Meaning
运气 refers to luck or fortune, describing the seemingly random positive or negative circumstances that happen to someone. It's commonly used to talk about whether events work out favorably or unfavorably for a person, often in situations beyond their control.
Usage
Native speakers frequently use 运气 in both casual and formal contexts. It often appears with 好 (good) or 坏/差 (bad) to describe someone's fortune. Common expressions include 运气不错 (pretty lucky) and 真倒霉的运气 (really bad luck). It's neutral in register and can describe both short-term situations and longer-term patterns of fortune.
Examples
- 01他今天运气真好，中了彩票。, .He's really lucky today; he won the lottery.
- 02我的运气不太好，总是遇到麻烦。, .My luck isn't very good; I always run into trouble.
Characters
Common collocations
- 好运气good luck
- 运气好to be lucky
- 运气不好to have bad luck
- 碰运气to try one's luck
Antonyms
Origin
The word combines 运 (fortune, movement) with 气 (vital energy, qi). In traditional Chinese philosophy, qi represents life force or cosmic energy, so 运气 literally suggests the 'flow of energy' that determines one's fortune.