You've heard Cantonese speakers call them "lai see" and Mandarin speakers call them "hong bao".

Regardless of what you call them, Chinese New Year's like Christmas because of all the red envelopes you receive.

But instead of toys, you get cash.

Like any tradition, there are some rules to gifting.

Here's two.

First, red envelopes are usually only given from married folks to kids.

Your boss may even give you red envelopes, too⏤consider it a mini bonus.

Second, the amount of money matters.

Hundreds are great, even fifties, but never, ever give something with fours.

Four is a really unlucky number, but we'll save that for another story.

Red envelopes have been around since forever, and they've really evolved with the times.

There are classics, and then there are some that are just crazy designs.

But in the last few years, phones have given a whole new meaning to red envelopes.

On WeChat, the biggest Chinese social network, you can send virtual money to your group chat,

then your friends can all take a share of the pie.

But, honestly, when it comes to Chinese New Year, there's really nothing better than the old-school traditional of getting cold, hard cash.

Happy new year, and happy gifting!