The tradition of staying up all night on New Year’s Eve is called Shǒusuì.
Shǒusuì, written 守岁, means keeping vigil or guarding the year. On Chinese New Year’s Eve, families traditionally remain awake until midnight and, in some customs, until dawn. The practice is associated with seeing out the old year and welcoming the new one together.
The custom was recorded during the Western Jin dynasty, which lasted from 266 to 316 CE. A text attributed to the Jin general Zhou Chu described people staying awake through the night until sunrise and calling the practice shousui. This makes it one of the better-documented older New Year customs.
Shǒusuì is not the same as Chúxī. Chúxī refers to New Year’s Eve itself, while Shǒusuì names the vigil observed during that night. Yāsuì is associated with New Year gift money and the idea of suppressing or warding off harmful influences, and Guònián is a broader expression connected with passing through or celebrating the New Year. In modern celebrations, family meals, conversation, games and televised programs often accompany the vigil.