祝你生日快乐 (zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè) - "wish you birthday happy" - is the whole phrase. The song is literally the English tune with those six syllables fitted to it, repeated four times.
The phrases
| 生日快乐 | the default - cards, texts, in person |
| 祝你生日快乐 | fuller form - "wish you a happy birthday" |
| 祝你生日快乐，越来越年轻 | "...may you get younger" |
| 福如东海，寿比南山 | traditional elder wish: fortune like the eastern sea, years like the southern mountain |
| 年年有今日 | "may you have this day every year" |
For elders the formal wishes matter more than the greeting itself - 寿比南山-style chengyu wishes are expected at milestone birthdays (60th, 70th), which are bigger events than yearly ones.
The customs in the phrases
长寿面 ("long-life noodles") appear at birthdays - one unbroken noodle strand symbolizes long life; do not cut them. Red eggs historically marked a baby's first month. And the rule that confuses foreigners: age is often reckoned traditionally - some regions count you one at birth - so asking 你今年几岁？ can yield two answers.
Beyond birthdays
祝你 + wish is the productive frame for everything: 祝你成功 (success), 祝你好运 (luck), 祝你旅途愉快 (good trip). New Year has its own whole set - the New Year greetings guide has those.
Cake, candles and the modern mix
Urban birthdays are now Western-inflected: cake, candles, a wish, and the same camera ritual. The song is sung in Chinese with the English melody; bilingual groups often run both. What stays Chinese: the 长寿面 bowl (when it appears), elders' formal wishes, and the unwritten rule that the birthday person does not pay - the table treats them.
Common questions
How do you say happy birthday in Mandarin?
生日快乐 or the fuller 祝你生日快乐. The birthday song uses the English melody with 祝你生日快乐 sung four times.
What is the Chinese birthday song?
Identical tune to "Happy Birthday": 祝你生日快乐 ×3, then 祝你生日快乐. Same six syllables, same song.
What do Chinese people eat on birthdays?
长寿面 - long-life noodles, one continuous strand symbolizing longevity. Western cakes are now standard in cities too.