with great luck and great profit!
  • Analysis: Perfect for a friend or colleague starting a business. It directly wishes for financial success.
• Example 3: (The PUBG Victory Line)
  • 大吉大利，晚上吃鸡！
  • Pinyin: Dà jí dà lì, wǎnshang chī jī!
  • English: Winner winner, chicken dinner! (Literally: Great luck and great profit, tonight we eat chicken!)
  • Analysis: This is the phrase that made 大吉大利 famous in the gaming world. `吃鸡 (chī jī)` has now become modern slang for “winning” in a game or competition.
• Example 4: (Giving a Red Envelope)
  • 这是给你的红包，祝你学业进步，大吉大利！
  • Pinyin: Zhè shì gěi nǐ de hóngbāo, zhù nǐ xuéyè jìnbù, dà jí dà lì!
  • English: Here is a red envelope for you, I wish you progress in your studies and great luck and fortune!
  • Analysis: When giving a `红包 (hóngbāo)`, you almost always pair it with a blessing. This is a perfect example.
• Example 5: (Before an important event)
  • 明天你就要高考了，希望你大吉大利，考个好成绩。
  • Pinyin: Míngtiān nǐ jiù yào gāokǎo le, xīwàng nǐ dà jí dà lì, kǎo ge hǎo chéngjì.
  • English: You have the college entrance exam tomorrow. I hope everything goes auspiciously for you and you get a good score.
  • Analysis: Used here to wish for a smooth and successful outcome in a high-stakes situation like a major exam.
• Example 6: (As a standalone wish)
  • A: 我下周要去面试一份很重要工作。 (Wǒ xià zhōu yào qù miànshì yī fèn hěn zhòngyào de gōngzuò.) - I have an interview for a very important job next week.
  • B: 大吉大利！ ( Dà jí dà lì!) - Wishing you the best of luck and success!
  • Analysis: It can be used as a standalone response to someone's news about a significant upcoming event.
• Example 7: (In a text message)
  • 听说你买新车了，大吉大利啊！出行平安！
  • Pinyin: Tīngshuō nǐ mǎi xīn chē le, dà jí dà lì a! Chūxíng píng'ān!
  • English: I heard you bought a new car, that's great! May it bring you good fortune! Travel safely!
  • Analysis: `啊 (a)` at the end makes the tone more friendly and conversational, suitable for a text message.
• Example 8: (Before a long journey)
  • 这次出差要一路顺风，大吉大利！
  • Pinyin: Zhè cì chūchāi yào yīlù shùnfēng, dà jí dà lì!
  • English: Have a smooth journey on this business trip, and may it be very successful!
  • Analysis: Here, the “profit” (利) aspect implies hoping the business trip yields good results.
• Example 9: (After drawing a good fortune stick)
  • 我在寺庙里抽到了一支上上签，真是大吉大利！
  • Pinyin: Wǒ zài sìmiào lǐ chōu dào le yī zhī shàngshàng qiān, zhēnshi dà jí dà lì!
  • English: I drew a top-tier fortune stick at the temple, it's truly a sign of great luck and fortune!
  • Analysis: This shows the phrase used to describe a situation that is already auspicious, not just as a wish for the future.
• Example 10: (For a new home)
  • 搬新家，大吉大利！
  • Pinyin: Bān xīn jiā, dà jí dà lì!
  • English: Moving into a new home, wishing you great luck and prosperity!
  • Analysis: A short, powerful, and common blessing for a housewarming. It wishes for the family to have a fortunate life in their new place.

• Not for Minor Events: A common mistake is using 大吉大利 too casually. You wouldn't say it to someone about to take a short quiz or make a cup of coffee. It’s for significant life events, ventures, or holidays. Using it for something trivial can sound strange or sarcastic.
  • Incorrect: 你要去买菜吗？大吉大利！(Nǐ yào qù mǎi cài ma? Dà jí dà lì!) - “You're going grocery shopping? Great luck and great profit!” This is awkward.
  • Correct: 你要开新公司了？祝你大吉大利！(Nǐ yào kāi xīn gōngsī le? Zhù nǐ dà jí dà lì!) - “You're opening a new company? Wishing you great luck and great profit!”
• It's a Blessing, Not a Greeting: Don't confuse 大吉大利 with “hello” or “how are you?”. It's a specific blessing delivered at an appropriate moment. You don't start a conversation with it unless the context is immediately obvious (like at a New Year's party).
• “False Friend” with “Good Luck”: While related, it is not a direct 1-to-1 translation of “Good luck.” 大吉大利 is stronger, more formal, and carries a specific connotation of profit and tangible success that “Good luck” lacks. For a simple “good luck,” the word `好运 (hǎoyùn)` is a closer and more casual equivalent.

• 恭喜发财 (gōngxǐ fācái) - The most famous Chinese New Year greeting, specifically wishing for wealth and prosperity.
• 万事如意 (wànshì rúyì) - “May 10,000 things go as you wish.” A very common and broad blessing for overall happiness.
• 吉祥如意 (jíxiáng rúyì) - “Auspicious and according to your wishes.” A synonym that also uses the character 吉 (jí).
• 一帆风顺 (yīfān fēngshùn) - “Smooth sailing.” A blessing used to wish someone an easy time on a journey or with a project.
• 开业大吉 (kāiyè dàjí) - “Great luck on your opening.” A specific version of the phrase used for new businesses.
• 心想事成 (xīnxiǎng shìchéng) - “May your heart's desires become reality.” A wish for personal dreams to come true.
• 红包 (hóngbāo) - The red envelopes used to give money during holidays and special occasions, often adorned with phrases like 大吉大利.
• 吃鸡 (chī jī) - “To eat chicken.” Modern slang, born from PUBG, for “winning” or being number one, directly linked to 大吉大利.