--- title: "Chinese Good Luck Charms and Their Meanings: 福, 貔貅, the Lucky Cat and the Red String, With Pinyin" description: "Chinese good luck charms and what they mean: why 福 hangs upside down, the 貔貅 and the lucky cat 招财猫 for money, the gourd 葫芦 for health, the red string of your zodiac year, the gods of luck, and 51 lucky words with pinyin and sound." canonical: "https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-good-luck-charms" author: "Mandarin The Wild" --- Free · 51 words # Chinese good luck charms [Print as flashcards](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-flashcards?level=mine&words=%E7%A6%8F%20%E5%8F%8C%E5%96%9C%20%E5%90%89%E7%A5%A5%20%E5%90%89%E7%A5%A5%E7%89%A9%20%E5%A6%82%E6%84%8F%20%E7%AC%A6%20%E6%8A%A4%E8%BA%AB%E7%AC%A6%20%E8%B2%94%E8%B2%85%20%E6%8B%9B%E8%B4%A2%E7%8C%AB%20%E8%91%AB%E8%8A%A6%20%E9%93%9C%E9%92%B1%20%E5%85%83%E5%AE%9D%20%E9%95%BF%E5%91%BD%E9%94%81%20%E7%8E%89%E4%BD%A9%20%E9%A6%99%E5%9B%8A%20%E9%A3%8E%E9%93%83%20%E8%81%9A%E5%AE%9D%E7%9B%86%20%E6%91%87%E9%92%B1%E6%A0%91%20%E8%9D%99%E8%9D%A0%20%E9%BA%92%E9%BA%9F%20%E7%9F%B3%E7%8B%AE%E5%AD%90%20%E9%94%A6%E9%B2%A4%20%E5%96%9C%E9%B9%8A%20%E9%B9%A4%20%E5%AF%8C%E8%B4%B5%E7%AB%B9%20%E9%87%91%E6%A1%94%20%E5%AF%BF%E6%A1%83%20%E6%A1%83%E8%8A%B1%20%E8%B4%A2%E7%A5%9E%20%E7%A6%8F%E7%A6%84%E5%AF%BF%20%E9%97%A8%E7%A5%9E%20%E5%85%B3%E5%85%AC%20%E5%BC%A5%E5%8B%92%E4%BD%9B%20%E5%A5%BD%E8%BF%90%20%E8%BF%90%E6%B0%94%20%E5%90%89%E5%88%A9%20%E8%BD%AC%E8%BF%90%20%E9%A3%8E%E6%B0%B4%20%E8%BE%9F%E9%82%AA%20%E5%BC%80%E5%85%89%20%E6%9C%AC%E5%91%BD%E5%B9%B4%20%E5%85%AB%E5%8D%A6%20%E7%BA%A2%E5%8C%85%20%E6%98%A5%E8%81%94%20%E5%B9%B4%E7%94%BB%20%E9%9E%AD%E7%82%AE%20%E6%8B%9B%E8%B4%A2%E8%BF%9B%E5%AE%9D%20%E4%BA%94%E7%A6%8F%E4%B8%B4%E9%97%A8%20%E4%B8%87%E4%BA%8B%E5%A6%82%E6%84%8F%20%E5%BF%83%E6%83%B3%E4%BA%8B%E6%88%90%20%E5%B9%B3%E5%AE%89) Speed ## Why each charm brings luck | | Charm | Brings | Why | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Fu, upside down | 福 fú | Good fortune | 倒, upside down, sounds like 到, arrived: luck has come | | Pixiu | 貔貅 píxiū | Money | It eats gold and lets none out | | Lucky cat | 招财猫 zhāocáimāo | Customers, money | Its raised paw beckons wealth in | | Gourd | 葫芦 húlu | Health, long life | It held medicine, and sounds like 福禄, luck and rank | | Copper coins | 铜钱 tóngqián | Wealth | Old money, tied in threes with red string | | Bat | 蝙蝠 biānfú | Blessings | 蝠 sounds like 福 | | Kumquat tree | 金桔 jīnjú | Luck at New Year | 桔 sounds like 吉, lucky | | Red string | 本命年 běnmìngnián | Protection | Worn in your own zodiac year, thought unlucky | ## Lucky symbols fú福 good fortune; blessing shuāng双xǐ喜 double happiness jí吉xiáng祥 auspicious; lucky jí吉xiáng祥wù物 mascot rú如yì意 as one wishes fú符 talisman; charm ## Lucky charms hù护shēn身fú符 amulet; talisman pí貔xiū貅 pixiu (mythical beast said to attract wealth) zhāo招cái财māo猫 lucky cat; beckoning cat hú葫lu芦 bottle gourd; calabash tóng铜qián钱 copper coin (with a square hole) yuán元bǎo宝 gold or silver ingot (old currency) cháng长mìng命suǒ锁 longevity lock (pendant worn by children for long life) yù玉pèi佩 jade pendant; jade ornament xiāng香náng囊 sachet fēng风líng铃 wind chime jù聚bǎo宝pén盆 treasure bowl; cornucopia yáo摇qián钱shù树 money tree; cash cow ## Lucky creatures biān蝙fú蝠 bat (animal) qí麒lín麟 qilin; Chinese unicorn shí石shī狮zi子 stone lion jǐn锦lǐ鲤 koi xǐ喜què鹊 magpie hè鹤 crane (bird) ## Lucky plants and fruit fù富guì贵zhú竹 lucky bamboo (Dracaena) jīn金jú桔 kumquat shòu寿táo桃 longevity peach (peach-shaped bun for birthdays) táo桃huā花 romantic luck ## Gods of luck cái财shén神 God of Wealth fú福lù禄shòu寿 the three gods of fortune, prosperity and longevity mén门shén神 door god (image pasted on doors at New Year) guān关gōng公 Lord Guan (Guan Yu, deified general of the Three Kingdoms) mí弥lè勒fó佛 Maitreya; the Laughing Buddha ## Luck and feng shui hǎo好yùn运 good luck yùn运qi气 luck; fortune jí吉lì利 lucky; auspicious zhuǎn转yùn运 to have a change of luck; to turn one's fortune fēng风shuǐ水 feng shui; geomancy bì辟xié邪 to ward