respectful congratulations
A formal, somewhat literary expression of congratulations, often used in written greetings or ceremonial contexts. Not used in casual speech.
I offer my respectful New Year's congratulations.
ご昇進の恭賀を述べさせていただきます。
Allow me to express my respectful congratulations on your promotion.
Compound of 恭 (respectful) and 賀 (congratulations). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word follows classical Sino-Japanese patterns for formal expressions.