At a Chinese wedding, the gift is almost universally cash presented inside a red and gold envelope known as hongbao in Mandarin or lai see in Cantonese. Rather than buying household items from a registry, guests contribute toward the wedding banquet and the couple's new life together.
Two rules govern every Chinese wedding envelope: the amount should reflect your closeness to the couple and the formality of the banquet, and the digits themselves must follow traditional Chinese numerology.
The numerology rules: lucky 8s, smooth 6s, and never a 4
In Chinese culture, how a number sounds matters as much as its face value. Good things come in pairs, so wedding hongbao amounts should always be even numbers (excluding multiples that contain 4).
- Avoid the number 4 at all costs: In Mandarin and Cantonese, the word for four sounds nearly identical to the word for death. Never give £40, $140, $240, or $400 at a wedding.
- Favour the number 8: Eight rhymes with the word for wealth and prosperity (fa). Amounts ending in 8, such as 88, 108, 128, 168, 188, 288, or 388, are the gold standard for Chinese wedding envelopes.
- Include 6 or 9 when possible: Six symbolises smooth progress (liuliu dashun), while nine represents longevity and eternity, making 168 ('smooth road to prosperity') or 198 popular combinations.
How much to put in a red envelope in 2026
Chinese wedding banquets often feature multi-course feasts with eight to ten dishes served family-style. Guests traditionally aim to cover their banquet seat and add an auspicious blessing according to their closeness to the couple and their parents:
| Relationship to Couple | UK (£ GBP) | US ($ USD) | Canada ($ CAD) | Australia ($ AUD) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Colleague or acquaintance | £68 – £88 | $88 – $108 | CA$88 – CA$128 | A$88 – A$128 |
| Good friend or extended relative | £88 – £128 | $128 – $188 | CA$128 – CA$188 | A$128 – A$188 |
| Close friend or sibling | £128 – £188 | $188 – $288 | CA$188 – CA$288 | A$188 – A$288 |
| Couple attending together | £168 – £288 | $268 – $388 | CA$268 – CA$388 | A$268 – A$388 |
| Immediate family & elders | £288 – £888+ (or gold) | $388 – $888+ (or gold) | CA$388 – CA$888+ | A$388 – A$888+ |
How and when to hand over the red envelope
At most traditional Chinese wedding banquets, there is a reception desk at the entrance staffed by trusted members of the wedding party or cousins. As you arrive, you hand over your red envelope, sign the guest scroll or book, and receive your table assignment.
Always write your full name on the back or inside flap of the red envelope so the couple can record your gift and send a thank-you note. Use crisp, unfolded banknotes whenever possible, or contribute an auspicious figure (such as £128 or $188) through the couple's digital wedding fund beforehand and bring a signed card on the day.
Gold jewellery and the tea ceremony
During the traditional Chinese tea ceremony (held on the morning of the wedding or before the banquet), the bride and groom serve tea to parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles. In return, elders present either a generous hongbao or 24-karat gold jewellery such as dragon-and-phoenix bangles (longfeng zhuo) or gold necklaces.
If you are a friend or colleague rather than an elder participating in the tea ceremony, you only need to bring a red envelope to the main reception.