Chinese Culture Questions and Answer

Q: People in our country are very fond of puppies, describing them as a symbol of loyalty, cuteness, and intelligence, while in Chinese it is often used as a derogatory expression, such as 狗屁不通(Nonsense!; unreadable rubbish)，狗娘养的(son of a bitch)，狗眼看人低(be damned snobbish; act like a snob)，猪狗不如(worse than pigs or dogs)，骗人是小狗(someone lies/cheats people are puppies) and so on. Don’t you like dogs?

A: Throughout Chinese history, people have often had positive and negative feelings towards dogs, but more negative. Dogs were usually treated as domestic animals, animals of the same kind as chickens, cows, and pigs. So in pre-modern China, dogs were considered to be cunning and vicious and were used as watchdogs. The bad Allegorical sayings and idioms about dogs come from that period. However, in modern China, with the influence of the West, more and more people are using puppies as pets, so we still love dogs.

Q: When the Chinese say a man’s wife cheats on him, they say he is ” with a Cuckold戴绿帽子 .” Why don’t you say he’s wearing green clothes or something?

A: This statement comes from a story in ancient China. A beautiful woman was having an affair with a cloth seller behind her husband’s back. Every time her husband went out, the woman made a green hat for her husband with green cloth. When the cloth seller saw the code, he knew he could meet the woman. Therefore, later generations jokingly call a man’s lover cheating “with a Cuckold.”

Q: Why is there no cat in the zodiac生肖?

A: Some folk myths and legends use the expression “the mouse cheats the cat” to explain this problem, but the real reason is that there were no cats in ancient China, the cat Originally from Egypt, when the cat was introduced to China is not available, folklore is brought back from India by the Tang Sanzang (in fact, the Han Dynasty). Therefore Before the cat was introduced into China, the Chinese Zodiac had long been finalized. Moreover, the big cat tiger is already in the zodiac, so the kitten doesn’t have to be on duty.

Q: Why should people wear red in the year of the birth sign(本命年)?

A: Feng Shui Neo Confucianism believes that the guardian God of the Chinese Zodiac will pay a courtesy call on heaven every year. According to the current saying, it is to report on his work. At this time, the protection of people will be weakened, demons and evil spirits will take advantage of the opportunity, and red can go to disasters and ward off evil spirits. This is also related to the origin of pasting Spring Festival couplets for the “Chinese new year”, so people use red clothes and red belts to ward off evil spirits. Later, it was carried forward by people, and even underwear and socks should be red.

Q: Why should people give children money红包 in the Chinese New Year?

During the Shenzong period of the Northern Song Dynasty, one spring festival night, Nanxin, the youngest son of Wang Shao, a deputy prime minister, was watching lanterns in the street with adults. Unexpectedly, he was robbed by criminals and wanted to blackmail Wang Shao for a sum of money. During his escape, he happened to encounter an imperial car passing by. Nanxin shouted for help. And the criminals dropped him and fled in a hurry. Later, after Song Shen Zong learned about this, he gave some money to Nan Xuan to calm him down, and from then on “New Year’s Lucky Money” spread among the people.

Q:The origin story of  250″二百五(idiot)”?

A:Su Qin has been trying to persuade the six countries to unite against Qin, which is known as “the six countries granted prime ministers” in history. However, Su Qin was killed by an assassin when he was in the country of Qi. In order to catch the assassin, the king of Qi posted a notice claiming that Su Qin was a traitor, and the assassin would be rewarded with a thousand taels of gold. As soon as the notice was posted, four people immediately took the bait and claimed that they had done it. The King of Qi hated the assassins and was furious. He said: two hundred and fifty taels of gold per person. and pushed out the four “two hundred and fifty二百五” and cut off their heads!

Q:Why is taking advantage of women called “吃豆腐eating tofu”?

In the Han Dynasty, a tofu shop was opened by a husband and wife on Chang’an Street. The landlady was beautiful and charming. She was called ” tofu maiden.” It was inevitable to show off her customs to attract customers, which attracted the surrounding men to flirt with the landlady in the tofu shop in the name of “吃豆腐 eating bean curd,” and touch the landlady’s slender hand while paying copper coins. Later, ” 吃豆腐 eating tofu” has become a synonym for men’s frivolous women.

Q:Why the Chinese call big talk “吹牛(皮)blowing cowhide”?

A:Once upon a time, when the sheep were slaughtered, the butcher would cut a small opening in the sheep’s leg, put his mouth up, and blow hard into it until the sheep’s whole body expanded. With a gentle pull with a knife, the skin would crack by itself. This is called “吹猪blowing pig” or “吹羊blowing sheep”. If anyone wants to say that he can blow up the cowhide, he is talking big, because the cowhide is very big and tough, and he can’t blow up at all. So “吹牛(皮)” is synonymous with boasting!