Faux pas derived from Chinese pronunciation

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For a broader discussion of faux pas in China see etiquette in Asia.

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 folk and affluent sectors of society. They should be respected accordingly.

1 Clocks
2 Fans & Umbrellas
3 Books
4 Pears
5 Hats
6 References

[edit] Clocks

It is undesireable 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" (Traditional Chinese: 送鐘, Simplified Chinese: 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. ^[1]

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, counteract the '送' expression of the phrase.

[edit] Fans & Umbrellas

It is undesireable to give someone a fan or an umbrella as a gift. The words fan "shàn" (扇) and umbrella "sǎn" (Traditional Chinese: 傘, Simplified Chinese: 伞) sound like the word "sàn" (散), meaning scatter or to lose. "sàn kāi" (Traditional Chinese: 散開, Simplified Chinese: 散开) means to split up. ^[2]

[edit] Books

As a book (Traditional Chinese: 書; Simplified Chinese: 书; pinyin: shū) is a Mandarin homophone of "loss" (Traditional Chinese: 輸; Simplified Chinese: 输; pinyin: shū), carrying or looking at a book (Traditional Chinese: 帶書, 看書; Simplified Chinese: 带书, 看书; pinyin: 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 (Traditional Chinese: 帶輸, 看輸; Simplified Chinese: 带输, 看输; pinyin: dài shū, kàn shū). This bad luck does not apply to carrying or reading newspapers (Traditional Chinese: 帶報, 看報; Simplified Chinese: 带报, 看报; pinyin: dàibào, kànbào) as newspapers (Traditional Chinese: 報紙; Simplified Chinese: 报纸; pinyin: bàozhǐ) are not books. ^[2]

[edit] Pears

Sharing a pear with friends or loved ones can be a mistake. "Sharing a pear" (分梨) is a homophone of "separate" (Traditional Chinese: 分離, Simplified Chinese: 分离), both pronounced "fēnlí" in Mandarin. Sharing with distant friends is okay. ^[3]

[edit] Hats

It is a faux pas to give a married man green-colored headwear as a gift. The Chinese saying "wearing a green hat" (Traditional Chinese: 戴綠帽, Simplified Chinese: 戴绿帽, Pinyin: dài lǜmào) means that someone's wife is unfaithful. Such a gift would be an insult to the couple. ^[4] For Cantonese speakers, this connotation extends to hats in general.