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【本期内容】

Chinese New Year Taboos and Superstitions: 18 Things You Should Not Do

18个新年禁忌和迷信

Written by Cindy

Translated and edited by Spark Liao

Chinese people believe that, as the Spring Festival is the start of a new year, what you do then will affect your luck in the coming year. There are many Chinese New Year traditions about dos and don'ts. Some are taboos on the first day of the Chinese New Year and some are superstitions for the whole New Year Festival season (from the 1st to 15th of the Lunar New Year).

中国人相信，春节是新的一年的开始，你的所作所为将影响你来年的运气。中国新年有很多关于禁忌的传统。有些是农历新年第一天的禁忌，有些是整个春节期间（农历新年1日至15日）的迷信。

1. Avoid taking medicine.

避免吃药。

It is taboo for a person to brew herbal medicine or take medicine on the first day of the lunar year; otherwise, it is believed he or she will get ill for a whole year. In some places, after the bell announcing the New Year at midnight New Year's Day, sickly people break their gallipots (medicine pots) in the belief that this custom will drive the illness away in the coming year.

人们忌讳在农历年的第一天煎煮草药或吃药，否则人们相信煎药或吃药之人会因此一整年都生病。在一些地方，在除夕午夜钟声敲响宣布新年到来之后，生病的人会打碎他们的陶罐（药罐），因为他们相信这种做法会赶走来年的疾病。

2. Don't sweep or take out garbage.

不要清扫或倾倒垃圾。

The act of sweeping on this day is associated with sweeping wealth away. Taking out garbage symbolizes dumping out the good luck or good fortune from the house.

这一天的清扫行为被认为与清除财富有关。倒垃圾象征着把家里的好运或财富扔掉了。

3. No unlucky words.

不要说不吉利的话。

Nobody wants to hear words with negative meanings during the Lunar New Year period. Avoid saying words related to death, sickness, poverty, ghosts, etc. People replace them with euphemisms if they need to talk about such topics, for example saying"somebody is gone" instead of "somebody died".

没有人愿意在农历新年期间听到带有负面含义的词语。避免使用与死亡、疾病、贫困、鬼魂等相关的词语。如果需要谈论此类话题时，人们会用委婉语来代替这些词语，例如，说“某人走了”，而不是“某人死了”。

4. Don't eat porridge and meat for breakfast.

早餐不要喝粥吃肉。

Porridge should not be eaten, because it is considered that only poor people have porridge for breakfast, and people don't want to start the year "poor" as this is a bad omen. Besides, meat should not be eaten at this breakfast out of respect for the (Buddhist) gods (who are believed to be against killing of animals), as all gods are expected to be out meeting and wishing a happy New Year to each other.

粥不应该喝，因为人们认为只有穷人才会在早餐喝粥，人们不想以“穷”开始新的一年，因为这是一个不好的兆头。此外，出于对（佛教）神灵的尊重，不应该在早餐时吃肉（据信，神灵反对杀生），因为所有的神灵都会在出门会面，并互相祝愿新年快乐。

5. Avoid washing hair and getting a haircut.

避免洗头和理发。

Hair must not be washed on Chinese New Year's Day. In Mandarin, hair (发, fa) has the same pronunciation (and indeed is the same character) as fa in facai (发财), which means 'to become wealthy'. Therefore, it is seen as not a good thing to "wash one's fortune away" at the beginning of the New Year. Besides, avoid cutting hair on this day, as it is believed that it might bring misfortune to uncles. It is increasingly popular, however, to have a haircut or get a new hairstyle before Chinese New Year for a new look (new 'wealth') in the coming year.

在中国新年的第一天，不能洗头发。在汉语里，头发中的“发”与发财中的“发”具有相同的发音（实际上是同一个字）， 意思是“变得富有”。因此，在新年伊始“冲洗家中财富”被认为不是一件好事。此外，要避免在这一天剪头发，因为人们认为这可能会给叔伯们带来不幸。然而，在农历新年前理发或换新发型，以在来年获得新的面貌（新的“财富”），却变得越来越流行。

6. Don't wash clothes.

不要洗衣服。

People do not wash clothes on the first and second day of the new year, because these two days are celebrated as the birthday of the water god. To wash clothes is regarded as disrespect to the god of water. The ancients believed that water symbolizes wealth. It is believed that pouring away water after washing clothes invokes a pouring away of wealth.

人们在新年的第一天和第二天不洗衣服，因为这两天是庆祝水神的生日。洗衣服被认为是对水神的不尊重。古人认为水象征财富。人们认为，洗完衣服后倒掉水会导致财富的流失。

7. Needlework should not be done.

不能做针线活。

In the past, there was a lot of needlework for women. But they didn't do any needlework, even sewing on a button, from the first day to the fifth day of the first lunar month. Otherwise, they thought the coming year would be a "hard year" (with lots of sewing).

