In Chinese society, a red envelope or red packet (Known as Hong Bao in Mandarin, Ang Pao in Hokkien and Lai See in Cantonese, 红包) is a monetary gift which is given during holidays or special occasions. The red color of the envelope symbolizes good luck and is supposed to ward off evil spirits. The amount of money contained in the envelope usually ends with an even digit, in accordance with Chinese
beliefs; for instance 88 and 168 are both lucky numbers, as odd-numbered money gifts are traditionally associated with funerals. But there is a widespread tradition that money should not be given in fours, or the number four should not appear in the amount, as the number itself has a similar tone to the Chinese character for "death", and it signifies bad luck for many Chinese. At weddings, the amount offered is usually intended to cover the cost of the attendees as well as a goodwill to the newly weds. During Chinese New Year, mainly in South China, red envelopes (in the north, just money without any cover) are typically given to the unmarried by the married, regardless of age. Traditionally, the red envelope is not supposed to be opened until the Chinese New Year festivities are over; otherwise, bad luck would befall the recipient for the whole year
紅包，亦稱紅封包，在中國廣東、香港和澳門稱為利市（俗作利是、利事、勵事），是將金錢放置紅色封套內做成的一種小禮物。送紅包是中國傳統習俗。最常見的是在各種喜慶場合，例如春節、婚禮、生辰等致送金錢作為禮物時都會使用。紅色在中國文化內代表喜慶。紅包內一般會放入有吉祥數字的金錢，例如有8字，或以雙數結尾的數目。
傳統的紅包是以一張紅紙包裹金錢。但近年在很多地方都已改用機器印製的小信封。每年臨近春節前，各大商業機構都有製作紅包派發給顧客
