CHINESE SUPERSTITIONS AND CUSTOMS

#1 Everyday Chinese Customs

The first surprising customs you’ll run into in China are most likely everyday
beliefs and taboos you need to know about. A lot of them have to do with saving face.
The concept of saving face is uniquely important in China, and elsewhere in Asia and
it shouldn’t be ignored. Knowing what helps save face is therefore essential: it’s key
to making those around you feel comfortable and showing them you know and respect
their superstitions and traditions.
Death

A huge taboo in China is 死 sǐ death. You don’t want to talk about death in public

in China.
As you learn about cultural taboos and traditional customs in China, you’ll find that
many traditional taboos in the Chinese culture come from ancient times and stem
from Taoism. Not talking openly about death is no different. In ancient China, taoist
scholars would prohibit any mention of this topic. This was a way to keep death and
ghosts away from their life since immortality was their ultimate goal.

An old taoist saying explains: 敬鬼神而远之 jìng guǐ shén ér yuǎn zhī -Respect the

ghosts and keep away from it.

As such, even now, Chinese citizens are afraid to use the word “death” because
they fear that saying it will make it real, and their family members will die.
However, this doesn’t mean that death is entirely off the table. The Chinese believe
that everything forms the two sides of a same coin: for example, death and birth are
linked.
 Confucius said: 未知生 焉知死 wèi zhīshēngyān zhī sǐ -How can you know what

death is before knowing what life is?

If to talk about death, Chinese people usually replace the word 死 by one of the

following expressions: 老了 lǎo le, 走了 zǒu le they left, 不在了 bú zài le they aren't

there or 过世 guò shì to say that someone passed away in a less direct manner.

Forget about green hats

Wearing a green hat

Wondering why green hats are a taboo in China? Well, 戴绿帽子 dàilǜmào zi,

which originally innocently meant wearing a green hat, also means: to cuckold. So
now, it is believed that when people wear a green hat, it means that they cheated on
their partner.

According to stories, the Emperor 朱元璋 zhū yuánzhāng, who founded the Ming

dynasty and ruled China from 1368 to 1398, claimed that prostituted men had to wear
green hats to be recognizable among others.
Kissing someone you don’t know
Don’t try to kiss a girl you don’t know, even on the cheeks and even it’s just to
greet her! No. Never. Not in China. By doing that, all you’ll accomplish is getting her
upset and embarrassed. Kissing someone you don’t know is viewed as disrespectful,
and you should pray her boyfriend/husband didn’t see you. For western people,
especially Latins, it can seem more than normal to hug or to give someone a kiss on
the cheek to say hello; but if you’re meeting someone for the first time, don’t even try
to say hi that way in China. A formal handshake is your best option.
#2 Chinese Customs about Numbers
 Chinese people are very careful when it comes to numbers. They avoid using some
of them because they represent bad luck. There’s a popular saying about numbers that
sums up well how the Chinese view numbers:

They like to say 好事成双 hǎo shì chéng shuāng- all good things come in pairs.

In order to prevent unlucky things from happening, Chinese people would rather
choose even numbers to plan the date of a big event such as a wedding, when giving
gifts (two is better than one – sign me up for that custom!) and when getting a new
phone number.
Lucky number: 8 and 6

For instance, Chinese people generally like the numbers 8 and 6, because 八 bā

number 8 sounds like 生意发 Shēngyì fā rich in Chinese.

As for 六 liù number 6, it’s homophonic with 流 liú flow that represents good

fortune.
Avoid the number 4

People are very wary of the number 4. In Chinese 四 sì 4 sounds like 死 sǐ death

death. What an awful homophonic! That explains why, according to superstitions, 4

represents bad luck.
If you go to China, you’ll see something really surprising: there are no fourth floors
in buildings. When in an elevator, you’ll go from the 3rd floor to the 5th one.
No more seven heaven
There’s another unlucky number for Chinese people:

七 qī 7
 Well, some like 七 because it is an homophonic of 起 qǐ start, rise which means

good things for them. Maybe a new start? A new success?

It also sounds like 气 qì vital energy.

But, on the contrary, for some Chinese people, 七 is an unlucky number and that’s

because of another homophonic: 欺 qī to cheat. Many couples avoid getting married

on the 7th date because of the 欺 homophonic.

