福 禄 寿 禧
Prosperity, Wealth,
Longevity and Happiness

Chinese characters usually have one or more meanings and some of them are particularly loved by Chinese people. Fu, Lu and Shou are on the top ten list of the lucky ones.

福, 'Fu' (Good Fortune) is the Star God of Fortune and Wealth. He sometimes stands one head taller than the other two Star Gods. He is always placed in the centre of them. The Star God of Happiness and Wealth holds a symbol of gold signifying wealth. Fu is one of the most popular Chinese characters used in Chinese New Year.

禄, 'Lu' - Prosperity. It used to mean official's salary in feudal China. Lu is also the God of high rank and affluence. He sometimes holds a small child symbolising wishes of healthy offspring, good fortune and hope of the future and the present. He is also seen at times holding a sceptre of power and affluence. Lu symbolises the opportunity to better ones self and receive high rewards.

The Star God of Health and Longevity is called 'Shou', 寿. He is recognised by his large head and he carries a peach in one hand which only blossoms once every three thousand years symbolising immortality. It is considered lucky to wed in the month that the Peach tree blossoms, signifying a long marriage. Shou also means life, age or birthday.

The combination of these Three Star Gods are considered auspicious by Chinese people from around the world. The three Gods should be placed in an area which is higher than a table as a mark of their honour. They are said to symbolise certain constellations in the heavens and are acknowledged at certain months of the year.

禧 - 'Happiness', is an addition to the above three. The Star God of Happiness will springle and shower blessings to ensure people will be happy always.

"Fortune", "wealth", "longevity" and "happiness" are the 4 most used words for blessings in ancient China.

There are many statues, figures, posters and ornaments made of these four stars and characters and they are extremely popular.

This carving, which I did on four separate pieces of wood, were joined together in a diamond shape. It is now hanging on the wall in my mom's house with red tassels attached to its bottom. May the Star Gods of Fortune, Prosperity, Longevity and Happiness always be close to her and give her plenty of blessings.

年年有'余'
There's Always Leftovers

This is a popular idiom used during the chinese lunar new year. It means one would have 'leftovers' (which implies more than enough) every year.

I bought this piece of pre-cut wood from the $2 store. Right away I knew what I was going to carve on it. I had just been waiting to find a piece of wood that in some way reminded me of fish.

There are only three characters on the plaque: 年年有(nian-nian-you). The first two are of the same chinese character and I have them laid out as if they are the skeleton of the fish. Both characters mean year. The 3rd character, 有(has), is made up of two strokes and a crescent moon, which ressembles the gill of the fish, so there is where I carved it. I didn't carve the 4th character of the idiom, 余(the leftovers) because I thought the shape of the fish already suggested it. I believed that most who read chinese would understand what I meant.

Actually, the chinese character for 'leftovers' is not the same as the character for fish. The reason why 'fish' is in the picture is because both the characters, for 余(surplus) and 鱼(fish), are pronounced in the same way! This also explains why we often see fish on ang-pow packets, greeting cards and as new year ornaments.

I believe this piece of wood was meant to be a small cutting board for fruits. I placed a pearl in the hole for hanging to be the fish's eye. All it then needed was a round loop in the fish's mouth and the rope so it looked like the fish was hooked. It sure looks cute, I love it! :)
Lastly, I chose orange for the fish simply because it is a chinese new year colour. Chinese often use red, yellow and orange to decorate for chinese new year. It is believed that these strong bright colours will scare away the evil monster called 年(year), and bring luck to the people.