Ji Yi Return Gift Packets and Ying Hong Li Shi at Chinese Funerals

The White Packet: Ji Yi

When you attend a Chinese funeral — particularly a Cantonese or other regional service — you may receive a small white packet called ji yi (吉儀) as you arrive or leave the wake. If you have never attended a Chinese funeral before, this packet can be puzzling: why are you being given a gift at a funeral?

The ji yi is not a gift in the celebratory sense. It is a protective blessing, and each of its three contents serves a specific spiritual purpose.

What Is Inside and Why

A sweet candy — to sweeten the bitterness of grief and death. The taste literally counteracts the association with sadness. Guests are traditionally instructed to eat the candy before entering their own home, so the "bitterness" of the funeral does not follow them inside.

A coin (typically a one-dollar coin) — a symbolic gesture of gratitude from the bereaving family. Historically, the coin represented bus or tram fare, ensuring guests could return home safely after the service. Even in modern times when no one needs coin-operated transport, the gesture persists as an expression of the family's concern for their guests' wellbeing.

A tissue or handkerchief — provided to wipe away tears of sorrow. This is both practical and symbolic: it acknowledges that attending a funeral involves genuine grief, and it provides the tool to leave that grief behind before returning to daily life.

What to Do With the Contents

The traditional etiquette is specific:

1. Eat the candy before you enter your home — do not save it for later or bring it inside uneaten
2. Spend the coin before reaching your front door — use it to buy something small (a drink, a transit fare) or donate it; the point is to not carry the coin across your own threshold
3. Use the tissue if needed during the service; otherwise dispose of it before going home

The underlying logic: the items absorb the negative energy (xieqi) of the funeral, and completing the candy-eating and coin-spending rituals before entering your home ensures that energy stays behind. Some families are strict about this; others treat it as a gentle tradition rather than an absolute rule.

The Red Packet: Ying Hong Li Shi

At the conclusion of the burial or cremation — not the wake, but the final disposition — families distribute a second packet, this time in red. This is the ying hong li shi (纓紅利是), the completion packet.

Red replaces white because the funeral is now over and the family is transitioning back to normal life. The red packet's contents mark this transition:

• A sprig of cypress — representing longevity and the enduring nature of the family lineage
• A strand of red rope — symbolizing the reconnection to auspicious energy after the mourning period
• A two-dollar coin — doubled from the ji yi's one dollar, representing doubled good fortune and the return of prosperity

The ying hong li shi signals to guests (and to the spiritual realm) that the funeral rituals are complete, the soul has been properly sent on its journey, and the living may resume their normal activities.

Regional Variations

The ji yi tradition is most strongly associated with Cantonese funerals, but versions exist across southern Chinese dialect groups:

• Cantonese — the classic three-item white packet described above, plus the red ying hong li shi at disposition
• Hokkien and Teochew — similar packets, though the specific coin denomination and candy type may vary; some families include a small piece of red string in the white packet rather than reserving red items for the completion packet
• Hakka — simpler versions with fewer prescribed items, reflecting the Hakka tendency toward understated observance

In diaspora communities where multiple dialect groups intermarry, the specific items may blend. The important thing is the principle: a white packet at the wake that protects guests from absorbing funeral energy, and a red packet at disposition that marks the family's return to normalcy.

For Non-Chinese Guests

If you receive a ji yi packet at a Chinese funeral and you are not familiar with the customs, the simplest guidance: eat the candy and spend (or give away) the coin before you go home. You do not need to understand every layer of symbolism to respect the family's tradition — completing the simple actions is enough.

If you are organizing a Chinese funeral and need to prepare these packets, the Traditional Chinese Funeral & Ancestor Veneration guide includes the complete ji yi and ying hong li shi specifications with dialect-specific variations, so the packets are correct for your family's tradition.