春节快到了，不少人家里喜欢贴个“倒福”，寓意“福到了”，但是福字并不是在所有地方都能倒着贴的。具体有哪些讲究？

 

The Lunar New Year is laden¹ with traditional customs. One, still hugely popular, is to hang the Chinese character fu (fortune, bliss) upside down on prominent places.

农历新年讲究各种传统习俗，一个至今广为流传的习俗就是贴倒福。

 

It works as a pun and is meant to prompt visitors to comment: "Your fu is upside down." As "upside down" in Chinese sounds like "arrive", the comment doubles as, "Fortune arrives [at your home]" - a New Year greeting to the household.

这是一个双关，拜访者会说，“你的福倒了。”“倒”在中文里谐音“到”，所以这句话就意味着“福到了”，代表着对一家人的新年祝福。

 

所以什么地方的福字要正着贴呢？大门！

 

大门上的“福”字有“迎福”“纳福”之意，且大门是庄重之地，讲求对称、方正，大门上的“福”字，要正着贴。

 

The front door is the entrance to the household. It's where good fortune can be invited into the house. In Chinese culture it's a solemn place of acceptance that needs to be respected. An upside-down posting of fu on the front door is unnecessary and irreverent.

前门是一户人家的入口，是“迎福”“纳福”之地。在中国文化中，大门是庄重之地，倒着贴“福”是不敬的。

 

而水缸、垃圾箱或屋内的柜子上，“福”字可以倒着贴。

 

A few places that we commonly see the word upside down would be on your rice vat², on the shelves and on the trash bins³. In the past, you may even find it on various big urns⁴ that may contain anything from fermented⁵ foods to water.

通常人们会在米缸、柜子、垃圾箱上看见倒着贴的福字。在旧时候，各种发酵缸、水缸上也会贴着倒福。

 

由于水缸和垃圾箱是从里边倒东西出来。为了避讳把家里的福气倒掉，便倒贴福字。

 

而柜子是存放物品的地方，倒贴福字，表示福气（也是财气）会来到家里。

 

所以，你家的福字贴对了吗？

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