锦鲤

What does 锦鲤 mean?

锦鲤 means good luck in two ways: the koi fish itself, considered auspicious, and the person who seems to win everything. Netizens repost a 锦鲤 before exams, job interviews and lottery draws, and anyone who unexpectedly wins a big prize is crowned a living koi. The tone is half superstition, half joke.

Where does 锦鲤 come from?

In October 2018 the payment app 支付宝 ran a National Day giveaway on Weibo, promising one winner gifts from more than two hundred brands. The winner, a user nicknamed 信小呆, became famous overnight and her announcement post drew millions of reposts. Around the same time, singer 杨超越 was jokingly dubbed a human koi for her improbable draws, and that December 锦鲤 landed on the annual top-ten internet-word list.

How to use 锦鲤

• 明天面试，先转发这条锦鲤，求个心安。
  Míngtiān miànshì, xiān zhuǎnfā zhè tiáo jǐnlǐ, qiú gè xīn'ān.
  Interview tomorrow, so I am reposting this koi first, purely for peace of mind.
• 年会抽中最新手机，全组都说她是锦鲤附体。
  Niánhuì chōuzhòng zuìxīn shǒujī, quán zǔ dōu shuō tā shì jǐnlǐ fùtǐ.
  She won the newest phone at the company party and the whole team said she had a koi inside her.