Gifting is an essential part of Chinese culture. It comes with many idiosyncrasies that one should be aware of and observe. Some things are strictly “NO” as a gift choice in China, mostly because they sound like something else which is ominous. In this post, I will share a few most prominent gifting taboos in China.

1. Clock: although clocks are not really a top gifting choice to begin with, it’s a categorical ”NO” in China, because the Chinese for clock is 钟/zhōng and to gift a clock is 送钟/sòngzhōng, which sounds the same as 送终/sòngzhōng, meaning to say goodbye to someone who passed away. Although intricately made clocks were a popular Western gift to Chinese emperors during the Qing Dynasty, they are avoided at all cost in contemporary China. Giving clocks is the capital taboo. Giving watches is fine though.

2. Apple: an apple a day might keep doctors away. But in Shanghai, you should never bring apples to a patient because apple in Shanghainese (bíngù) sounds like the Mandarin word 病故/bìnggù which means to die from an illness. The good news is in other parts of China, this rule does not apply.

3. Green hat: this is probably the most well-known Chinese gifting taboo. 戴绿帽子/dàilǜmàozi/to wear a green hat is an expression referring to a man whose wife is cheating on him with another man. It is seen as the ultimate insult to a man.

4. Umbrella: the Chinese for umberlla is 伞/sǎn, which sounds like the word 散/sàn/to separate. But this is a minor offence  on the scale of gifting taboos.

5. Pear:  to stray a little from gifting but staying in the theme of things that sound ominous, Chinese believe that a pear shouldn’t be shared among families and friends because to share a pear is 分梨/fēnlí which sounds the same as 分离/fēnlí/ to separate. It goes against the traditional ideals of social structure in China. However, this is not strictly observed in China nowadays.

There is a surprising curve ball in gifting: miniature “gift coffins” are a symbol of prosperity.  棺材/guāncái/coffin sounds like 官/guān/officialdom、财/cái/wealth. Some government officials with a good sense of humor like being given mini gift coffins. But don’t try it randomly. This is an esoteric gift.

Lastly, should you be wondering what gifts to buy for a Chinese friend, I’d suggest giving things that Chinese are wary of buying in China. For example, health supplements are an excellent choice because the local marketplace is rife with fake products and they work on different ages and genders. A few bottles of DHA and multi-vitamins will make you a very savvy gift shopper.