Wisdom of the Ancient Chinese #2: being happy

There are a few different ways to say ‘happy’ in chinese… lets go over some of them!

The first 2 that comes to mind are
快樂 & 開心

1. 快樂
To me, this is saying what being happy looks and feels like…
First character: Fast, Quick
Second character: same character used to mean music (but sound different)

So… what being happy looks or feels like is to be living in a state of ‘up-beat music’,
What i mean by that is you live very vividly, spring in your steps, sunshine in your smiles, etc

2. 開心
I think this is actually the more important one…
First character: Open
Second character: Heart

So… How do one achieve the status of living with a spring in your step and sunshine in your smiles?
I would think this is a good advice…
To live a happy life… live with an open heart…
To me, it means stuff like… live in an heartfelt sincerety in everything you say and do, living out in the open, no backstabbing, no talking behind someone’s back, no secrets… Commit to everything you say seriously, and say what you mean at all times…
To live with an open heart and attitude as such would mean you would achieve happiness! 🙂