Difficulty: Challenger (Level 2)
In Chinese culture, objects can be considered lucky or unlucky.
For example, red-coloured items are considered auspicious. That means they are associated with good fortune and success. Other things are considered unlucky, especially when given to someone as a present.
Here are three things that you should never give someone as a gift, according to traditional Chinese beliefs.
Pears
Fresh fruit is a great gift, especially for special occasions like Lunar New Year. However, there is one fruit you must avoid.
The word for pears in Cantonese and Mandarin sounds very similar to the term for “leaving” or “to part from”.
If you gift someone a pear, it could be seen as expressing that you hope their family breaks apart. Or it could mean you want some distance from them.
Shoes
The word for shoes in Mandarin is xie, which sounds similar to the word for “evil”.
That means gifting someone shoes means you hope they have bad fortune.
Shoes are also frowned upon in Cantonese culture. The Cantonese pronunciation, haai, sounds like the word for “rough”. Giving someone shoes could be seen as wishing rough times on them.
And since shoes are used for walking, gifting someone a pair can also imply you want them to walk away from you.
Umbrellas
Umbrellas are another unlucky gift in Chinese culture. This is because their name – san in Mandarin – sounds like “scatter” or “separate”.
So if you gift someone an umbrella, it means you wish to be separated from them.
