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吉祥如意

English translation: May all your dreams come true

16:50 Apr 26, 2009

Chinese to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Philosophy / Painting and teapot inscription

Chinese term or phrase: 吉祥如意

No guessing! Definitive answers only! No 2 answers, only 1! No maybes!

I'm confused enough, because it seems to mean "lucky + as you wish". But just as easily those first couple characters could mean "good" and "happy" and the last couple "if" and "idea, thought, opinion". The last two were also translated as "matches your wish".

Well, to me thinking and wishing are two VERY different things. That's why I don't like guessing. Also, luck and god and happy are three VERY different concepts. So which one is it and why did you decide to choose, what you chose? Basically, if there's so much freedom in translating, then how does a native Chinese know, how to decide, what this really means? For example, he must have gotten some clue from his parents or teachers, as he grew up that while these characters can mean a lot of things, but if the context is this or if it's in combination with that other character, then it would mean only this, nothing else. See, it's this kind of elimination that I need. A translation choice with certainty.

By the way, I'm just guessing, but because this phrase is used so widely everywhere, I think, it must have come from some Chinese philosopher and knowing that philosopher's way of thinking makes it perhaps clear. I don't know.

Thanks!

bochkor
United States

English translation:May all your dreams come true

Explanation:
This would be my translation of it.

Selected response from:

Aaron Gilkison
United States
Local time: 16:05

Grading comment

Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

4 +2

May all your dreams come true

Aaron Gilkison

Wish you luck and may your wishes/dreams come true

annhyw

May everything go according to your desire!

Xiaohong Zhou

Summary of reference entries provided

成语

Aaron Gilkison

Answers

27 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

May all your dreams come true

Explanation:
This would be my translation of it.

Aaron Gilkison
United States
Local time: 16:05
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4

Grading comment

Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

2 days6 hrs confidence:

May everything go according to your desire!

Explanation:
It is an auspicious term that people express to one another at holidays or in letters.

Xiaohong Zhou
United States
Local time: 16:05
Native speaker of:

Chinese

5 days confidence:

Wish you luck and may your wishes/dreams come true

Explanation:
I agree with previous answers such as "may everything go according to your desire" and "may your dreams come true." However, in my opinion, those two phrases only catch the meaning of "如意" but not "吉祥". Therefore, I would add something like "wish you luck" for the meaning of "吉祥". (Similar explanation can also be found on "Dr. eye" which translates 吉祥如意 as "good luck and happiness to you")

annhyw
Belgium
Local time: 22:05
Native speaker of:

Chinese

Reference comments

23 mins peer agreement (net): +1

Reference: 成语

Reference information:
This is a commonly-used 成语. Here is one of the literary sources given in 新华成语词典. Hope this helps you get a "definitive" answer.

Definition: 诸事吉利,合了自己的心愿.

北齐 - 张成: "为亡父母敬造观音像一区,合家大小口人等供养,吉祥如意."

And this one is funny: 浩然 "吉是吉祥如意的吉,不是鸡鸭的鸡."

Good luck.

Aaron Gilkison
United States
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 4