Like any other race the Chinese has their fair share of
taboos, some of them are related to the language and
culture.
Death is a taboo which is not to be discussed in “joyous”
occasions such as Chinese New Year, weddings or birthdays.
The number “four”
phonetically sounds so much like “death” ,
that the number four, fourteen, forty-four, etc, are
avoided as far as possible. Given a choice a Chinese would
not buy house No. 4 of a given street.
In the company of fishermen, do not turn the fish over. It
symbolises boats capsized.
Never buy a clock as a present for any Chinese friend. The
word “clock” , has similar sound with the “end”
.
Giving a clock as a gift [song
zhong]
sounds
like
being present at the bedside when a person takes his last
breath.
Never buy a green hat for any male married friend, as
wearing a green hat
has the same meaning that his wife commits adultery.
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