烧高香

烧高香

Literally means:

burn joss sticks in worship before Buddha

Actually means:

be grateful; be granted a favor

In worshiping ancestors or Buddha, one often burns joss sticks and raises them high above his head to pray for blessings or express thanks.

This phrase means praying for blessings of oneself or of those to whom one is grateful. It may also mean one feels fortunate to get something that he has been longing for. In both of the two figurative senses, it carries an ironical tone.

祭祖先或拜神佛的人，往往点燃一把香，双手举到高过头部的地方进行礼拜致敬。

烧高香，指烧香求神佛保佑。比喻求神佛保佑对自己有恩的人。也比喻庆幸意外得到早就期待，但迟迟没有出现的好情况。在两个表示比喻的意义中，有时含有讽刺的意味。