How to Say ‘'Fu' upside down means luck has arrived.’ in Simplified Chinese
福倒了，就是福到了嘛。
fú dào le jiù shì fú dào le ma
[fú dào le jiù shir fú dào le ma]
🇨🇳 In China: Sound-alike puns drive many New Year customs. Fish, called 鱼 (yú), is eaten because it sounds like 余 "surplus".
Phrase Breakdown
福倒了，
fú dào le
the 'fu' is upside down,
倒 means 'upside down'. Pause briefly at the comma.
福倒了，真有意思。
The 'fu' is upside down, how interesting.
Words in this phrase
福
fú
[fú]
good fortune; blessing
Luck and happiness; here the posted character.
大家都希望有福。
Everyone hopes for good fortune.
倒
dào
[dào]
upside down; inverted
Turned the wrong way up; sounds like 到 'to arrive', a New Year pun.
杯子倒了。
The cup is upside down.
了
le
[le]
change-of-state particle
Used with 快…了 to show something is about to happen.
火车快来了。
The train is about to arrive.
就是福到了嘛。
jiù shì fú dào le ma
which means good fortune has arrived.
This is the pun: 倒 and 到 are both pronounced dào. 嘛 makes the explanation sound obvious.
这就是福到了嘛。
This just means good fortune has arrived.
Words in this phrase
就
jiù
[jiù]
just, precisely
Indicating something is exactly or just as stated.
剑就是人的延伸。
The sword is an extension of the person.
是
shì
[shir]
to be
The verb “to be,” used to identify or describe a situation.
你是第一次来，所以我给你介绍一下。
Since it’s your first time here, I’ll introduce things to you.
福
fú
[fú]
good fortune; blessing
Luck and happiness.
新年福到家。
Fortune comes home at New Year.
到
dào
[dào]
to arrive
A verb meaning to reach or get to a place.
客人六点到。
The guests arrive at six.
了
le
[le]
change-of-state particle
Used with 快…了 to show something is about to happen.
火车快来了。
The train is about to arrive.
嘛
ma
[ma]
particle (obviousness, playful)
Ending particle showing something is evident, teasing tone.
你很会说话嘛。
You sure know how to talk.
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