yùnqi: 运气 - Luck, Fortune

• Keywords: 运气, yunqi, Chinese word for luck, good luck in Chinese, bad luck, fortune, fate, what does yunqi mean, HSK 运气, Chinese culture luck, 运氣
• Summary: Discover the meaning of 运气 (yùnqi), the essential Chinese word for “luck” or “fortune.” This page explores how 运气 is more than just random chance; it's a core cultural concept tied to fate, daily life, and the flow of energy. Learn how to wish someone good luck, complain about bad luck, and understand the subtle differences between 运气 and the Western idea of “luck,” complete with practical examples for everyday conversation.

• Pinyin (with tone marks): yùnqi
• Part of Speech: Noun
• HSK Level: HSK 4
• Concise Definition: Luck or fortune, encompassing the full spectrum from good to bad.
• In a Nutshell: 运气 (yùnqi) is the invisible force of chance that influences the events in your life. Think of it as the “current” you happen to be floating on at any given moment. On its own, the word is neutral. You must add an adjective like 好 (hǎo) for “good” or 差 (chà) for “bad” to describe its nature. It’s used to explain unexpected successes, unfortunate mishaps, and everything in between.

• 运 (yùn): This character's core meaning is “to move,” “to transport,” or “to revolve.” It also carries the meaning of fate or fortune. Picture a celestial body moving along its destined orbit—this captures the sense of an運, an unchangeable path.
• 气 (qì): This is the famous character for “air,” “gas,” or more profoundly, “energy” or “life force.” It's the same 'qi' as in `气功 (qìgōng)` or `天气 (tiānqì - weather)`.
• How they combine: Together, 运气 (yùnqi) literally means “the movement of energy.” It beautifully illustrates the Chinese concept of luck as a flowing, cosmic energy that moves and shifts, bringing good or bad fortune to a person as it passes through their life. Your 运气 is the personal “weather system” of fortune that you are currently experiencing.

运气 (yùnqi) is a cornerstone of daily thought and folk belief in China. It reflects a worldview where personal outcomes are not solely the result of individual effort, but are also heavily influenced by external, uncontrollable forces.

• Comparison to Western “Luck”: While “luck” in the West is often associated with the phrase “you make your own luck”—emphasizing agency and hard work—运气 carries a stronger connotation of fatalism. It is a force largely outside of your control, something you are “given” or “encounter.” While good deeds and proper conduct (and good `feng shui`) are believed to potentially improve one's 运气 over the long term, in the short term, it's often seen as something you simply have to accept. This connects deeply to the broader concept of 命运 (mìngyùn - fate/destiny), which dictates the larger arc of one's life.
• Related Values: This belief fosters a certain level of humility in success and resilience in failure. If someone succeeds, it was not just their skill but also their 好运气 (hǎo yùnqi - good luck). If they fail, it might be because their 运气不好 (yùnqi bù hǎo - luck wasn't good), which makes it easier to accept and try again later when their luck might turn.

运气 is an extremely common word used in all registers of speech, from casual chats to more formal discussions.

• Wishing Someone Luck: Before an exam, a job interview, or a competition, it's very common to say `祝你好运! (Zhù nǐ hǎo yùn!)` - “Wishing you good luck!”
• Explaining Events: It's frequently used to explain why things happened the way they did.
  • Positive: “I got the last concert ticket! My luck is so good today!” (`我运气真好! Wǒ yùnqi zhēn hǎo!`)
  • Negative: “I missed the bus by one second. My luck is terrible.” (`我运气太差了。Wǒ yùnqi tài chà le.`)
• Self-Consolation: When something bad happens, blaming it on bad 运气 is a common way to soften the blow and maintain a positive outlook for the future. “Ah well, just bad luck. It will be better next time.” (`唉，运气不好，下次会好的。Āi, yùnqi bù hǎo, xià cì huì hǎo de.`)

