In china, there are some things one mustn't do such as:
- offer a clock to someone (clock=钟表 zhōng biǎo) because it symbolizes death, the end (end=终结 zhōng jié)
- sharing a pear with somebody, is also considered as an insult (pear=梨子 lí zi), it symbolizes separation, departure for a long time (to leave=离 lí)
I have checked: all the other fruits are Ok!! In fact, this is because of an ancient tale, the story of a mother and a son, separating for ever. Before they said their goodbyes, they both shared a pear. Since then, it is symbolically inappropriate to do so out of this specific context!
In addition to that, you can notice the pronunciation of "pear" and "leave" is the same.
- to thank a friend, excessively is taken in the wrong way quite often. When someone offers me something, I was advised not to say "thank you" (谢谢) but rather "OK" (好的)! Because saying "thank you" here implies there is a gap between the two people (social status, age, or they are strangers to each an other) This is a tricky habit for me to take I admit!
- at the dinner table: (I was very very mad at my sister... I discovered this after two MONTHS here!!! She said "hhhumm justine, there is something I should tell you.... I didn't want to make you uncomfortable so I didn't tell you earlier" - I couldn't believe it!! )
As you all know, we eat the food with chopsticks (筷子 kuài zi), except for the soup, we sometimes have a spoon. Each person has a small bowl, for the rice and there are public dishes on the table. Everybody helps themselves. My dear sister explained yesterday, that for some specific dishes such as meat (肉 ròu) or some vegetable dishes (素菜 sù cài), there is a pair of "PUBLIC CHOPSTICK". And she said it was very impolite to use personal chopsticks to serve myself, but that nobody said anything because I didn't know.
To be honest, I had thought about this before, and personally found it wasn't very hygienic!
~So I got a little upset and we had a small argument after this discussion~
- a common greeting in china is to ask someone where he is going, and sometimes "why". At the beginning, this felt as an intrusion to me! I wanted to answer "mind your own business"... And I know how to say it! (少管闲事!! shǎo guǎn xián shì!)
But this has become a habit. In the street, most of the time when I bump into someone I know, this is the small talk we have:
Me: 你好 (nǐ hǎo) or 早上好 ("zǎo shang hǎo" if it is morning)
He/she: 你好! 你去哪儿？("nǐ qù nǎ r"= where are you going?) 为什么 ("wèi shén me"= why??)
Me: 我去买东西 (买东西"mǎi dōng xi" = buy something) or 我去程课 ("chéng kè"= lesson) 你呢? (nǐ ne? = what about you?)
He/she: 我去。。。。。。
（most of the time, I don't understand the answer, it is too fast and in Nanjing dialect!, but we both smile, maybe talk about the weather, ask about each others health (你身体好吗？＂shēn tǐ"= health) )
And we end with an unusually (for me) exaggerated smile, and
"好好好好。！再见! (" zài jiàn"= goodbye, 好= well/good, people often repeat this more than 20times, very fast!)
- Here, it isn't impolite to ask questions about touchy topics in Europe : somebody's salary, age, weight...
In fact, I get asked very personal questions (to my mind), I know how to answer them... But most people answer the truth.
