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万事大吉 (wàn shì dà jí) — everything is fine; all is well; everything goes smoothly

Definition

A set idiom used to wish that everything will turn out perfectly well — common in greetings (e.g. 新年万事大吉) and in reassuring statements. It is not used to describe an ongoing situation, only to express a wish or a confident prediction of success.

idiom
everything is fineall is welleverything goes smoothly

Examples

  • 万事大吉，！
    Zhù nǐ xīn nián wàn shì dà jí, hé jiā xìng fú!
    Wishing you a happy new year and everything goes well!
  • ，万事大吉。
    Zhǐ yào zhǔn bèi gōng zuò zuò zú le, zhè cì huó dòng jiù huì wàn shì dà jí.
    As long as the preparations are sufficient, this event will go smoothly.
  • ，万事大吉。
    Bié dān xīn, yí qiè dōu huì wàn shì dà jí de.
    Don't worry, everything will be fine.

Origin

Characters in this word

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 萬; 万 is its simplified writing.

For 万, the form 萬 was originally a picture of a scorpion, later borrowed for its sound to write 'ten thousand'; the scorpion picture is unrelated to that number.

Open 万 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

In 事, 又 is a hand and 中 is a flagpole with a drum; holding a flag in hand depicts performing a job.

Open 事 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

The form 大 is a picture of a person standing and facing forward, not of someone stretching their arms.

Open 大 →

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

In the earliest forms, 吉 was drawn with a mouth-like lower part and an upper part that later became today's upper shape.

Open 吉 →
Appears in
Idioms & Set PhrasesGood & Bad

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