Robert S. Posted October 6, 2004 Report Share Posted October 6, 2004 I already knew the number 4 was supposed to be unlucky. But it was amusing to me when Ping told me to pull the car up so as not to be under the telephone wires because "bird poo-poo not lucky." What does your China lady say is unlucky? Link to comment
garagegodness Posted October 6, 2004 Report Share Posted October 6, 2004 I do not like black crows. They stand for nothing good in the Chinese culture...because they eat dead meat. However, those big black crows in LA are as many as the squirrels running along the sidewalk.. So i just ignore them.. Link to comment
tonado Posted October 6, 2004 Report Share Posted October 6, 2004 My mom said black lamp shape is bad luck. Also, white flower is bad luck. Link to comment
tonado Posted October 6, 2004 Report Share Posted October 6, 2004 http://www.tsinoy.com/roots/TsinoyNga.cfm?ID=129 TALES FROM HOME - 02/17/2004Chinese Superstitionsby Janella S. Cacdac Ever wanted to wear black for a wedding or family gathering - only to be rebuffed expressively by your parents or older siblings? Blame old Chinese superstition for that. Still superstitions are an essential part of culture. They give us a peek into the lives of our ancestors and can provide many insights into the practices, attitudes, principles, and religious beliefs of different cultures. You may be surprised to learn that some Pinoy superstitions - that dreaming of teeth presages death or cutting nails at night means bad luck - actually has roots in Chinese superstition. Here are 40 classic Chinese superstitions, including those contributed by some members of the Tsinoy.com community in our forum Tsinoy Superstitious Beliefs. Read and be warned! When you're having a baby Don't use glue if you're pregnant; 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 newly-wed'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. A 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 7am 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. Link to comment
oregonknl Posted October 6, 2004 Report Share Posted October 6, 2004 OOOOOOOHHHHHHOOOOOOO~! --Tony! So Profound! Much of the housing and building advice is from feng shui... which I sometimes consider on its most basic level (the logical part) ... Meanwhile, east meets west... "The number one means loneliness..." "One is The Loneliest Number" --- Three Dog Night --1969 Link to comment
newman Posted October 6, 2004 Report Share Posted October 6, 2004 This thread brings back an incident that happened many months ago shortly after my wife arrived. I get paid once a month. I usually go to the bank to deposit the check and get pocket money. I gave my wife and still do, two hundred dollars to spend as she wished. I give more if she needs it. One pay period was longer so I decided to up the two hundred to two fifty. I felt good that I could give her more. Well, she took the money and threw it on the end table and refused to talk or do anything. After fifteen minutes I was getting hot and getting flashbacks of life with my first wife. Over the years with her our non-talking bouts would last up to two unbearable weeks. Before my now wife came to the US I met a guy who also had a Chinese wife of ten years in the US. This woman offered to help to overcome cultural differences by helping us both to understand. Well, I called this woman who come over immediately. After talking with my wife she looked at me and explained that the number two fifty means to some Chinese what the number thirteen means to some Americans. I told her I can understand that. Now, what do I do about this situation? She says you can either give another fifty or take fifty back. At this point I was still I was still a little hot so, I took fifty back and handed the two hundred to my wife. Instant gratification, my wife came up to me and give me a kiss and said thank you husband. Instant melt down. Link to comment
garagegodness Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 My mom said black lamp shape is bad luck. Also, white flower is bad luck.Black is not considered a good color in the old chinese generation, because people wear all black at a funeral; and a white flower too. But things have changed so much, black is always in the fashion trend!About the Number" 250", it has nothing to do with bad luck at all! It actually means something like" dummy". You call someone who is stupid or does know what they are doing " er bai wu", which means 250. I do not know why though. Link to comment
danswayne Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 Doesn't 250 have something to do with 250 stupid thieves from Chinese legend? Link to comment
Bobby Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 Its funny.. I've also been wondering what is "officially" considered good and bad luck. It seems to me that pretty much any time I do something she doesn't like, its bad luck.. "don't drive too fast, its bad luck".. "don't point, its bad luck".. "don't point with your chopsticks, its bad luck".. "don't put my pants on your head and run around, its bad luck".. I've always believed that the concept of "luck" stemmed from mothers looking for a passive/easy way to get their kids to stop doing things (ie. walking under a ladder and opening an umbrella indoors are just bad ideas to begin with).. How about common american causes of bad luck?Stepping on a crack on the sidewalkOpening an umbrella indoorsWalking under a ladderHaving a 13th floor in your building (the buildings I visisted in HK and SZ did not have a 13th floor either)Dropping salt Those are all I can think of off of the top of my head.. Link to comment
tonado Posted October 7, 2004 Report Share Posted October 7, 2004 The number 168 is consider good luck. 528 is bad luck. So don't ride the BMW 528. Link to comment
Guest Lucifer Posted October 12, 2004 Report Share Posted October 12, 2004 check this out http://www.the-atlantic-paranormal-society.com/ they got chat room and message board either, well believe or not, its quite interesting Link to comment
mtbdude Posted October 15, 2004 Report Share Posted October 15, 2004 oh guys, i'm splitting a gut reading these. i had to cut and paste them into an email and send to all of my friends. i love it. Link to comment
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