Most Chinese good luck symbols work by wordplay. A bat is lucky because its name sounds like the word for good fortune. A fish is lucky because its name sounds like “surplus”. Once you hear the pun, the symbol makes sense. Below are twenty of the most common, grouped by where you meet them, with a link wherever we have a full guide.
Words and wordplay
1. 福 upside down
The character 福 (fú) means good fortune. At Chinese New Year it is often hung upside down, because “fu is upside down”, 福倒了, sounds like “fortune has arrived”, 福到了. Our guide to Chinese New Year decorations covers where it goes and the doors where it is kept upright.
2. The bat
Bat is 蝠 (fú), the same sound as 福. Bats appear on porcelain, embroidery and old furniture, often in fives for the “five blessings”.
3. The fish
Fish is 鱼 (yú), which sounds like 余 (yú), surplus. The saying 年年有余 wishes “a surplus every year”, which is why a whole fish is served at the New Year meal and why some homes keep a fish tank.
4. Mandarin oranges
Tangerine is 桔 (jú), close to 吉 (jí), auspicious. In Singapore, a pair of mandarin oranges is the standard gift when visiting at Chinese New Year.
5. The number 8
Eight, 八 (bā), sounds like 发 (fā), to prosper. Our page on feng shui numbers covers 8 and the numbers people avoid.
6. 囍 double happiness
Two 喜 (joy) characters joined as one. It belongs to weddings and nowhere else, so it is a symbol of a couple’s joy rather than general luck.
Shapes, plants and colours
7. Red
Red is the colour of celebration and, by old belief, of protection. It is the colour of envelopes, couplets and lanterns. A thin red string bracelet carries the same idea on the wrist.
8. The Chinese knot
The decorative knot, 中国结, is tied from one continuous cord. That unbroken line is read as continuity and togetherness.
9. 如意
The ruyi is a curved sceptre whose name means “as you wish”. It was a formal gift at court and is still given at weddings and birthdays.
10. The peach
The peach of longevity, 寿桃, is the symbol of a long life. Peach-shaped buns are served at birthdays for elders.
11. The crane
The crane, 鹤 (hè), is another longevity symbol. A crane and pine together wish someone a long and upright life.
12. Lucky bamboo
Bamboo bends without breaking, and the number of stalks carries its own meaning. See our guide to lucky bamboo, and to the money plant and money tree.
13. The gourd
The bottle gourd, 葫芦 (húlu), sounds close to 福禄 (fúlù), fortune and rank. In feng shui it is called the wu lou and is linked with health.
Guardian and wealth figures
14. Pixiu
A winged lion-like creature said to take in wealth and let none out. The most popular wealth figure in Singapore. Full guide: pixiu.
15. Qilin
A gentle hooved creature that signals the arrival of a sage, linked with blessings on children. Full guide: qilin.
16. Guardian lions
A male and female pair at gates and doors, the male with a ball and the female with a cub. Full guide: Chinese guardian lions.
17. The money frog
A three-legged toad sitting on coins, with a coin in its mouth. Full guide: money frog.
18. Coins
Round coins with a square hole, often tied with red string in threes. Full guide: feng shui coins.
19. The dragon turtle
A turtle’s body with a dragon’s head, standing for patience and support. Full guide: dragon turtle.
20. The beckoning cat
The waving cat on cashier counters is Japanese in origin, the maneki-neko, though it is now everywhere in Chinese businesses. Full guide: fortune cat.
More symbols with their own guides
A few objects are used more for placement than for their meaning alone. We cover them separately: the feng shui horse (马到成功, success on arrival), mandarin ducks for a lasting marriage, the wind chime and the bagua mirror.
Two figures honoured in many Singapore homes are explained separately: Guan Yin and the earth god Tua Pek Kong.
Two of these have their own pages: the fu character and the koi fish.
What a symbol can and cannot do
These symbols are a language. A bat on a vase or a pair of oranges at the door says “I wish you good fortune”, and that is a real and kind thing to say. What they do not do is change the timing of your life. Two homes with the same pixiu still have different years ahead.
If you want to know what the coming years actually hold for you, that is a question for your chart, not your shelf. In a Ba Zi reading we spend an hour on your chart and luck pillars and send a written summary afterwards. No fear-selling, and nothing to take home except the notes.