干杯
cheers!; bottoms up!
HSK level
- Pinyin
- gānbēi
- Part of speech
- verb
- Level
- HSK 3
- Strokes
- 11
- Register
- spoken
Stroke order for 干杯
干杯 is written with 11 strokes (干: 3, 杯: 8). The animation replays automatically.
What does 干杯 mean?
干杯 (gānbēi) literally means 'dry the cup' and functions as the Chinese toast — equivalent to English 'cheers!'
or 'bottoms up!' Speakers raise their glasses, clink, and drink. Two cultural points are essential for English speakers: first, at formal Chinese banquets, 干杯 traditionally means drink the ENTIRE glass; refusing or only sipping can be read as cold to the host. To politely sip instead, say '随意' (as you like) or 'I'll do half — 我喝一半.'
Second, 干杯 is both a verb and an interjection — you can say '我们干杯吧' (let's toast) before drinking, and shout '干杯！' at the moment of clinking. It is purely spoken — you won't write 干杯 except in dialogue or signs. In Cantonese culture and modern casual Mandarin, the meaning often lightens to just 'cheers,' especially among younger people. Toasting etiquette also calls for holding your glass slightly lower than your elder's or superior's when clinking.
Note: Standard toast at meals, banquets, and parties. Literally 'dry the cup' — at formal Chinese banquets, 干杯 often implies finishing the entire glass, while at casual gatherings it can just mean 'cheers!' Foreign guests can soften with '随意' (suíyì, 'as you like') if you don't want to drain the cup.
Character by character
Memory hook: 干 'dry' + 杯 'cup' = empty your cup — that's the toast.
Example sentences
来，我们干杯！
Lái, wǒmen gānbēi!
Come on, let's toast!
spoken
为我们的友谊干杯！
Wèi wǒmen de yǒuyì gānbēi!
A toast to our friendship!
spoken
祝你生日快乐，干杯！
Zhù nǐ shēngrì kuàilè, gānbēi!
Happy birthday — cheers!
spoken
我不能喝太多，随意吧。
Wǒ bù néng hē tài duō, suíyì ba.
I can't drink too much, let's just sip.
spoken, polite
他们干了一杯又一杯。
Tāmen gān le yì bēi yòu yì bēi.
They downed cup after cup.
neutral
Common phrases with 干杯
Synonyms
随意 = 'as you like / drink at your own pace.' It is the polite alternative to 干杯 when you don't want to down the whole glass. At banquets it signals 'no pressure' and is the safe choice for foreign guests.
碰杯 = 'to clink glasses' — focuses on the act of touching cups, not necessarily emptying them. 干杯 is the actual toast and (traditionally) drink. You can 碰杯 multiple times during a toast session and only 干杯 once or twice.
Don't confuse 干杯 with
FAQ
Acquire it by listening
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