Top 10 lucky Chinese characters

Before the Spring Festival in 2015, the luxury brand Burberry put a new Chinese-style scarf on the market. The scarf is embroidered with the Chinese character "fu" (福), which means "luck" and "good fortune." 

奢侈品牌巴宝莉在2015年春节前夕推出了一款中国风的围巾。这款围巾上绣着意为"幸运、福气"的中国汉字"福" (fú)。

Besides "福", there are many other "lucky characters" in Chinese, and we list the top 10 as follows.

除了"福"之外，汉语里还有许多"吉祥字"，这里列出了排在其中的前十名汉字。

1. 福 (fú)- good fortune

Fu is one of the most popular Chinese characters during the Chinese New Year period. It is often posted upside down on the front door, meaning "Good fortune has arrived". (In Chinese, "arrive" and "upside down" share the same pronunciation, dào.) 

"福"是春节期间最受欢迎的一个汉字。"福"经常倒着贴在门上，取意"福到了"。 汉语里，"到"（arrive）和"倒"(upside down)同音。

2. 禄 (lù)–prosperity

It used to mean an official's salary in feudal China. Now it refers to higher payment and better promotion in one's career.

"禄"的原意是指封建中国时期官员们的工资。如今，"禄"用来指加薪或升职。

3. 寿 (shòu) – longevity

Shou also means life, age or birthday. It is generally used to bless elderly people.

"寿"的意思是寿命，通常用来作为对老年人的祝福。

4. 喜 (xǐ)- happiness

This character is usually posted everywhere in double on Chinese weddings (indicating both the bride and the groom are happy).

在中国人的婚礼上，经常看到两个"喜"贴在一起，寓意新娘、新郎幸福。 

5. 财 (cái)- wealth, money

A Chinese saying goes: Money can make a ghost turn a millstone. It goes to show how powerful money is. Therefore, it is common to wish people more money in the New Year.

中国有句古话，"有钱能使鬼推磨"，显示了金钱是何等的神通广大。因此，中国人经常在新年说"恭喜发财"。 

6. 和 (hé)- harmonious

"Harmony" is an important part of Chinese culture. When you have harmonious relations with others, everything will get easier for you.

"和"是中国文化的一个重要部分。当你与他人关系和睦，事事都会比较顺心。

7. 爱 (ài)- love, affection

It is a universal lucky word, isn't it?

"爱"是无国界的。 

8. 美 (měi)- beautiful, pretty     

It means beauty or beautiful in Chinese. It can be used to describe one's appearance or feelings.

"美"的意思是"美人、漂亮"，可以用来形容一个人的外表与心灵。 

9. 吉 (jí)- lucky

In Chinese, it means everything goes well. And when that is the case, you are obviously lucky.

"吉"意为"吉祥如意"，这种情况下，你显然是幸运的。

10. 德 (dé)– virtue

It means virtue, morality, heart, mind, kindness etc. Most Chinese believe that one needs to show good virtues to be a convincing leader.

"德"意为"道德"或"有德的"。在大多数中国人眼中，要想成为一名服众的领导，首先必须要有德。

The article is translated and editted by Chinlingo. Please indicate the source for any use, reproduction or transfer. 

本文由Chinlingo编译后发布，如需转载，请标明来源。