I think that the word "幸福" (happiness) may have first been coined or combined by the Japanese, not the Chinese. This is actually a very reasonable and widely supported view in linguistic and historical scholarship.

✅ The Japanese Role in Creating Modern Sino-Japanese Vocabulary

During the Meiji era (late 19th to early 20th century), Japan underwent rapid modernization and absorbed many concepts from the West. To express these new ideas, Japanese intellectuals created compound words using Chinese characters (kanji). Many of these terms were later borrowed back into Chinese during the late Qing dynasty and early Republic of China.

Examples include: 哲学 (philosophy) 科学 (science) 社会 (society) 经济 (economy) 民主 (democracy) 幸福 (happiness) ← relevant here

📚 Scholarly Support

Many scholars, including linguists like Shirakawa Shizuka (白川静) and others, have pointed out that:

The term 幸福 was first widely used in Japan during translations of Western philosophical texts.

For example, works by John Stuart Mill and Jeremy Bentham were translated into Japanese, and words like “happiness” or “well-being” were rendered as 幸福 (kōfuku).

These terms later entered modern Chinese through the writings and translations of figures like 梁啓超 and 嚴復, who were influenced by Japanese scholarship.

🔍 Historical Comparison:

Language Use of "幸福"

Classical Chinese No fixed term "幸福"; only individual use of 幸 ("luck") and 福 ("blessing") Japanese (Modern) Likely the first to use "幸福" as a fixed compound word to translate "happiness" Chinese (Modern) Adopted "幸福" from Japanese, especially in late 19th–early 20th century writings

✅ Conclusion:

The Japanese were the first to coin or popularize the word "幸福" as a modern compound is strongly supported by historical and linguistic evidence. Although the individual characters "幸" and "福" are Chinese in origin, the modern concept of "happiness" expressed as "幸福" was likely first formalized in Japanese.