Once you set foot on foreign soil, you’ll have to adapt to your new environs. Of course, there will be the odd custom or two that you’re not familiar with, but we’re here to help you avoid turning naive behavior into a majorly bad faux pas. All you need is a little openness. After all, this is a global village with many unique wonderful cultures.

But, along with native customs come the sticky subject of taboos – those things one should avoid at all cost. You're probably already familiar with some cultural taboos:

For Examples:

In India, parts of Africa and the Middle East, the traditional way to eat is with the hands, and eating with the left hand is frowned upon because it is seen as unclean.

In Thailand, the head is considered sacred, so even patting a child on the head is not acceptable. In Korea, if you slap someone on the back who isn't a family member or a good friend, you'll make them very uncomfortable.

Every country has its own list of no-no’s, so what about in China? What are the taboos? Let's take a look.

1. Wearing a Green Hat Is Bad News

"Green hat" in Chinese is "绿帽子 (lǜ màozi)". Foreigners might think that a green hat is just like any other hat, but not in China. In China, a "green hat" means that a man's wife has been unfaithful to him. There is even a saying: the most horrible color for hat to a Chinese man is green.

Why does "绿帽子 (lǜ màozi)" carry such a particular meaning in China? One story is that in ancient China the wife of a merchant had an affair with a cloth seller. She made a green hat for her husband to wear, and when the husband went out for business, the cloth seller would see the green hat and know that he could meet his lover. Since that time, "绿帽子 (lǜ màozi)" has been the symbol of a wife betraying her husband. No wonder it is impossible to find a green hat in Chinese markets!

2. Don't Put "东西 (Dōngxi) Things" in Your Mouth

You may be confused: aren’t "东 (dōng)" and "西 (xī)" the words for east and west? That’s true, but when put together, these two words take on a new meaning: "thing." For example, you can say: I bought some "东西 (dōngxi)" this morning at the supermarket. When talking about a person, "东西 (dōngxi)" is rather insulting. An English equivalent of "我不是东西 (wǒ búshì dōngxi)" is something similar to "I’m bad." Friends might jokingly ask you, "你是东西吗 (nǐ shì dōngxi ma)?" If you say, "Yes," it means, "I'm a thing." But, if you say, "我不是东西 (wǒ búshì dōngxi)" then you are saying you are bad.

3. Avoid Certain Numbers

Different cultures have different numbers of associations. Many countries, for example, dislike the number 13, considering it to be unlucky. Similarly, in China people often avoid the number 4 because "四 (sì)" sounds like "死 (sǐ)," which means "death." Also, Chinese people use the number 250 to refer to a person who is frivolous and thoughtless. Sometimes a tactless person who always makes a spectacle is called 250. In this instance, 250 is not pronounced "二百五十 (èrbǎiwǔ shí)" but "二百五 (èrbǎiwǔ)," omitting the "十 (shí)."

4. Don't Kiss to Greet!

Kissing a Chinese woman as a greeting will...Read More

Quiz:

1. Please choose the best answer according to this Chinese sentence.

Wénzhāng zuìhòu yí duàn shífēn jīngcǎi, zài wén zhōng qǐ dào le huàlóngdiǎnjīng de zuòyòng.
文章最后一段十分精彩，在文中起到了画龙点睛的作用。

What does the Chinese idiom "画龙点睛 (Huàlóngdiǎnjīng)" mean according to this sentence?

A. Explaining and illustrating
B. Bringing the painted dragon to life
C. Bringing the article to life
See Answer Analysis