Faux pas derived from Chinese pronunciation
The following
Certain customs regarding good and bad
Clocks
This homonymic pair works in nearly all varieties of Chinese, as the words for 'clock' and 'end' came to be pronounced identically very early in mainstream Chinese varieties, by around the 11th century. That being said, this taboo does not apply to smaller items such as watches, as they are not called zhōng in most parts of China, unlike clocks and large bells[contradictory]. Watches are commonly given as gifts in China.
However, should such a gift be given, the "unluckiness" of the gift can be countered by exacting a small monetary payment so that the recipient is buying the clock and thereby counteracting the '送' ("to gift") expression of the phrase.
Fans and umbrellas
It is undesirable to give someone a
These homonymic pairs work in Mandarin and Cantonese. Cantonese has a more idiomatic term for umbrellas (ze1 in Cantonese, 遮) to avoid precisely this association.
Books
As a book (simplified Chinese: 书; traditional Chinese: 書; pinyin: shū) is a homophone of "loss, to lose" (simplified Chinese: 输; traditional Chinese: 輸; pinyin: shū) in many areas, carrying or looking at a book (simplified Chinese: 带书, 看书; traditional Chinese: 帶書, 看書; 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 (simplified Chinese: 带输, 看输; traditional Chinese: 帶輸, 看輸; pinyin: dài shū, kàn shū). This bad luck does not apply to carrying or reading newspapers (simplified Chinese: 带报, 看报; traditional Chinese: 帶報, 看報; pinyin: dàibào, kànbào) as newspapers (simplified Chinese: 报纸; traditional Chinese: 報紙; pinyin: bàozhǐ) are not books.[6]
This homonymic pair works in Cantonese and Mandarin, with the avoidance particularly common in Cantonese-speaking areas.
See also
- List of unlucky symbols
- Homophonic puns in Mandarin Chinese
- Tetraphobia
References
- ^ Brown, Ju (2006). China, Japan, Korea Culture and Customs. p. 57.
- ^ Seligman, Scott D. (1999). Chinese business etiquette:: a guide to protocol, manners, and culture in the People's Republic of China. Hachette Digital, Inc.
- ^ http://www.sohu.com/a/160882715_578225 Archived 2018-01-05 at the Wayback Machine 别人过节喜庆的时候,不送钟表。送终和送钟谐音。
- ^ BBC Staff (26 January 2015). "UK minister apologises for Taiwan watch gaffe". BBC. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
- ^ Susan Kurth Clot deBroissia International Gift Giving Protocol
- ^ a b Wong Yee Lee Gifts in Chinese Culture Archived 2006-11-09 at the Wayback Machine