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Life | Food & Drink

Auspicious Chinese sayings for lo hei at every step

The Lunar New Year tradition of tossing Yu Sheng is said to bring good luck and wealth. Here are some auspicious Chinese phrases to say besides "Huat ah!"

By Sean Tan - 

auspicious sayings lohei yusheng
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Let's get real: The fun part about eating yusheng is the prosperity toss, or what we call lo hei. That's when we gather round the table with our loved ones and have a hand in preparing our food by adding and tossing the ingredients of yusheng while uttering well wishes for one another, all in the name of being auspicious.

However, more often than not, we find ourselves stumped by what to say, with the addition of each ingredient. Did you know that there are at least 16 traditional auspicious sayings for lo hei, besides "huat ah!"?

Here's the definitive guide to what to say at each step.

1. Arrange raw fish slices: Nian Nian You Yu

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1/16

Meaning: Prosperity every year!

2. Add dried orange peel: Da Ji Da Li

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2/16

Meaning: Good luck and prosperity!

3. Add pepper and seasoning powders: Zhao Cai Jin Bao

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3/16

Meaning: Incoming wealth!

4. Drizzle oil: Yi Ben Wan Li

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4/16

Meaning: May you make a thousand-fold profit from your investment!

5. Drizzle oil: Cai Yuan Guang Jin

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5/16

Meaning: May money pour in from all directions!

6. Add carrots: Hong Yun Dang Tou

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6/16

Meaning: May opportunity strike you!

7. Add green radish: Qing Chun Chang Zhu

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7/16

Meaning: Stay young forever!

8. Add white radish: Bu Bu Gao Sheng

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8/16

Meaning: May you rise higher with each step!

9. Add cabbage: Feng Sheng Shui Qi

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9/16

Meaning: May you have success and promotion at work!

10. Sprinkle chopped peanuts: Jing Yin Man Wu

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10/16

Meaning: May your house be full of gold and silver!

11. Sprinkle sesame seeds: Sheng Yi Xing Long

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11/16

Meaning: Prosperity for your business!

12. Scatter crackers (golden pillows): Man Di Huang Jing

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12/16

Meaning: May your floor be splashed full of gold!

13. Pour plum sauce: Tian Tian Mi Mi

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13/16

Meaning: May your life be sweet!

14. Toss yusheng: Wan Shi Ru Yi

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14/16

Meaning: May everything be good and smooth!
Say This: As you start to toss the Yu Sheng.

15. Toss yusheng: Sheng Ti Jian Kang

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15/16

Meaning: May your body stay strong and healthy!

16. Toss yusheng: Gong Xi Fa Cai

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16/16

Meaning: Wishing everyone great wealth!

This story was originally published in The Singapore Women's Weekly.

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