In Chinese, fish are called yú (鱼), a word with the same sound as yú (逾) meaning ‘to exceed’ and yú (余), meaning ‘surplus’. Due to this, fish frequently appear in Chinese iconography and their symbols are typical Chinese good luck charms, especially goldfish, as those are called jīnyú (金鱼) which sounds the same as jīnyú (金逾) or jīnyú (金余) and can be translated as ‘surplus of money’ or ‘gold in excess’. These fish have the Chinese text yǒuyú (有余) on one side and niánnián (年年) on the other, which translates as ‘to have an abundance annually’.

The red charm in the picture on the right, in front of the printed mirror with goldfish, additionally has a golden foo-sign printed on its flank, and is hung up on a red string tied into a Chinese knot. In China, the colour red itself is a symbol for good luck, as well as for health, happiness, harmony, peace and prosperity, whereas the golden colour refers to both completeness and wealth.