Sanxing (deities)

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Sanxing
Shou, Lu, and Fu gods at a Chinese folk religious temple in Mong Kok, Hong Kong
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	福祿壽
Simplified Chinese	福禄寿
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Fú Lù Shòu Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Fūk Luhk Sauh Jyutping Fuk1 Luk6 Sau6 Southern Min Hokkien POJ Hok-lo̍k-siū
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabet	Phúc Lộc Thọ
Chữ Hán	福祿壽
Japanese name
Kanji	福禄寿
Transcriptions Romanization Fuku Roku Ju

The Sanxing (Chinese: 三星; pinyin: sānxīng; lit. 'Three Stars') are the gods of the three celestial bodies considered essential in Chinese astrology and mythology: Jupiter, Ursa Major, and Canopus. Fu, Lu, and Shou (traditional Chinese: 福祿壽; simplified Chinese: 福禄寿; pinyin: Fú Lù Shòu; Cantonese Yale: Fūk Luhk Sauh), or Cai, Zi and Shou (財子壽) are also the embodiments of Fortune (Fu), presiding over the planet Jupiter, Prosperity (Lu), presiding over Mizar (ζ Ursa Majoris), and Longevity (Shou), presiding over Canopus. They have emerged from Chinese folk religion. Their iconic representation as three, old, bearded, wise men dates back to the Ming dynasty,^[1] when the gods of the three stars were represented in human form for the first time. They are sometimes identified with other deities of the Chinese religion or of Taoism.

The term is commonly used in Chinese culture to denote the three attributes of a good life. Statues of these three gods are found on the facades of folk religion's temples, ancestral shrines, in homes and many Chinese-owned shops, often on small altars with a glass of water, an orange or other auspicious offerings, especially during Chinese New Year. Traditionally, they are arranged right to left (Shou on the left of the viewer, Lu in the middle, and Fu on the far right), just as Chinese characters are traditionally written from right to left.