吉祥一词， 始见于《易经》：“ 吉事有祥。”《左传》有：“是何祥也？吉祥焉在？”《庄子》则有：“虚室生日，吉祥止止。”《注疏》亦云：“吉者，福善之事；祥者，嘉庆之征。”

　　吉祥二字，在甲骨文中被写作“吉羊”。上古人过着游牧生活，羊肥大成群是很“吉祥”的事，在古器物的铭文中多有“吉羊”。《说文》云：“羊，祥也。”

　　吉祥，是美好、幸运的形象；吉祥，是人类最迷人的主题。艺术最终都是把理想形象化，而吉祥图，是中华吉祥文化最璀璨的明珠。旧时有联：“善果皆欢喜，香云普吉祥。”吉祥图有：吉祥如意、五福吉祥等。

　　五福，是吉祥的具体体现。福、禄、寿、喜、财，在民间被称为五福；福星、禄星、寿星、喜神、财神，在仙界被尊为五福神。五福最早见于《尚书》：“五福，一曰寿，二曰富，三曰康宁，四曰攸好德，五曰考终命。”旧时有联：“三阳临吉地，五福萃华门。”吉祥图有：五福捧寿、三多五福等。

　　吉祥图不仅有“五福”之内涵，而且与绘画艺术和语言艺术珠联璧合。在绘画上，吉祥图体现了中国画主要的表现手段——线的魅力，给人以美感，令人赏心悦目。吉祥图虽多出自民间画工之手，却多有顾恺之“春蚕吐丝”之韵，曹仲达“曹衣出水”之美，吴道子“吴带当风”之妙。在语言上，吉祥图使古代文化通俗化和普及化，吉祥图多配有一句浓缩成四个字的吉语祥词，给人以吉祥的祝愿，令人心驰神往。

　　《中华五福吉祥图典》，汇集了著名文化学者黄全信的数代家传和几十年收藏的精品吉祥图，可谓美不胜收。其中既有明之典雅，又有清之华丽；既有皇家之富贵，又有民间之淳朴；既有北方之粗犷，又有南方之秀美……全套书按五福分成福、禄、寿、喜、财五集，每集吉祥图119幅，共595幅。除同类图案外，全套书均按笔画顺序编排，基本包括了中国传统吉祥图的各个方面，并对每幅图做了考证和诠释，力求图文并茂，相得益彰。

　　五福人人喜，吉祥家家乐。吉祥图是中国的，也是世界的，故以汉英对照出版。《中华五福吉祥图典》会给您带来吉祥，给您全家带来幸福。

　　The word jíxiáng（meaning lucky, propitious, or auspicious） is used in ancient Chinese books and writings as early as the Zhou Dynasty (1100 -221BC).

　　The word jíxiáng was written 吉羊（jíyáng, auspicious sheep） on oracle bones. To the ancient nomadic Chinese, large herds of well-fed sheep were prized possessions; the word jíyáng also appeared in engravings on ancient utensils.

　　To have good luck is an eternal desire of all people. As art records man’s ideals, good luck pictures are the most illuminating part of Chinese spiritual culture. An old Chinese couplet says that kindness leads to happiness and good luck. Typical good luck pictures representing such include images depicting good luck and desire fulfilled to the heart’s content, good luck with five blessings, etc.

　　The five blessings, good fortune, high salary and a good career, longevity, happiness, and wealth, are the major manifestations of good luck, with five different gods presiding over each. The five blessings as first mentioned in Chinese literature are not quite the same as the five which are spoken of today, though they are quite similar. A couplet says a prosperous family is granted many blessings. Typical good luck pictures representing such include: long-term enjoyment of all five blessings, more blessings, etc.

　　Designs of Chinese Blessings is a compilation of selected good luck pictures passed down in the famous Chinese cultural scholar Huang Quanxin’s family for several generations as well as those which I have been collecting for dozens of years. Their beauty is beyond description. They combine the elegance of the Ming Dynasty and the magnificence of the Qing Dynasty, the nobility of the royal family and the modesty of the common people, the boldness of the north and the delicacy of the south. The series consists of five volumes: Good Fortune, High Salary and a Good Career, Longevity, Happiness and Wealth. With 119 pictures in each volume, the whole series contains 595 pictures and is a complete representation of the various aspects of traditional Chinese good luck pictures. Pictures are arranged based on the stroke number of the first character of good luck phrases accompanying the picture. As well, research has been done on each picture, and the resulting interpretations complement the visuals nicely.

　　As the five blessings are the aspiration of each individual, good luck delights all households. Though the good luck pictures originate in China, their messages should benefit people all over the world. May the Designs of Chinese Blessings bring good luck to your life and happiness to your family.