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世界各国的新年传统13：本命年为什么会运气不好？怎么解？

【本期内容】

15 Gifts You Should Never Give as Chinese New Year Gifts

新年送礼15禁忌

Written by Cindy

（原文地址：https://www.chinahighlights.com/festivals/things-not-give-chinese-new-year.htm）

Translated and edited by Spark Liao

Celebrating Chinese New Year with Chinese friends can be great, but, when the cultural gap is large, it can be really easy to give the wrong gift for Chinese New Year. Here, we've summarized 15 things you should not give as a Chinese New Year gift and their negative meanings in Chinese culture. Make sure that you don't give the wrong gift.

与中国朋友一起庆祝中国新年可能很棒，但当文化差距很大时，很容易在中国新年里送错礼物。在这里，我们总结了15件不应该作为中国新年礼物的东西，以及它们在中国文化中的负面寓意。务必要确保你不会送错礼物。

15. Necklaces, Ties, and Belts - Too Intimate

项链、领带和皮带——过于亲密

Don't give a necklace as a gift to a platonic friend. Chinese people think things like necklaces, ties, and belts are associated with intimate relations. These things are often given by boyfriends / girlfriends or couples.

不要把项链作为礼物送给柏拉图式的朋友（爱人）。中国人认为项链、领带和腰带等东西与亲密关系有关。这些东西通常由男朋友/女朋友或情侣赠送。

14. Wallets - Loss of Fortune

钱包——财富损失

In traditional Chinese culture, gifting a wallet symbolizes giving away all your money and you might lose all your finances and luck. However, it is no problem to gift a wallet to your spouse or other family member who already shares your financial accounts and money.

在中国传统文化中，赠送钱包象征着你把所有的钱都送出去，你可能会失去所有的财富和运气。然而，把钱包送给你的配偶或其他已经分享你的财务账户和金钱的家庭成员是没有问题的。

13. Handkerchiefs - Saying Goodbye Forever

手帕——永不再见

People generally give handkerchiefs at the end of a funeral and are a symbol of saying goodbye forever. Giving someone a gift like this insinuates you are saying goodbye forever, and severing all ties.

人们通常在葬礼结束时送手帕，这是永别的象征。给某人这样的礼物暗示你是在永远告别，并断绝所有联系。

12. Dolls -Evil

玩偶——邪恶

Some people consider cloth dolls as 'vile characters'(小人, literally 'small people'), which attract evil spirits.

有些人认为布娃娃是“卑鄙的角色”(即“小人”，字面意思是“小人物”），这会招致邪灵。

11. Umbrellas - Break Up

雨伞——分手

Umbrellas are a bad idea to give as gifts, because the Chinese word for 'umbrella' (伞 sǎn /san/) sound like the word for 'breaking up' (散 sàn). Giving somebody an umbrella may insinuate that you feel your relationship with them has fallen apart.

雨伞作为礼物是个坏主意，因为汉语里的“伞（sǎn）”（雨伞）听起来像“散（sàn）”（分开；分手）。给某人一把伞可能暗示你觉得你和他们的关系已经破裂。

10. Hats - Unlucky

帽子——不幸

In China, when an old person dies, his/her children wear a mourning hat, called a 孝帽 (xiào mào). So, a hat is taboo to give as a gift for Chinese New Year. In Handan (a city in Hebei Province), on Chinese New Year's Eve, people throw old hats onto the streets in the hope of throwing away grief and troubles. Green hats, in particular, are a big no-no. In China, the saying 'to wear a green hat'(戴绿帽子 dài lǜ màozi) implies infidelity of a wife or girlfriend. It is the greatest insult to a man if given a green hat as a gift.

在中国，当老人去世时，孩子们会戴上用以表达哀悼的帽子，叫做孝帽。因此，帽子是中国新年礼物的禁忌。在邯郸（河北省的一个城市），除夕夜，人们会把旧帽子扔到街上，祈愿能扔掉悲伤和烦恼。绿帽子，尤其是个大禁忌。在中国，俗语“戴绿帽子”意味着妻子或女友的不忠。如果送一顶绿帽子作为礼物，那是对一个男人最大的侮辱。

9. Black or White Objects - Used in Funerals

黑色或白色的东西——用于葬礼

Black and white are traditional colors for funerals, so avoid presents that are largely black or largely white, or wrapping paper or envelopes in these colors. Red, however, is believed to be a festive and fortunate color, so red is always a great option for envelopes or gifts.

