Mandarin Chinese is a language that has a significant number of homophones due to its limited phonetic inventory. Many Chinese take great delight in using the large amount of homophones in the language to form puns and they have become an important component of Chinese culture.They are also the cause of interesting culture beliefs, taboos, and superstitions.
Not all of the homophone superstitions are widely practiced or believed in but almost all of the Chinese people are at least familiar with or heard about them. This book shows some of the most interesting Chinese inauspicious homophones and their associated Chinese customs in three categories: numbers, gift giving and surname.
Number ‘four’ sounds similar to the word for ‘death’
Giving pear as a gift is avoided as ‘pear’ sounds the same as the word for ‘seperation’ insinuate families’ and friends’ permanent separation
