Where to put a money frog, and which way it should face

The three-legged money frog, or Jin Chan (金蟾), is one of the most popular wealth symbols in Chinese homes and shops. Legend says it was once a greedy toad that the immortal Liu Hai tamed with a string of coins. From then on it carried money in instead of taking it away.

Where you put it matters more than how big it is. Here are the traditional rules, in order.

1. Put it in your wealth corner

Stand inside your front door and look to the far corner diagonally across the room. That is the wealth corner in the simplest method. A money frog sits there, low to the ground, near the floor or on a low shelf. Find your wealth corner on your own floor plan.

2. Face it into the room, never out the door

The frog should look as if it has just hopped in through your front door with a coin in its mouth. If it faces the door, tradition says it carries money out. Many people turn it to face the door in the morning and back into the room at night, as if it went out to collect and came home.

3. Keep it low, and out of these rooms

• Not in the bathroom or the kitchen, where water and fire are said to wash and burn wealth away.
• Not in the bedroom, where active wealth energy disturbs rest.
• Not on a high shelf: frogs live near the ground.
• Not facing a toilet or a trash can.

4. Look after it

Dust it often. A coin should sit in its mouth. Some families give it a small dish of water, since frogs love water. Never put it on the floor where people step over it.

Office and shop

In a shop, put the frog near the cash register, facing in toward the counter. At a desk, put it at the far left corner from where you sit, low and facing you.

Quick checklist

• Wealth corner, diagonal from the front door
• Low, near the floor
• Facing into the room
• Coin in its mouth
• Clean and dust-free