expression
laugh and grow fat; fortune comes to a smiling home
Proverb meaning that a cheerful, smiling household attracts good luck and happiness. Often used as a calligraphic motto or on New Year's decorations. Compare 笑う門には福来る, which is the full phrase.
See also: 笑う門には福来る
玄関に「笑門来福」の掛け軸を飾っている。
I have a hanging scroll with 'Laugh and grow fat' displayed in the entrance.
笑門来福という言葉を信じて、毎日笑顔を忘れないようにしている。
Believing in the saying 'Fortune comes to a smiling home,' I try not to forget to smile every day.
The full proverb form; 笑門来福 is a compact four-character version often used in calligraphy or decoration.
A four-character proverb derived from the longer Japanese saying 笑う門には福来る, which itself is influenced by the Chinese phrase 打開笑門福自來. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the meaning has been stable in Japanese as a wish for happiness through cheerfulness.