{"id":12333,"date":"2019-12-02T03:21:29","date_gmt":"2019-12-02T03:21:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.blog.thatsmandarin.com\/?p=12333"},"modified":"2019-12-02T03:21:29","modified_gmt":"2019-12-02T03:21:29","slug":"gifts-in-china","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/api.thatsmandarin.com\/blog\/gifts-in-china\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Things NEVER to Give as Gifts in China"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\tIf you happen to buy gifts in China for your Chinese friends, you should be really careful. There are several items that Chinese people would never consider as presents, and you might unintentionally hurt someone. What are these items? Why people don’t give them as gifts in China? Let’s find out.<\/p>\n

\"What<\/p>\n

1. \u949f (zh\u014dng) Clock\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Why the clock is a bad gift for Chinese people?<\/h3>\n

In Chinese culture, giving someone a clock as a present is absolutely unacceptable.<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t do it because the Chinese phrase for \u201cgiving a clock as a present\u201d is \u9001\u949f (s\u00f2ng zh\u014dng), which sounds similar to \u9001\u7ec8 (s\u00f2ng zh\u014dng),\u00a0\u201cto pay one\u2019s last respects to someone\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"What<\/p>\n

2. \u83ca\u82b1 (j\u00fahu\u0101) Chrysanthemum<\/h2>\n

Why shouldn’t you give chrysanthemums as a gift in China?<\/h3>\n

In China, girls are happy to receive flowers.\u00a0And yet, there is one flower\u00a0that\u00a0Chinese people would never give to someone as a present – a\u00a0chrysanthemum.<\/p>\n

In Chinese culture, chrysanthemums are used to commemorate deceased family members, especially during the Tomb Sweeping Festival every year.<\/p>\n

\"What<\/p>\n

3. \u8721\u70db (l\u00e0zh\u00fa) Candles<\/h2>\n

What kind of candles is a bad gift in China?<\/h3>\n

Similar to chrysanthemums, red candles are often used to pay respects to the deceased, and they are hardly used as presents.<\/p>\n

\"What<\/p>\n

4. \u4f1e (s\u01cen) Umbrella<\/h2>\n

Is an umbrella a good gift for your Chinese friends?<\/h3>\n

The pronunciation of \u4f1e (s\u01cen) is very similar to \u6563 (s\u00e0n), which means \u201cto disperse\u201d.<\/p>\n

That’s why giving your friend a \u6563 (s\u00e0n) as a present means that you are likely not to see each other again.<\/p>\n

\"What<\/p>\n

5. \u978b (xi\u00e9) Shoes<\/h2>\n

Can you buy shoes as a present for your friends in China?<\/h3>\n

In Chinese, the character \u90aa is pronounced (xi\u00e9), and means \u201cevil\u201d. That’s why most Chinese people are reluctant to receive a pair of shoes as a present – they believe\u00a0it can bring bad luck.<\/p>\n

However, superstitions related to shoes are now a bit outdated, and nowadays most young people in China have no problem with receiving a fancy pair of shoes from their friends as a present.<\/p>\n

\"What<\/p>\n

6. \u5e3d\u5b50 (m\u00e0ozi) Hat<\/h2>\n

Why do you have to be careful with the color of a hat?<\/h3>\n

When you buy a hat in China, you should pay extra attention to the color.<\/p>\n

In China, a green hat, \u7eff\u5e3d\u5b50(l\u01dc m\u00e0ozi), is a metaphor for infidelity. \u201cA\u7ed9B\u6234\u7eff\u5e3d\u5b50(A g\u011bi B d\u00e0i l\u01dc m\u00e0ozi)\u201d (literally, \u201cA gives B a green hat to wear\u201d) is a slang meaning \u201cA is cheating on B\u201d. So if a wife cheats on her husband, it means her husband figuratively “receives a green hat” from her.<\/p>\n

If you liked the article about what to give as gifts in China, read another one where we explain the 3 most puzzling Chinese traditional wedding facts<\/a>!<\/p>\n

Leave a comment or tweet us at @thatsmandarin<\/a>!<\/em>\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If you happen to buy gifts in China for your Chinese friends, you should be really careful. There are several items that Chinese people would never consider as presents, and you might unintentionally hurt someone. What are these items? Why people don’t give them as gifts in China? Let’s find out. 1. \u949f (zh\u014dng) Clock\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":13,"featured_media":12349,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":""},"categories":[270],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n6 Things NEVER to Give as Gifts in China | That's Mandarin<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"6 Things NEVER to Give as Gifts in China | That's Mandarin\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"If you happen to buy gifts in China for your Chinese friends, you should be really careful. There are several items that Chinese people would never consider as presents, and you might unintentionally hurt someone. 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