hong bao

Noun

hongbao (plural hongbao or hongbaos)

1. Synonym of red envelope.
   • In the old days gifts of money were given to children by the older generation and were placed in red envelopes called hong bao. This practice has been discouraged by the Communists because it perpetuates "feudal-capitalist consciousness," the worship of wealth and money.1980, B. Michael Frolic, “Notes [Notes to Pages 50–65]”, in Mao’s People: Sixteen Portraits of Life in Revolutionary China, Cambridge, Mass.; London: Harvard University Press, →ISBN, note 8, page 269

   Synonyms:

   red packet, angpao, ang pao, angpow, ang pow, lai see, red envelope