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Q: Is China the land of superstitions?
China is a land of many popular beliefs, customs and superstitions. This is all part of the Chinese life. These beliefs and customs may be termed as superstitions. They may have their own merits and demerits. But they form part of the quintessence of the life in this Oriental nation. In today’s world of growing globalization and the emergence of China and Asia generally as the main economic growth region, there is heavy traffic of people form other parts of the world to China and Asia.
A basic understanding of the popular Chinese superstitions, customs, and beliefs will make it easy for appreciating the socia life of China and easily acclimatize with the land.
The following, in my opinion, are the main superstitions and beliefs in the Chinese world. Do you know of any others ?. Please post them below. And they are NOT listed in order of importance.
(1) If one hits another person with a broom, the hitter will get bad luck and will ruin his life.
(2) The Chinese believe that one should keep a well-shaven face. If one wears a moustache it should be well-trimmed. If one violates this norm it will give bad luck.
(3) Another Chinese superstition is that if a dog howls for a few hours in late night, it means someone died somewhere.
(4) It is another superstitious belief of the Chinese that if one has a dream of teeth or snow, it indicates that his parents are dead.
(5) If a baby cries for no reason, the Chinese believe that there are ghosts around and the child is disturbed by the ghosts.
(6) Another superstition of the Chinese is that building a house facing the North would bring in ruin to the family.
(7) It is a superstition among the Chinese that if one marries a person who is either three or six years older or younger is bad and it will bring bad luck to the couples.
(8) The Chinese believe that clipping toe-nails or finger-nails at night would bring ghosts to that place.
(9) Another popular Chinese superstition is that if one points at the moon with one’s finger it will make one’s ear tips fall off.
(10) Another popular belief of the Chinese is that if one encages and keeps a turtle as a pet, it will ruin his business and fortune. for it will slow a person's business down.
(11) This is another popular superstition in China. The Chinese believe that the number 8 is a lucky number because the pronunciation of the number 'eight' and the pronunciation of the word for ‘prosperity’ in Chinese are similar. Hence, the number 8 has much value in the social life in China. So if a house number or the registration number of a car has the 8 as a number, people think it is a lucky sign. Often people pay big sum to win a number with 8 for their car.
(12) In another popular Chinese superstition, the number 4 is considered as unlucky. Hence this number is unacceptable for vehicles and houses. It is so because the number 4 in Chinese has the pronunciation similar to the word for the word 'death'.
(13) The Chinese believe that the numbers 8, 18, 13 and 168 are lucky. Hence those who are on a gambling or business trip prefer these rooms. Ass these numbers are in great demand, often disputes and fights arise over the choice over these numbers.
(14) In another popular Chinese superstition, the Chinese do not sweep during the New Years because if one does so he will sweep away all the good fortune. Hence the sweeping on the New Year is to be done the day previous.
(15) As part of another popular superstition of the Chinese people, eating noodle will not be easy in China. This is because the popular belief is that an uncut noodle in soup will increase longevity. If the noodle is cut it will cut the longevity. Some times people may chock if the noodle is too long.
(3) "Another Chinese superstition is that if a dog howls for a few hours in late night, it means someone died somewhere."
Geesh. People around here must be dropping like flies, 'cause there's a dog in my neighborhood who serenades the moon...that is, when the skies are clear enough at night that he can actually see it!
Great list!
China does have a lot of superstitions I can agree with you. So does the states. If you break a mirror you get seven years bad luck, don't open an umbrella indoors(forgot what it meant but your not supposed to), if you step on a crack you break your mothers' back. China has a lot of superstitions probably more than the states does. The one's you stated I probably heard of some of them, but not all. You could call it that.
Here is a list of 40 classic Chinese superstitions:
When having a baby
*If you're pregnant, use of glue will cause a difficult birth.
*If you strike an animal during pregnancy, the newborn child will look like that animal and behave like one.
*You should never praise a newborn baby because it will invite evil spirits and ghosts.
*A concave navel means a prosperous life.
*A baby with more than one hair crown will be mischievous and disobedient.
*A baby with wide and thick ears will live prosperously.
Before you get married
*Wedding clothes should be red, yellow and/or white.
*Wearing black, blue or gray will bring bad luck to the marriage.
*Couples with the same surname cannot marry; even if they are not related, they still belong to the same ancestry.
*A boy, preferably born a Dragon, must roll over the newlywed's matrimonial bed to ensure good luck and a baby boy.
*Never marry someone who is older or younger by 3 or 6 years.
Good Feng Shui
*The number of steps in a staircase should be even-numbered.
*It is bad luck to have two room doors face each other.
*It is bad luck if your door or gate directly faces a road.
*Don't build your house facing the north.
*The master's bedroom should not be situated right above the garage.
*The dining area should not be under a second-floor toilet.
Going to funerals
*An improper funeral will bring ill fortune and disaster.
*Statues of deities must be covered with red cloth of paper.
*Mirrors must be hidden; a person who sees the reflection of the coffin will have a death in his/her family.
*White cloth must be hung across the doorway of the house.
*The deceased's children and grandchildren should not cut their hair for 49 days.
*After leaving a wake, do not go straight home lest the ghost of the dead follows you.
Lucky and unlucky colors
*Red is the color of blood or life and will bring happiness, wealth, fame, and good luck.
*Black is the color of feces and is associated with evil, disaster and bad fortune.
*White is the color of mother's milk. It symbolizes moderation, purity, honesty and life and balances red and black.
Lucky and unlucky numbers
*The luckiest number is eight because its Chinese word also means "prosper".
*The unluckiest number is four as it sounds like the Chinese word for death.
*Seven can also signify death.
*The number one means loneliness.
*The number "9" is good, because nine in Cantonese sounds like the word "sufficient".
About time
*Clipping toenails or fingernails at night is bad luck; the person will be visited by a ghost.
*If a dog howls continuously at night, this means death.
*Hearing a crow cawing between 3 and 7 am means the hearer will receive gifts; hearing a crow caw between 7 and 11am means rain and wind; and between 11am and 1pm means quarrels.
*If a man's ears burn between 11pm and 1pm, there will be harmony between him and his wife; if they burn between 1 and 3 in the afternoon, a guest will soon arrive.
Things you should never do
*Beating a person with a broom will rain bad luck upon that person for years.
*Wearing a moustache is considered bad luck.
*Never point at the moon or your ears might get chopped off.
*Don't sweep the floor on New Year's Day lest you sweep away the good fortune.
*Don't keep a pet turtle or it will slow down your business.
HappyExPat:
Do you know how to read ?. I did not ask, not requested a comparison, with superstitions in USA. I specifically asked for those beliefs in China that are consider superstitions in an effort to adquire new knowledge. I even listed 15 of them to insure everyone understood my question. It was not my intention, nor it is now, to start a debate on which country has more superstitions. You replied, and with your reply your earned 4 points, yet you did not answer my question at all. I wonder if you really understand plain English......
Since you modified your reply, I will modify my comment to you. If you had posted those 40 superstitions to begin with, I would not have made the above comment.
(3) "Another Chinese superstition is that if a dog howls for a few hours in late night, it means someone died somewhere."
Geesh. People around here must be dropping like flies, 'cause there's a dog in my neighborhood who serenades the moon...that is, when the skies are clear enough at night that he can actually see it!
Great list!
There are a lot of supersitition.something like when you go to hospital to play a visit, dont take pear becaused its pronunciation is close to leave in chinese.
It is bad luck.
