• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Taiwanese Secrets Travel Guide

  • About
  • Contact Me
  • What’s New
  • Facebook
  • Pizza Rock
MENUMENU
  • Home
  • What’s New
  • About Taiwan
    • Facts About Taiwan
    • Is Taiwan a Country?
    • Culture
      • Ancient Chinese Things
      • Taiwanese Culture
      • Language
      • Martial Arts
      • Music
    • Festivals
    • Food
      • Snacks & Fast Food Guide
  • Travel Info
    • 17 Best Road Trips in Taiwan
    • Accommodation
    • Transportation
      • Transport in Taiwan
      • High Speed Rail
      • Train
      • Bus
      • Rent a Car
      • Scooter & Motorcycle
      • Hitchhiking
    • Hiking Guide
    • Surfing in Taiwan
    • Nightlife in Taiwan
    • Visa to Taiwan
    • Important Links!
  • Taipei
    • Introduction to Taipei
    • Best Area to Stay in Taipei
    • Getting Around
      • MRT (metro) Guide
    • Attractions
      • Dihua Street
      • Museums, Memorials, Historical Buildings
      • Taipei 101
      • Temples
    • Shopping in Taipei
  • North
    • Hsinchu
    • Keelung
    • Jiufen
    • Long Dong
    • Pinglin
    • Taian Hot Spring
    • Taoyuan
    • Wulai
    • Yangmingshan National Park
  • East
    • Chenggong
    • Donghe
    • Dulan
    • Hualien
    • Highway 11
    • Jiaoxi
    • Taroko Gorge
      • Hiking in Taroko
      • Taroko Camping
      • Taipei to Taroko
    • Taitung
    • Tianxiang
    • Yilan
  • Central
    • Alishan
    • Baguashan
    • Changhua
    • Cingjing Farm
    • Mt. Hehuan (Hehuanshan)
    • Lugang
    • Sun Moon Lake
    • Taichung City
      • Attractions in Taichung
      • Parks and Canals | Walking Guide
      • Restaurants
      • Cafes
      • Hiking in Dakeng
      • Getting There and Away
    • Zhongxing New Village
  • South
    • Donggang
    • Kaohsiung
    • Kenting
      • Best of Kenting
      • Restaurants and Cafes
      • Baisha Beach
      • Fengchuisha
      • Hengchun
      • Houwan (Back Bay)
      • Jialeshui
      • Manzhou
      • Nanwan (South Bay)
      • Sail Rock
      • Snorkeling in Kenting
      • Surfing in Kenting
      • Taipei to Kenting
      • Pizza Rock Kenting
      • Wild East Guesthouse
      • Xiaowan (Little Bay)
      • Wanlitong
    • Maolin
    • Tainan
  • Islands
    • Green Island (Ludao)
    • Kinmen Island
    • Matsu Island
    • Orchid Island (Lanyu)
    • Penghu
    • Xiao Liuqiu (Lamay Island)
  • Pictures
  • About
    • Contact Me

Chinese Superstitions

chinese superstition

Table of Contents

  • Information About Chinese Superstitions
  • Chinese Ghosts Superstitions
  • Homonym Superstition
  • Chinese Zodiac Superstitions
  • Chinese Superstitions: Numbers
  • Chinese Superstitions About Mole Hair

Information About Chinese Superstitions

Taiwan and China have been undergoing serious economic development, and in many ways the landscapes of cities in both places have been irreversibly changed. Chinese superstitions, however, are harder to kill than brick buildings and bad economic policies.

You might ask why we wanted to write an article about a topic as random as superstition. Well, it’s common for foreigners to encounter some cultural superstition in China and Taiwan, commit a faux pas or generally offend Chinese people by not being aware of it.

Chinese society is very, very superstitious, and has been for a long time. Chinese superstitions range from the benign to the most bizarre. Western culture has its own set of wacky superstitions, of course, but some of the more absurd are rarely believed. The difference in Taiwan and China is that the old ones have stuck around and are taken very seriously. Not following these “beliefs” or “rules” can bring bad luck for an entire Chinese family.

chinese superstitions

ts on fb
Click here to follow us on facebook!

Let’s go through some examples of Chinese superstitions…

Chinese Ghosts Superstitions

Most Chinese / Taiwanese people are firm believers in ghosts. Even the most open-minded, well-traveled and internationally-conscious people in Taiwan will admit a slight belief that ghosts can and do affect the human world. A student I once had would literally freeze up in terror if she scarcely heard the word mentioned. The same student staunchly declared that she slept before midnight every night, because “that’s when the ghosts come out.”

