Because Mandarin has far fewer sounds than English, there are far more opportunities for puns. When naming your business in a Chinese speaking country, research the Chinese name so that it doesn’t evoke derogatory or negative meanings. That may doom …
Chicago Bulls or Chicago Bears?
Between Chicago Bulls or Chicago Bears, which sports souvenir from Chicago would a Chinese tourist prefer? Culturally speaking, the most probable answer is Chicago Bulls. It has little to do with their current standing or their particular history, but what …
Can Do Attitude
In Mandarin there are 2 verbs for can do and able to. In English, in many circumstances the distinction is minimal. In other languages the distinction can be vast. Chinese culture precludes the speaker from overpromising one’s own abilities. For …
Scoring in the Rain
As a soccer mom, I’ve become accustomed to my child playing soccer in the occasional raining weather. Incidentally, one of my children’s coaches was Dutch and he once said, “In my country, if we stopped playing soccer every time it …
Good Grief
In contrast to the public display of affection, at a Chinese funeral people can be seen quite openly expressive when it comes to griefing. While most American funerals keep the crying to an inaudible whimper, at Chinese funerals loud wailing, …
Public Display of Affection
Public display of affection seems alarmingly non-existent in the East. Many Westerners may have noticed that Asians in general, from the Middle East, Southeast Asia, to the Far East, are rarely seen kissing in public. However, photographers like Kim Anderson …
Big White Rabbit Candy
Don’t you mean Spring bunnies? No, in Chinese culture, white rabbits are associated with the Autumn harvest moon, during the Mid Autumn Moon Festival. Legend tells us that the Jade Rabbit is the herbalist doctor that is busy making the …
Conferring with Confucius
While fruit offerings are popularly stacked on temple altar tables, why are there vegetables for Confucius’ temples as well? (See Fruit Loops in July blog) The vegetables that are commonly offered for Confucius are celery, green onions, and cabbage. These …
Fairy houses and bonsais
Many Americans create fairy houses indoors and outdoors. In a way, bonsais are a form of this fascination with miniatures. True bonsais are created from such a heavy amount of pruning, twisting, and tending, that bonsai artisans have known to …
Family is the people, the home, and the house.
The roof covers all 3 parts, the house, the home, and the people who live there. The Chinese character for family has a roof that encompasses all 3 concepts of family. The Chinese has a tough time thinking about all …