Chinese Language and the related Superstitions!

Traditional Chinese society is rife with superstitious beliefs, and these superstitious beliefs are not limited to going to fortune tellers to find a good date to get married or have a baby.
Instead these superstitions extends far beyond and present in its very Language.

Most of the Chinese superstitions are based on homophones(a word pronounced the same as another but differing in meaning) in the Chinese language.

The reason for the same is Chinese makes use of relatively few syllable sounds in the construction of words compared to other languages, due to that many unrelated concepts are expressed with the same syllable sound. Superstitious beliefs arise when those unrelated concepts are treated as if they were related.

Some of the common syllables in Chinese language which are critical for their alternative meanings.

1. dao . this same syllable has different meaning- one is "to arrive"  and another is "Upside Down"

 For this reason, one will often find the character for good fortune (“fu 福,)) hanging upside down in homes celebrating a wedding or during the Chinese New Year. The idea is that this upside down (“dao 倒”) talisman will cause good fortune to arrive ("dao 到”) in the course of the marriage or in the coming year.

   A woman holding the decoration with character fu upside down.

                                 
                                 Character fu - 福 hanging upside down


2. bian fu (蝙蝠） - this syllable meaning  "Bat"  but it also contains the same sound as good fortune, “fu 福” This homophonic connection makes bats a common theme in Chinese folk art. Many homes feature cut paper pictures or other depictions of bats, intended to attract good fortune.

                          Hotel Lisboa in Macau has its entrance in the shape of a bat.


3. Si - the number 4 in China is considered extermely unlucky, This is because the pronunciation of four（四– sì) sounds similar to the Chinese word for death (死 – si). Therefore, many people choose to avoid the number four like the plague. It’s not uncommon to step into an elevator in China and notice that there’s no button for the 4th floor, or the 13th or 14th floor, for that matter.

                              No 4th, 13th, or 14th floor in a lift in China.

4. ba - When it comes to good luck, the magic number in China is eight. This is because eight (八 – ba) sounds sort of similar to the word for prosperity/wealth (发– fa). Do you remember the Beijing Olympics and its grand opening ceremony? It’s no coincidence that the games commenced at 8:08 PM on August 8th, 2008 (8/8/08). Staring the games at this time was meant to bring good luck.

 Following are other examples where Chinese people considered no 8 as very lucky.

i. In 2003, A telephone number with all digits being eights was sold for CN¥2.33 million (approximately USD$280,000) to Sichuan Airlines in Chengdu, China (Source: http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200308/19/eng20030819_122604.shtml)

ii. A man in Hangzhou offered to sell his license plate reading A88888 for ¥1.12 million (roughly $164,000).

iii. The Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia each have 88 Floors.

iv. The minivan that GM makes for the Chinese market is called the Buick GL8, but the minivans it sold in other countries didn't have that name.

v. Singapore Airlines reserves flight numbers beginning with the number 8 to routes in China and Korea.

5. zhong - In Chinese Culture “giving a clock” (送钟– sòng zhong) sounds similar to “bid farewell to someone on their deathbed” (送终 – sòng zhong). As such, giving someone a clock basically means you’re sending them off to the great beyond.

6. Yu - The chinese character for surplus/extra – 余 and the Chinese for fish – 鱼, are both pronounced yú, so fish are considered to be lucky. That’s why fish feature so highly in Chinese art, and lots of Chinese people have pictures of fish on their walls.

                                  A shop in Yangshuo selling lucky fish symbols

7. he -  Chinese pronounciation of lotus flowers（荷）and boxes（盒） and Harmony（和）are same  are associated with weddings because they’re both pronounced – the same as the Chinese word for harmony. 


8. zi - In earlier time in China, it was traditional to empty seeds or fruit onto a newly wed couple’s bed because Chinese syllable for fruits and nuts(果子Guǒzi，  阿月浑子实ā yuè hún zǐ shí) contain the character 子 which also means son.

                               
9. zaozi - Chinese word for jujube is (zaozi 枣子) and is is considered lucky because in Chinese (zao means early and Zi means Son) so they are homonyms of ‘early – son’ and ‘produce a son’ respectively.

                                       
                                   Soups with jujube during Chinese wedding.

10. lu - Character for lu 禄 considered for prosperity and good fortune as lu means salary.

11. xi - 囍 (It means "Double Happiness") and considered very lucky character during Chinese weddings ceremony, significance of "double" means both man and woman celebrate the day of their wedding.

                          囍 is used commonly in decorations during Chinese Wedding.

                                 囍 also appears in Wedding invitation cards in China.

Even in today’s world of high-tech gadgets and improving education, superstition remains a strong element of Chinese culture. This results in part from the importance of luck in Chinese tradition and in modern Chinese life. To thrive in the dynastic era, a farming family needed good weather, a scholar’s family needed good exam scores and a royal family needed to survive often treacherous court intrigues. Good luck tokens seemed a necessary precaution under such circumstances. With so much riding on good fortune, it is no wonder that superstitious beliefs continue to color Chinese culture to this day.