Hanzi Sheets
How to write 年年有余 — "Abundance Year After Year" in Chinese
年年有余 (nián nián yǒu yú) is how you say "abundance year after year" in Chinese. The fish pun blessing — “may every year leave you with surplus”. Below is each character with its pinyin and meaning, plus a free tracing worksheet you can print in seconds.
年年有余 character by character
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning in this phrase |
|---|---|---|
| 年 | nián | year |
| 年 | nián | year |
| 有 | yǒu | to have |
| 余 | yú | surplus; left over |
| 年年有余 | nián nián yǒu yú | abundance year after year |
Using 年年有余
年年有余 means “year after year, have surplus”: 年年 (every year), 有 (to have), 余 (surplus). It is the blessing behind the New Year fish dish — 余 (yú, surplus) sounds exactly like 鱼 (yú, fish), so families serve fish and leave some unfinished to “carry surplus into the new year”.
Children meet this phrase on New Year decorations, paper-cuts of plump fish, and red banners. In Traditional Chinese it is 年年有餘 — only 余 changes, to 餘. When your child draws a New Year fish card, 年年有余 is the caption to write underneath.
Pre-filled with 年年有余 in a tian grid with stroke-order strips. Add more words, pick a size, print.
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FAQ
Why is 年年有余 linked to fish?
Because 余 (yú, “surplus”) is pronounced the same as 鱼 (yú, “fish”). Serving fish at the New Year dinner — and deliberately leaving some — is a pun on wishing the family surplus for the year ahead.
Is 年年有余 a sentence people say out loud?
Yes, at New Year dinners and in greetings, but you see it even more often in writing: on banners, couplets, paper-cuts and cards.
How is 年年有余 written in Traditional Chinese?
年年有餘. Only 余 (surplus) changes — its Traditional form is 餘. Note that as a surname, 余 keeps its simple form in both scripts.