It was commonly held by the ancients that two gods, Shen-ch'a and Yu-ku, dwelt in a certain mountain peach grove, where they ate nothing but monsters and demons. People carved their imagined likenesses into peachwood to hang over their doors to secure the peace of the home. Thus developed the peachwood charm.
古代民間又盛傳一山桃林裡，住有「神荼、鬱壘」兩位神仙，專吃妖魔鬼怪，因此人們就想像這二仙的模樣，以桃木雕像，懸掛在門上，期能永保平安，於是產生了「桃符」。