Fu
A Taoist talisman: a written charm in the cursive script of priests, pasted, worn or burned in a ritual.
Also: fulu, talisman paper, Taoist talisman
A fu (符), also fulu, is a talisman drawn by a Taoist priest, a daoshi, on yellow paper or other material. It is written in a stylised script that looks like Chinese characters but is a ritual form, with star patterns, deity names and symbols of command. The tradition holds that the writer's training, breath and ordination give the character its force. Fu are pasted over doors, kept in wallets, folded into a pouch for children, or burned in a rite. Folk belief gives them uses for protection, for health and for a safe house. Fu appear in Chinese, Taiwanese, Vietnamese and Malaysian temple life, and in the films that popularised them. The writing methods are taught within priestly lineages.