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庆贺 (qìng hè) — to congratulate (formally, often for achievements or honors); to celebrate (a significant occasion, often in a public or group setting)

Definition

庆贺 is a formal verb for publicly celebrating major achievements or milestones (anniversaries, awards). More ceremonial than 祝贺 (congratulating a person) and broader than 庆祝 (which centers on an event like a holiday).

verb
to congratulate (formally, often for achievements or honors)to celebrate (a significant occasion, often in a public or group setting)

Examples

  • 庆贺。
    Zuó tiān wǒ men lóng chóng qìng hè le gōng sī chéng lì èr shí zhōu nián.
    Yesterday we grandly celebrated the twentieth anniversary of the company's founding.
  • 庆贺。
    Xiào zhǎng zài diǎn lǐ shàng qìng hè bì yè shēng qǔ dé yōu yì chéng jì.
    The principal congratulated the graduates on their excellent achievements at the ceremony.
  • 庆贺。
    Péng you men fēn fēn lái xìn qìng hè tā kē yán xiàng mù huò jiǎng.
    Friends sent letters one after another to congratulate him on his research project winning an award.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéCoordinate

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

庆qìngcelebrate
贺hècongratulate

庆 and 贺 both express joyful congratulation, so 庆贺 means to celebrate or congratulate.

Characters in this word

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 慶; 庆 is its simplified writing.

The simplified 庆 comes from the traditional 慶, which pairs 廌, drawn as an antelope, with 心, a heart; the heart part showed goodness or blessing, and obtaining such a beautiful animal was worth celebrating.

Open 庆 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 賀; 贺 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
貝貝bèishellfish money
Sound part声符shēngfú
加
加jiā賀hè
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 賀 pairs 貝 (shellfish money) with 加 as a sound part; the simplified 贺 is a later shorthand, not the historical shape.

Open 贺 →
Appears in
HSK 3.0 Level 7-9Greetings & Politeness

Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.