For people in Taiwan, ghosts mostly live in the water, particularly during “Ghost Month” (usually in late summer). If you see people outside throwing paper into massive fires in the crushing summer heat, they’re not undergoing voluntary torture – that’s “ghost money” which they offer to the spirits during ghost month to keep them away.

Other Chinese superstitions about ghosts include:

  • Don’t whistle at night because it attracts ghosts.
  • Don’t hang your clothes outside at night because it looks like flying ghosts.
  • Don’t swim in lakes or in the ocean during the Chinese Ghost Month because ghosts will drown you.
  • When you enter your hotel room, knock first to let the ghosts know you’re coming in.

superstitions in china

Homonym Superstition

The Chinese language has a very small number of sounds and syllables. Therefore, homonyms are quite common. Words that sound similar are often taken to have superstitiously similar meanings. For example, the words for “surplus” and “fish” are both pronounced yu, so fish are seen to bring prosperity.

Chinese Zodiac Superstitions

Anyone who’s ever been to a cheap Chinese restaurant will be vaguely familiar with the Chinese Zodiac – there are twelve animals that correspond to the year you were born. If you’re traveling to China or Taiwan, make sure you know which animal you are, as people might be prone to asking you. Don’t be surprised if they try to say some insightful things about your personality once you tell them your sign.

taiwanese superstitions

Chinese Superstitions: Numbers

In Chinese culture, there are all kinds of complicated superstitions around numbers. One obvious one is that the number 4 is considered unlucky (much like 13 in western countries), so many buildings don’t have a fourth floor. Four is unlucky because it sounds similar to the word for “death”. If you’re going to a wedding, make sure you give money without the number 4, and make sure also that it’s an even number. Eight (pronunced ba in Mandarin Chinese) is a particularly auspicious number because it sounds like fortune (fa).

Chinese Superstitions About Mole Hair

Lovely title, right? In Chinese culture, the stringy hair that sprouts out of moles is seen as a symbol of luck and longevity (even on women). They can get a bit grotesque; you’d be surprised how long the hairs can grow if left untouched.

Other Chinese superstitions:

  • Don’t be a bridesmaid more than three times. If you do, you won’t be able to find a husband.
  • Don’t plant your chopsticks in your rice bowl as it looks like incense sticks in a censer.
  • Don’t talk about death or ghosts in or around a Chinese temple.

I hope you enjoyed reading this article about Chinese Superstitions.

Return from Chinese Superstitions to Taiwanese Secrets Homepage

Filed Under: Chinese Culture

Back to Top

Primary Sidebar

Hello, I’m Ugo

ugo taiwanese secretsI’m the weirdo behind this site. I’ve been living in Taiwan since 2000, so basically I’ve spent half my life here. I have a big passion for everything Formosa and I’ve been working on this website since 2008 to share the beauty of Taiwan with the world!

Recent Posts

  • Hengchun Travel Guide January 10, 2021
  • Yushan Taiwan Hiking Guide January 5, 2021
  • Complete Travel Guide to Alishan in Taiwan January 3, 2021
  • Visit Kaohsiung in Southern Taiwan January 2, 2021
  • Discover Taiwan’s Finest Beaches in Kenting National Park January 1, 2021
  • Sun Moon Lake Taiwan – Complete 2021 Travel Guide January 1, 2021
  • Taichung Train Station Area December 23, 2020
  • How to Apply for Yushan Permit December 21, 2020
  • Hike Sanding Mountain in Taiping December 20, 2020
  • Kenting Nightlife December 18, 2020

Browse by Topic

Attraction Beaches Changhua Chiayi Cultural Destination Culture Directory Drinking Festival Food Guesthouse Hiking Hot-Spring Hotel Hsinchu Hualien Information Itinerary Kaohsiung Kenting Manzhou Miaoli Mountains Nantou National Park Nature New Taipei City Nightlife Orchid Island Outdoor Pingtung Pingtung County Religion Restaurant Seaside Shopping Taichung Tainan Taipei Taitung Taoyuan Taroko Temple Transportation Yilan
  • Home
  • Contact Me
  • Important Links!
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions

Copyright© 2021·Taiwanese Secrets