#3 Yummy Chinese Customs about Food

Food is another topic that must be taken seriously in China. There are many rules
when it comes to food, just like in every country: use only your right hand in India, no
elbows on the table in France, tea ceremony in Japan.
When having a meal, there are many prohibited and customary acts one must
follow: at a banquet, for example, the place of honor is reserved for the host, or the
most senior person in the room.
Mind the Rice Bowl
At the end of a meal, if you’re full, do not stick your chopsticks straight up in your
rice bowl. It’s said to bring you bad luck as it looks like the incense Chinese put on
tombs to mourn someone that has passed away. It is all part of Chinese customs.
Another thing you must avoid when done eating is to place your rice bowl, upside
down on the table. This is believed to definitely not be a good omen for you and you
friends.
Sharing a pear
In China, sharing a pear with friends or relatives is impossible and not something
we suggest attempting. People believe that sharing a pear will bring negativity,
pessimism and overall be a bad omen for your friendship or family. The Chinese word

分梨 fēnlí to share a pear sounds the same as 分离 fēnlí to separate. As such, the

Chinese strongly believe that sharing a pear will lead to friendships splitting and even
divorce.

#4 Merry Chinese Customs about Celebrations

Wedding customs
Weddings must be taken seriously in China. There are many taboos about love and
traditionally Chinese people do not show their love publicly.
This is changing as the newer generations throw caution to the wind, but some
customs and traditions remain steadfast in the Chinese society.
Break a leg…not the tail
Wedding guests will offer many special gifts to the newly weds. If you happen to
be giving a roast pig to the bride’s family (perhaps not your first choice, but a good
choice nonetheless), make sure the tail and ears aren’t broken. If they are, it means the
bride is not a virgin and that would insult her family.
Postponed weddings
Another superstition regarding weddings is when one of the lovers’ parents passes
away, then they should at least wait 100 days before getting married or it would be
extremely disrespectful.
Restrictions for the newlyweds
There are many restrictions newlyweds must observe. To keep bad luck away, for
instance, they must not go to funerals, other weddings and to visit someone’s newborn
in the 3 months following their wedding day.
Gifts that are not gifts
 Whatever you do, never offer your friends a clock. To protect your friendship with

someone, 钟 zhōnɡ clock is prohibited as a present. 钟 sounds just like 终 zhōnɡ the

end, by offering a 钟, it would mean that you want to break your friendship.

Besides, the sentence 送钟 sònɡ zhōnɡ to offer a clock has also the same sound as

in 送终 sònɡ zhōnɡ to say farewell to someone dying.

And you surely don’t want to 送钟 / 送终 your best friend. Giving them a clock

would curse them.

Offering a 伞 sǎn umbrella is also a very bad idea, as it’s believed to be a bad omen

for you and your friend. 伞 has the same pronunciation as 散 sàn to seperate ways.

Longevity noodles

In Chinese customs, birthdays are always celebrated with a bowl of 长寿面

Chángshòu miànqī longevity noodles.

长寿面 are really long and continuous to symbolize long life and good health.

Because their shape represents longevity, make sure you don’t cut or bite into them
when eating them or it might shorten your life. When it comes to longevity noodles,
slurping is better!
Chinese New Year
A lot of traditions, superstitions, beliefs, customs and taboos surround the Chinese
New Year.
Don’t use your words like a weapon
 During the most expected event of the year, you must be cautious when it comes to
using some words. Don’t mention the words poor, die, cut, break and gone. That
should help keep away the bad luck according to Chinese customs.
An important thing you must remember is that doing something on New Year’s
Eve will have an impact on the year to come. If you cry on New Year’s Eve, it is
believed you’ll cry all year long. If you break a dish, the New Year will be full of
broken things for you. So do happy, positive things on New Year’s Eve. Have fun and
enjoy your life!
Hairway to bad luck
People think that the first lunar month is terribly unlucky so according to this
Chinese custom, they don’t cut their hair during the 1st lunar month because they fear
it will bring them bad luck. Cutting hair is losing hair and losing hair during an
unlucky month can lead to lose something even more important this year. So if you
want to stay lucky for the year to come, keep that in mind and grow out your hair.