adjective / noun HSK 4
fortunate · lucky · blessing · happiness
Meaning
幸 means fortunate or lucky, often referring to a state of blessing or good fortune. It appears in many compound words related to happiness and fortune, such as 幸福 (happiness) and 幸运 (lucky). As a standalone character, it's more literary than colloquial.
Usage
幸 is rarely used alone in modern spoken Chinese. It typically appears in compound words or formal writing. In classical Chinese, it could mean 'to favor' or 'imperial visit.' Today, native speakers mainly encounter it in words like 幸好 (fortunately), 幸福 (happiness), and 幸运 (lucky).
Examples
- 01幸好你提醒我，不然我就忘了。, .Fortunately you reminded me, otherwise I would have forgotten.
- 02能认识你是我的幸运。.Being able to meet you is my good fortune.
Common collocations
- 幸亏fortunately, luckily
- 幸存者survivor
- 不幸的是unfortunately
Antonyms
Origin
The character 幸 originally depicted shackles or handcuffs. The semantic shift to 'fortunate' came from the idea of being spared from punishment or escaping misfortune—literally being freed from shackles.