Mark Zuckerberg shows off Mandarin again in Lunar New Year greeting

 By 
Patrick Kulp
 on 
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Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

Mark Zuckerberg is busting out his Mandarin skills again.

The Facebook CEO posted a video message delivered entirely in Mandarin to celebrate the Lunar New Year, which kicks off Thursday in the United States. As of writing, the video had over 2 million views and 134,000 likes.

"This is a moment of renewal and celebration each year," Zuckerberg wrote in English beneath the video. "I hope you have a wonderful time surrounded by friends and family, and I hope that the Year of the Sheep brings you health and happiness."

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Zuckerberg wowed audiences at the Tsinghua University in Beijing last fall when he conducted an entire question-and-answer session in Mandarin. The billionaire Facebook founder said he learned the language as a "personal challenge" as well as a way to speak to some of his wife Priscilla's relatives who don't speak English.

"I have always been interested in Chinese culture and learning a language is a great way to learn about a culture," Zuckerberg wrote at the time.

Zuckerberg's language skills even prompted a spot of jealousy from Bill Gates, who wrote during a Reddit AMA that he regretted never learning a second language.

"I feel pretty stupid that I don’t know any foreign languages," Gates wrote. "Mark Zuckerberg amazingly learned Mandarin and did a Q&A with Chinese students – incredible."

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