1.Clocks
Giving a Chinese friend a clock as a present should be avoided because it sounds likeSong Zhongin Chinese, which means funeral ritual or being present at the bedside when a person is about to die.
2.Green Hats
A green hat refers to the phraseDai Lu Maoin Chinese, which means a man’s wife is cheating on him. A man who wears a green hat implies that his wife commits adultery.
3.Umbrella
Giving your friend an umbrella means you want to end the relationship because umbrella sounds likeSanin Chinese, which means to separate. Giving a married couple an umbrella as a gift should be avoided.
4.Gifts in Sets of Four
Four sounds likeSiin Chinese, which means death. You should avoid giving gifts in sets of four. In China, you may see the English letter F instead of 4 in elevators.
5.Pear
The word pear should likeLiin Chinese, which has the same meaning as separate and is considered bad luck.
6.Shoes
Giving shoes as gift may not be a good idea becauseSong XieZi(giving shoes) sounds similar to break up.
7.Knife or Scissors
Knife and Scissors are used for cutting. They symbolize breaking a relationship.
8.Chrysanthemum
In China, chrysanthemum is often used to mourn the death of the loved ones.
9.Towels
Towels are given out at funerals. Receiving a towel as a gift may bring back sad memories.
10.Anything in White or Black
In China, the colors white and black are associated with bad luck because they are used during funerals. Therefore, wrapping your gifts in these colors should be avoided.
Etiquette
1. When eating rice from a bowl, hold the rice bowl up to the mouth and use chopsticks to shovel the rice directly into the mouth.
2. Use chopsticks to pass food to the elder people to show respect and love.
3. Use chopsticks to transfer food to closely related people such as grandparents, parents, spouse, and children.
4. Let the elders to take up their chopsticks first.
5. Traditionally, Chinese people would use their own chopsticks to get from the dishes to their own bowls or to pass food from the dishes to the elders’ or gusts’ bowls. Today, using shared chopsticks (Gongkuai) are common. Shared chopsticks are used to take food directly from serving dishes, and the chopsticks are returned to the dishes afterward.
Taboos
1. Do not dig through and look for particular food. This is sometimes known as grave-digging in Chinese.
2. Do not put the chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice because it is like incense burning, which means feeding the dead in general.
3. Do not use the chopsticks to hit the side of your bowl or plate to make noises because Chinese people think only beggars would do this to beg for food.
4. Do not suck the end of the chopsticks. Chinese people think it is impolite.
5. Do not play with your chopsticks or use them to poke food or people.