Merry Christmas! Or maybe not…
Imagine this: You’ve found the perfect gift for your Chinese friend. It’s practical, it’s expensive, and you wrapped it beautifully. You hand it over with a smile, but instead of looking happy, your friend looks horrified.
Why? Because you might have just accidentally told them you want your friendship to end—or worse, that their time is up!
Gift-giving in Chinese culture is a minefield of homophones (words that sound the same) and ancient superstitions. In our latest video, Fiona and Iona act out exactly what happens when gift-giving goes wrong.
Here is a breakdown of the absolute worst gifts you can give in Chinese culture and the linguistic reasons why.
1. Sets of Four (The Number of Death)
The Gift: A set of four cups, four coasters, or four of anything.
The Meaning: In Chinese culture, the number four is incredibly unlucky.
- Chinese: 四 (sì) – Four
- Homophone: 死 (sǐ) – Death
Because these words sound nearly identical, giving four of anything is considered a bad omen. Historically, some buildings wouldn’t even have a fourth floor! While modern buildings often do, it is still a number best avoided in gift-giving.
2. Clocks (Your Time is Up)
The Gift: A wall clock or desk clock.
The Meaning: This is perhaps the most famous taboo. In Chinese, the phrase “to give a clock” sounds exactly like the phrase for attending a funeral or paying last respects to the dying.
- Chinese: 送鐘 (sòng zhōng) – To give a clock
- Homophone: 送終 (sòng zhōng) – To attend a funeral/send off a deceased person
By giving a clock, you are essentially telling the recipient, “Your time is up.” Note that this usually applies to larger clocks; wristwatches are generally acceptable in modern times, but traditionalists might still avoid them.
3. Sharp Objects (Cutting Ties)
The Gift: Knives, scissors, or a fancy Swiss Army knife.
The Meaning: You might think a high-quality chef’s knife is a great gift for a foodie, but symbolically, sharp objects represent severing a relationship.
- Idiom: 一刀兩斷 (yī dāo liǎng duàn)
- Translation: “One cut, two parts” (meaning to make a clean break or sever ties).
Giving a knife implies you want to cut the friendship or relationship apart.
Pro-tip: If you really want to give a knife (or if you receive one), you can “buy” it from the giver for a small coin (like $1 or 1 RMB). This turns the gift into a transaction, breaking the bad luck!
4. Umbrellas (Let’s Break Up)
The Gift: A useful umbrella.
The Meaning: Umbrellas are practical, especially in rainy cities like Taipei or London, but the pronunciation causes issues again.
- Chinese: 傘 (sǎn) – Umbrella
- Homophone: 散 (sàn) – To scatter, separate, or break up.
Giving an umbrella to a partner suggests that you want to go your separate ways.
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5. Green Hats (The Ultimate Insult)
The Gift: A stylish green beanie or cap.
The Meaning: Just don’t do it. In Western culture, green might just be a festive color or a sign of an elf. In Chinese culture, wearing a green hat has a very specific, humiliating meaning for men.
- Phrase: 戴綠帽子 (dài lǜ màozi)
- Translation: “To wear a green hat.”
- Meaning: Your partner is cheating on you (you are being cuckolded).
Giving a man a green hat is basically insinuating that his wife or girlfriend is unfaithful.
6. Mirrors (Attracting Ghosts)
The Gift: A vanity mirror or compact.
The Meaning: Mirrors are believed to attract ghosts or evil spirits in traditional folklore. Furthermore, they are fragile.
- Idiom: 破鏡難圓 (pò jìng nán yuán)
- Translation: “A broken mirror is hard to reunite.”
If the mirror breaks, it symbolizes a relationship that cannot be fixed. It’s seen as a bad omen for the future of your connection with that person.
7. The Professional Taboo: Pineapples
The Gift: Pineapple cakes (Feng li su) or fresh pineapples.
The Meaning: This one is tricky because pineapples are usually Lucky!
In Taiwanese Hokkien, “Pineapple” sounds like “Fortune Comes.”
- Hokkien: 鳳梨 (ōng-lâi) – Pineapple
- Sounds like: 旺來 (wàng lái) – Good luck/prosperity comes.
However, you should never give pineapples to:
- Doctors / Nurses
- Police Officers
- Firefighters
Why? Because these professions do not want “booming business.” Good business for a doctor means more patients; good business for a firefighter means more fires. If you give a nurse a pineapple, they might jokingly (or angrily) tell you to take it back!
Do people really still believe this?
Younger generations are definitely less superstitious than their parents or grandparents. If you give a close friend a knife because they love cooking, they will likely understand your good intentions.
However, if you are giving a gift to an elder, a business associate, or someone traditional, it is always safer to avoid these items!
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