In the European view of Chinese mythology, Joss signifies a household deity as well as his cult image, which the Portuguese and other Europeans called an "idol". Joss is not Chinese, but a corrupted version of the Portuguese deus for god. Derived words are Joss house, a Chinese temple, and Joss stick, a paste-covered stick that is burned in a religious context.
Joss more recently has also become a colloquial expression for good luck, as in Rip Mattsen's Good Joss Means Good Luck (1974), the first textual documentation of this usage.[1] It is often equated with living in high style and an exclusive lifestyle, as in this review of James Clavell's Noble House[2]