Gong Xi Gong Xi

Introduction

"Gong Xi Gong Xi" (Chinese: 恭喜恭喜; pinyin: Gōngxǐ gōngxǐ; literally: '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".

The music and words of the song are both by Chen Gexin (under the pen name Qing Yu) and 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 musicperformances 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

每条大街小巷
每个人的嘴里
见面第一句话
就是恭喜恭喜
恭喜恭喜恭喜你呀
恭喜恭喜恭喜你
冬天已经过去
真是好的消息
温暖的春风
就要吹醒了大地
恭喜恭喜恭喜你呀
恭喜恭喜恭喜你
恭喜恭喜恭喜你呀
恭喜恭喜恭喜你
浩浩冰雪融解
眼看梅花吐蕊
漫漫长夜过去
听到一声鸡啼
恭喜恭喜恭喜你呀
恭喜恭喜恭喜你
经过多少困难
历经多少磨练
多少心儿盼望
春天的消息
恭喜恭喜恭喜你呀
恭喜恭喜恭喜你
恭喜恭喜恭喜你呀
恭喜恭喜恭喜你