off evil kāi开guāng光 to consecrate (a Buddhist statue, amulet) běn本mìng命nián年 one's zodiac year (every twelfth year) bā八guà卦 the eight trigrams (of the Book of Changes) ## New Year luck hóng红bāo包 red envelope (gift of money) chūn春lián联 Spring Festival couplet nián年huà画 New Year picture biān鞭pào炮 firecracker; string of firecrackers zhāo招cái财jìn进bǎo宝 to bring in wealth and treasure (New Year greeting) wǔ五fú福lín临mén门 may the five blessings come to your home (New Year greeting) wàn万shì事rú如yì意 may all go well (a wish) xīn心xiǎng想shì事chéng成 may all your wishes come true píng平ān安 safe and sound; peaceful ## What are Chinese good luck charms called? A charm worn for protection is a 护身符 (hùshēnfú), an amulet, or just a 符 (fú). Anything that brings luck is 吉祥 (jíxiáng), and a lucky object or mascot is a 吉祥物 (jíxiángwù). The best known are the character 福 (fú), good fortune, the 貔貅 (píxiū), the lucky cat 招财猫 (zhāocáimāo), the gourd 葫芦 (húlu), copper coins 铜钱 (tóngqián) and the red knot 中国结 (Zhōngguó jié). ## What are Chinese good luck charms for money? The 貔貅 (píxiū), a winged lion-like beast that eats gold and lets none out, so wealth comes in and stays; the lucky cat 招财猫 (zhāocáimāo), whose name means beckoning wealth; three copper coins 铜钱 tied with red string; the gold ingot 元宝 (yuánbǎo); and a statue of the God of Wealth, 财神 (Cáishén). The wish that goes with them is 招财进宝 (zhāocái jìnbǎo), bring in wealth and treasure. ## Why is 福 hung upside down? 倒 (dào), upside down, sounds like 到 (dào), to arrive, so 福倒了, the fu is upside down, sounds like 福到了, good fortune has arrived. It goes on doors and walls at Chinese New Year; some families keep the main front door’s 福 the right way up. ## Why do Chinese people wear a red string? In your own zodiac year, 本命年 (běnmìngnián), every twelfth year, you are thought to offend the god of the year and have bad luck. Red wards it off, so people wear a red string bracelet, red socks or red underwear all year. Red is the colour of luck at weddings and New Year for the same reason. ## What do the Chinese gods of luck look like? 福禄寿 (fú lù shòu) are three old gods often seen together: 福 holds a child for happiness, 禄 a ruyi sceptre for rank and pay, and 寿, with his tall bald head and a peach, long life. 财神 (Cáishén), the God of Wealth, wears an official’s robe and holds a gold ingot, and the fat, laughing 弥勒佛 (Mílèfó) is rubbed on the belly for luck. ## What are feng shui charms? 风水 (fēngshuǐ), wind and water, is the art of placing things to bring luck. Its common charms are the wind chime 风铃 (fēnglíng), the bagua mirror with the eight trigrams 八卦 (bāguà) hung outside a door to turn bad luck away, the lucky bamboo 富贵竹 (fùguìzhú), a fish tank by the door, and a pair of stone lions 石狮子 (shíshīzi) guarding the gate. ## What does the Chinese knot mean? The red 中国结 (Zhōngguó jié), Chinese knot, is tied from one cord, with no beginning and no end, so it stands for unity, long life and luck that never runs out; red adds joy and protection. 结 (jié) also means to tie together, as in 结婚 (jiéhūn), to marry. The best known is the endless knot, 盘长结 (pánzhǎng jié), a Buddhist symbol; a double heart knot, 同心结 (tóngxīn jié), is for love; and a 平安结 (píng’ān jié) is for safety. They hang at New Year, at weddings and in cars, often with a tassel, 流苏 (liúsū). ## Can’t hear it? Play uses your device’s Mandarin voice. Edge, Chrome and Safari have one; a browser with none plays each character in our recorded voice instead. ## More Chinese luck - [Chinese lucky numbers](https://mandarinthewild.com/guides/chinese-lucky-numbers) - [Chinese superstitions](https://mandarinthewild.com/guides/chinese-superstitions) - [The five elements](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-five-elements) - [What birds, fish and trees stand for](https://mandarinthewild.com/chinese-bird-fish-and-tree-names) Words, pinyin and meanings from our own dictionary; what each charm brings is common lore and varies by region and family.