Faux pas derived from Chinese pronunciation

The following faux pas are derived from homonyms in Mandarin and Cantonese. While originating in China and Taiwan, they may also apply to Chinese-speaking people around the world.

Certain customs regarding good and bad luck are important to many Chinese people. Although these might be regarded as superstitions by people from other cultures, these customs are often tied to religious traditions and are an important part of many people's belief systems, even among well-educated people and affluent sectors of society.

Clocks

*It is undesirable to give someone a clock or other timepiece as a gift. Traditional superstitions regard this as counting the seconds to the recipient's death. Another common interpretation of this is that the phrase "to give a clock" (zh-t|送鐘, zh-s|送钟) in Chinese is pronounced "sòng zhōng" in Mandarin, which is a homophone of a phrase for "terminating" or "attending a funeral" (both can be written as 送終 (traditional) or 送终 (simplified)). Cantonese people consider such a gift as a curse. [Susan Kurth Clot deBroissia [http://www.netique.com/giftsearch/international.html#anchor317728 "International Gift Giving Protocol"] ] However, should such a gift be given, the "unluckiness" of the gift can be countered by exacting a small monetary payment so the recipient is buying the clock and thereby counteracting the '送' ("give") expression of the phrase.

Fans & Umbrellas

*It is undesirable to give someone a fan or an umbrella as a gift. The words fan "shàn" (扇) and umbrella "sǎn" (zh-t|傘, zh-s|伞) sound like the word "sàn" (散), meaning scatter or to lose. "sàn kāi" (zh-t|散開, zh-s|散开) means to split up. Wong Yee Lee [http://www.chinatownconnection.com/gifts_in_chinese_culture.htm Gifts in Chinese Culture] ]

Books

*As a book (zh-tsp|t=書|s=书|p=shū) is a Mandarin homophone of "loss" (zh-tsp|t=輸|s=输|p=shū), carrying or looking at a book (zh-tsp|t=帶書, 看書|s=带书, 看书|p=dài shū, kàn shū) where people are taking a risk, such as gambling or investing in stocks, may be considered to invite bad luck and loss (zh-tsp|t=帶輸, 看輸|s=带输, 看输|p=dài shū, kàn shū). This bad luck does not apply to carrying or reading newspapers (zh-tsp|t=帶報, 看報|s=带报, 看报|p=dàibào, kànbào) as newspapers (zh-tsp|t=報紙|s=报纸|p=bàozhǐ) are not books.

Pears

*Sharing a pear with friends or loved ones can be a mistake. "Sharing a pear" (分梨) is a homophone of "separate" (zh-t|分離, zh-s|分离), both pronounced "fēnlí" in Mandarin. Sharing with distant friends is okay.

Hats

*It is a faux pas to give a married man green-colored headwear as a gift. The Chinese saying "wearing a green hat" (zh-t|戴綠帽, zh-s|戴绿帽, Pinyin: dài lǜmào) means that someone's wife is unfaithful. Such a gift would be an insult to the couple. [ [http://www.astm.org/BUSLINKA01/Chan.html Business Success in China] ] For Cantonese speakers, this connotation extends to hats in general.

References