We're only a few hours away from the annual Chinese text-message switchboard overload. Just in case you want to contribute your own duǎnxìn 短信 to the 19 billion that will be sent tonight, here are some common options with rough English translations (click on the hanzi for a literal breakdown of what each character means).Nǐ 你 and nín 您 can be interchanged depending how formal you want to be. And you may or may not need a"zhù nǐ/nín" 祝你/您 ("wishing you") before each of these.Special thanks to Sheila at ChineseTeachers.com for helping fill out this list.

Year of the Tiger Messages

zhù nǐ/nín 祝你/您... = Wishing you...

1. hǔ nián kuàilè 虎年快乐 = Happy Year of the Tiger
2. hǔ nián jíxiáng 虎年吉祥 = Have a lucky Year of the Tiger
3. hǔ nián xíng dà yùn 虎年行大运 = May the Year of the Tiger bring you great luck
4. xīhǔ zhù nín hǔ nián wàng 犀虎祝您虎年旺 = May the rhinoceros-tiger bring you a prosperous Year of the Tiger*

Standard New Year's Greetings

1. dà jí dà lì 大吉大利 = Good luck and good profit (see also New Year's puns)
2. gōnghè xīnxǐ 恭贺新喜 = Happy New Year
3. gōngxǐ fācái 恭喜发财 = get rich
4. guò nián hǎo 过年好 = Happy New Year
5. jiā hé wàn shì xīng 家和万事兴 = If the family lives in harmony, all affairs will prosper
6. niánnián gāoshēng 年年高升 = get a promotion every year
7. shēntǐ jiànkāng 身体健康 = have good health
8. shìshì rúyì 事事如意 = everything go according to your wishes
9. shìshì shùnlì 事事順利 = everything go smoothly
10. wànshì rúyì 万事如意 = all your wishes come true
11. xīnnián kuàilè 新年快乐 = Happy New Year
12. xīn xiǎng shì chéng = wishes come true
13. xiàokǒu chángkāi 笑口常开 = always smile

Heart Marathon

Sheila also gave me this as an example of a longer message friends might send to each other. This one features the character for "heart" at the end of every line:

hǔ nián zhùyuàn nín: gōngzuò shūxīn, xīnshuǐ héxīn, bèiwō nuǎnxīn, péngyou zhīxīn, àirén tóngxīn, yíqiè shùnxīn, yǒngyuǎn kāixīn, shìshì chènxīn虎年祝愿您：工作舒心，薪水合心，被窝暖心，朋友知心，爱人同心，一切顺心，永远开心，事事称心！

Here's the breakdown:

hǔ nián zhùyuàn nín 虎年祝愿您... = this Year of the Tiger I wish you...

• gōngzuò shūxīn 工作舒心 = comfortable work
• xīnshuǐ héxīn 薪水合心 = suitable salary
• bèiwō nuǎn xīn 被窝暖心 = warm-hearted bed
• péngyou zhīxīn 朋友知心 = caring friends
• àirén tóngxīn 爱人同心 = harmonious marriage
• yíqiè shùnxīn 一切顺心 = happy everything
• yǒngyuǎn kāixīn 永远开心 = eternal happiness
• shìshì chènxīn 事事称心 = everything satisfactory

Anyone else know any other standard New Year's greetings we can send as text messages? Do share.

*Apparently there are five kinds of tigers in traditional Chinese lore. Here's Sheila's explanation:

五虎给你来拜年，犀虎祝您虎年旺，奶虎愿您体健康，黄虎为您送事业，水虎给您保平安，犛虎伴您游天下。

I think I'll save a more in-depth look at that (and pinyin transcription) for a later post, unless someone else would like to explicate that and give me the link. That would be even better!