How to Say “Cheers to you” in Chinese
Greetings and politeness · HSK 3
"Cheers to you" in Chinese is 敬你一杯 (Jìng nǐ yì bēi). 敬你一杯 literally means 'I respectfully offer you a cup'; it's how you toast someone at a Chinese banquet when you want to show respect or gratitude. 敬 (jìng) carries the nuance of 'offering upward,' so younger people and subordinates use it toward elders and bosses.
Primary translation
敬你一杯
Jìng nǐ yì bēi
Variants by register
Formal
敬您一杯
Jìng nín yì bēi
Casual
敬你
Jìng nǐ
When to use it
敬你一杯 literally means 'I respectfully offer you a cup'; it's how you toast someone at a Chinese banquet when you want to show respect or gratitude. 敬 (jìng) carries the nuance of 'offering upward,' so younger people and subordinates use it toward elders and bosses. If you're the one being toasted, you can reply 干杯 (gānbēi, bottoms up) or 随意 (suíyì, as you like). At business dinners, always stand up and hold your glass lower than the senior person's rim; this is non-negotiable etiquette.
Example sentences
王总，我敬您一杯，感谢您的关照。
Wáng zǒng, wǒ jìng nín yì bēi, gǎnxiè nín de guānzhào.
Director Wang, a toast to you; thank you for your support.
来，敬你一杯，祝你生日快乐！
Lái, jìng nǐ yì bēi, zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè!
Come on, cheers to you; happy birthday!
我先敬大家一杯，谢谢今天来捧场。
Wǒ xiān jìng dàjiā yì bēi, xièxie jīntiān lái pěngchǎng.
Let me toast everyone first; thanks for coming out today.