• Example 1:
  • 我今天运气真好，出门就捡到了钱。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ jīntiān yùnqi zhēn hǎo, chūmén jiù jiǎndào le qián.
  • English: My luck is so good today, I found money right after leaving the house.
  • Analysis: A classic example of describing good 运气. The phrase `运气真好 (yùnqi zhēn hǎo)` is a very common exclamation.
• Example 2:
  • 他最近运气很差，做什么都不顺利。
  • Pinyin: Tā zuìjìn yùnqi hěn chà, zuò shénme dōu bù shùnlì.
  • English: His luck has been very bad recently; nothing he does goes smoothly.
  • Analysis: Here, `差 (chà - poor/bad)` is used to describe negative luck. This is a common way to express a string of unfortunate events.
• Example 3:
  • 祝你明天面试运气好！
  • Pinyin: Zhù nǐ míngtiān miànshì yùnqi hǎo!
  • English: Hope you have good luck at your interview tomorrow!
  • Analysis: This shows how to wish someone luck. Note that `好 (hǎo)` is added to specify *good* luck. `祝你好运 (Zhù nǐ hǎo yùn)` is a more general, set phrase.
• Example 4:
  • 他能赢得比赛，不只是靠实力，也靠运气。
  • Pinyin: Tā néng yíngdé bǐsài, bù zhǐshì kào shílì, yě kào yùnqi.
  • English: He was able to win the competition not just based on strength, but also on luck.
  • Analysis: This demonstrates the cultural view that success is a combination of both skill (`实力 shílì`) and luck (`运气`).
• Example 5:
  • 我们去买张彩票试试运气吧。
  • Pinyin: Wǒmen qù mǎi zhāng cǎipiào shìshi yùnqi ba.
  • English: Let's go buy a lottery ticket and try our luck.
  • Analysis: The phrase `试试运气 (shìshi yùnqi)` means “to try one's luck.” It's used for activities involving chance.
• Example 6:
  • 看来我的好运气都用完了。
  • Pinyin: Kànlái wǒ de hǎo yùnqi dōu yòng wán le.
  • English: It seems I've used up all my good luck.
  • Analysis: This treats luck as a finite resource that can be “used up” (`用完 yòng wán`), a common and humorous way to talk about a sudden turn for the worse.
• Example 7:
  • 能不能升职，一半看能力，一半看运气。
  • Pinyin: Néng bu néng shēngzhí, yībàn kàn nénglì, yībàn kàn yùnqi.
  • English: Whether or not you can get a promotion is half about ability and half about luck.
  • Analysis: A pragmatic view often expressed in professional contexts, acknowledging that factors beyond one's control play a significant role.
• Example 8:
  • 我的运气真是差到家了，手机和钱包一天之内都丢了。
  • Pinyin: Wǒ de yùnqi zhēnshi chà dào jiā le, shǒujī hé qiánbāo yī tiān zhīnèi dōu diū le.
  • English: My luck is the absolute worst (lit: bad to the extreme), I lost both my phone and my wallet in one day.
  • Analysis: The phrase `差到家了 (chà dào jiā le)` is a strong colloquial idiom meaning “extremely bad” or “the worst.”
• Example 9:
  • A: 你怎么找到这么好的公寓的？ B: 纯属运气！
  • Pinyin: A: Nǐ zěnme zhǎodào zhème hǎo de gōngyù de? B: Chúnshǔ yùnqi!
  • English: A: How did you find such a great apartment? B: Pure luck!
  • Analysis: `纯属 (chúnshǔ)` means “purely” or “completely.” `纯属运气` is a common response to attribute a great outcome entirely to chance.
• Example 10:
  • 别灰心，人的运气总有起有落。
  • Pinyin: Bié huīxīn, rén de yùnqi zǒng yǒu qǐ yǒu luò.
  • English: Don't be discouraged, a person's luck always has its ups and downs.
  • Analysis: This comforting phrase uses `有起有落 (yǒu qǐ yǒu luò - to have rises and falls)` to describe the fluctuating nature of luck, encouraging resilience.

• Mistake: Using 运气 as a verb. English speakers might say “I lucked out,” but 运气 is strictly a noun. You cannot “luck” (`运气`) something.
  • Incorrect: `我运气了。(Wǒ yùnqi le.)`
  • Correct: `我运气很好。(Wǒ yùnqi hěn hǎo.)` (My luck is very good.) or `我走运了。(Wǒ zǒuyùn le.)` (I got lucky.)
• False Friend: “Fortune”. While “fortune” is a good translation for 运气, the English word “fortune” can also mean “a large sum of money” (e.g., “He made a fortune”). 运气 never has this meaning. It exclusively refers to the abstract concept of luck. To talk about wealth, you would use words like `财富 (cáifù)`.
• Forgetting to specify Good or Bad. Using 运气 alone can sometimes be ambiguous. While the context often makes it clear, learners should get in the habit of specifying the type of luck. Instead of saying `他有运气 (tā yǒu yùnqi)`, which is a bit unnatural, it's better to say `他运气很好 (tā yùnqi hěn hǎo)` or `他运气很差 (tā yùnqi hěn chà)`.

• 命运 (mìngyùn) - Fate, destiny. The grand, overarching path of one's life. 运气 refers to the short-term ups and downs along that path.
• 幸运 (xìngyùn) - Fortunate, lucky (adjective or noun). Describes the state of having good luck. More formal than `运气好`. `他是一个幸运的人。(Tā shì yí ge xìngyùn de rén.)` - He is a lucky person.
• 走运 (zǒuyùn) - To have good luck (verb-object phrase). Literally “to walk in luck.” It's an active way to say you're currently in a lucky streak.
• 倒霉 (dǎoméi) - To be unlucky, to have bad luck (adjective/verb). The most common and direct antonym for being lucky. `我今天真倒霉！(Wǒ jīntiān zhēn dǎoméi!)`
• 手气 (shǒuqì) - Luck specifically related to games involving the hands, like cards, mahjong, or dice. Literally “hand energy.” `我今天手气不错！(Wǒ jīntiān shǒuqì búcuò!)` - My luck in the game is pretty good today!
• 福气 (fúqi) - Good fortune, blessings. This type of luck is deeper and more holistic than 运气. It relates to long-term happiness, a good family, health, and prosperity. It has a much warmer, more cherished connotation.
• 机会 (jīhuì) - Opportunity, chance. An opportunity is a concrete circumstance you can act upon. 运气 is the abstract force that might present you with a good 机会.