在过去，女性需要做很多针线活。但从农历正月初一到初五，他们不做任何针线活，甚至都不缝纽扣。否则，他们认为来年将是一个“艰难的一年”（需要做很多缝缝补补的活）。

8. Don't use scissors or knives.

不能使用剪刀或刀具。

The blades of the scissors are thought to be like sharp lips when people quarrel. Using scissors on the first day of Chinese New Year is perceived as an invocation for quarrels with others in the coming year. The use of knives is to be avoided for any accident, whether harming a person or tool, is thought to lead to inauspicious things and the depletion of wealth in the coming year.

人们认为，剪刀的刀刃就像人们吵架时锋利的话语。在农历新年的第一天使用剪刀被认为会导致来年与他人争吵。要避免使用刀具，因为任何意外，无论是伤害到人还是用坏工具，都会导致来年的不吉利和财富耗尽。

9. No odd amounts of lucky money.

压岁钱不能逢单。

Don't give an odd amount of money in a red envelope. Chinese people like even numbers, with the traditional belief that good things always come in doubles. But also avoid unlucky numbers such as 4 and 40, as 4 sounds like death in Chinese.

红包不要给逢单的数额。中国人喜欢双数，传统的观念认为，好事总是成双出现。但也要避免4和40等不吉利的数字，因为4在汉语中听起来像“死”。

10. Don't give certain gifts.

某些东西不能作为礼物。

Don't give certain gifts, like clocks, scissors, and pears, as they have a bad meaning in Chinese culture.

不要送某些礼物，如钟表、剪刀和梨，因为它们在中国文化中有着不好的含义。

11. Avoid breaking a bowl, plate, glass, etc.

避免打碎碗、盘子、玻璃杯等。

Breaking symbolizes incompleteness and bad luck. Breaking a bowl, plate, glass, vase, or mirror during the Spring Festival is considered a bringer of bad fortune, monetary loss, or family breakup. If something is broken accidentally, people usually use red paper to wrap up the fragments, and then say "Sui sui ping'an" which means 'all year round safe and sound'. In Mandarin, 碎 (sui, meaning 'broken') and 岁 (sui, meaning 'year') sound the same.

打破东西象征着残缺和厄运。在春节期间打碎碗、盘子、玻璃、花瓶或镜子被认为会带来厄运，导致金钱损失或家庭破裂。如果有东西不小心打破了，人们通常会用红纸把碎片包起来，然后说“岁岁平安”，意思是“每年平安”。在汉语里，碎 （sui，意为“破碎”）和岁 （sui，意为“年”）听起来是一样的。

12. A married daughter is not allowed to visit the house of her parents on Chinese New Year's Day.

结婚的女儿不允许在中国新年的第一天拜访自己父母家。

A married daughter is not allowed to visit the house of her parents on Chinese New Year's day, as this is believed to bring bad luck to the parents, causing economic hardship for the family. Traditionally a married daughter visits the house of her parents on the second day of Chinese New Year.

结婚的女儿不允许在农历新年那天去父母家，因为这被认为会给父母带来厄运，给家庭带来经济困难。传统上，结婚的女儿会在农历新年的第二天拜访父母的家。

13. Keep children from crying.

不要让孩子们哭。

The cry of a child is believed to bring bad luck to the family, so parents do their best to keep children from crying by whatever means possible.

孩子的哭声被认为会给家庭带来厄运，因此父母会尽最大努力避免孩子哭泣。

14. No visiting hospital.

不能去医院就诊。

A visit to the hospital during this period is believed to bring illness to the person in question for the duration of the coming year; therefore, visits to the hospital are avoided, except in cases of extreme emergency.

据信，在这段时间内到医院就诊会在来年给患者带来疾病；因此，除了在极端紧急情况下，避免去医院就诊。

15. Avoid lending and borrowing money.

避免借贷。

Money should not be lent on New Year's Day, and all debts have to be paid by New Year's Eve, and, if someone owes you money, do not go to his or her home to demand it. Anyone who does so it is said will be unlucky all the year.

新年那天不应该借钱，所有的债务都必须在除夕前还清。如果有人欠你钱，不要去他或她的家里索要。据说，任何人这样做都会一整年倒霉。

16. Don't wear damaged clothes.

不要穿破衣服。

Do not wear clothes that are damaged. If kids especially wear such clothes in the first lunar month, it is said to bring bad luck.

不要穿破衣服。尤其是在农历正月如果孩子们穿这样的衣服，据说会带来厄运。

17. Do not wear white or black.

不要穿白色或黑色的衣服。

Do not wear white or black clothes as these two colors are associated with mourning traditionally.

不要穿白色或黑色的衣服，因为这两种颜色传统上与哀悼有关。

18. No killing.

不要杀生。

Killing should be avoided from the 1st to 15th of the Lunar New Year as blood is considered an ill omen, which will cause misfortunes such as a knife wound, or a bloody disaster. People usually kill chickens, ducks, pigs, and fish before Chinese New Year or on Chinese New Year's Eve.

应避免在农历新年的1日至15日杀生，因为血被视为凶兆，会导致诸如刀伤或血腥之灾等不幸。人们通常在农历新年前或除夕杀鸡、鸭、猪和鱼。