黑色和白色是葬礼的传统颜色，所以不要用大体是黑色或白色的礼物，也不要用这些颜色的包装纸或信封。然而，红色被认为是喜庆和幸运的颜色，所以红色总是信封或礼物的最佳选择。

8. Sharp Objects - Cut Off Relationship

锋利的东西——断绝关系

Giving anything sharp, such as a knife or scissors, is bad luck, as it's thought to sever the relationship. A common Chinese saying goes "one slash and its in two parts" to mean the end of a relationship between people.

赠送任何锋利的东西，如刀子或剪刀，都意味着坏运气，因为这被认为是断绝关系。中国有句俗语叫“一刀两半”，意思是人与人之间关系的结束。

7. Pears - Parting

梨——分离

Giving fruit is a good thing, but pears are taboo. The Chinese word for 'pears' (梨 lí /lee/) sounds the same as the word for leaving or 'parting' (离 lí) and it is considered bad luck.

送水果是件好事，但梨是禁忌。汉语里的“梨（lí）”听起来与“离”（分离；离别）同音，这被认为是坏运气。

6. Scented Candles - for Venerating the Dead

香薰蜡烛——为死者祈福

Candles are usually used alongside offerings for the dead in China. Therefore, they cannot be given as gifts, whether they are flameless candles, scented candles, or ordinary candles.

在中国，蜡烛通常与死者祭品一起使用。因此，无论是无焰蜡烛、香味蜡烛还是普通蜡烛，都不能作为礼物赠送。

5. Cut Flowers - Presents for Funerals

切花——葬礼礼物

Cut flowers are generally presents for funerals, so do not give them on Chinese New Year! This is especially so for Yellow Chrysanthemums and any white flowers, which represent death. White is an unlucky (funeral) color in Chinese culture, so white flowers should definitely be avoided.

切花通常是葬礼上的礼物，所以不要在农历新年送！黄菊花和任何象征死亡的白花尤其不能送。在中国文化中，白色是一种不吉利的（葬礼）颜色，所以白色的花绝对应该避免。

4. Mirrors - Attract Ghosts

镜像——吸引鬼魂

Mirrors are a bad idea for gifts throughout much of Asia, as they are believed to attract malicious ghosts. On top of that, they are easily broken and breaking things is a bad omen.

在亚洲大部分地区，镜子作为礼物是个坏主意，因为它们被认为会吸引邪恶的鬼魂。最重要的是，它们很容易破碎，而打碎东西是凶兆。

3. Shoes - Evil

鞋子——邪恶

Shoes are a bad idea for a present for Chinese New Year because the word for 'shoes' (鞋 xié /syeah/) sounds exactly like a word for bad luck or 'evil' (邪 xié). On top of that, shoes are something that you step on, and are thus seen as derogatory gifts. Avoid shoes at all costs.

中国新年里送鞋子是个坏主意，因为“鞋（xié）”听起来很像表示坏运气或邪恶的“邪”。最重要的是，鞋子是你用脚踩上去的东西，因此被视为贬低对方的礼物。要不惜一切代价避免送鞋子。

2. Anything of '4' - Sounds Like Death

任何与4相关的东西——听起来像“死”

In Chinese, the number four (四 sì /srr/) sounds similar to the word for death (死 sǐ). Therefore, anything displaying the number 4 is considered unlucky. Do not give gifts in sets or multiples of four… or any other number with the digit four in — 14, 24, 34, 40, 44, etc. That is why there is no floor four or room numbers containing four in some buildings and hotels, for example.

在汉语里，数字4（四，sì）听起来类似于“死”。因此，任何显示数字4的东西都被认为是不吉利的。不要以一套四份或四的倍数或任何其他含有数字4（如14、24、34、40、44等）的数量来赠送礼物。这就是为什么在一些建筑物和酒店中没有四层楼或包含数字4的房间号的原因。

1. Clocks or Watch - Bad Luck

钟表——厄运

In Chinese, saying 'giving a clock' (送钟 sòng zhōng /song jong/) sounds exactly like the Chinese words for 'attending a funeral ritual' (送终 sòng zhōng) and thus it is bad luck to gift a clock or watch. On top of that, clocks and watches also symbolize the running out of time. This is especially an uncomfortable reminder for seniors. Giving a clock or watch as a gift is the biggest no-no in Chinese culture.

汉语里说“送一个钟”（即“送钟”，sòng zhōng）听起来与汉语中的“送终”（参加葬礼）完全相同，因此赠送钟表是不吉利的。除此之外，钟表也象征着时间的流逝。对于老年人来说，这尤其是一个令人不安的提醒。赠送钟表是中国文化中最大的禁忌。