别送钟

小华下个星期搬新家，我们去商店给她买一个礼物吧。

Xiaohua is moving into her new home next week, let's go to a store and buy her a gift.

好啊，你觉得送什么好？

Sure, what do you think we should give her?

你看，这个钟真漂亮，颜色和样子都特别好看，价钱也不算贵。

Look, this clock is really beautiful, the color and shape are both especially nice, and the price isn't too high either.

别买钟！你不知道吗？送钟和送终是谐音，这两个词念出来的音是完全一样的。

Don't buy the clock! Don't you know? "Giving a clock" and "seeing someone off at death" are homophones, the two words sound completely identical when spoken.

送终是什么意思？

What does "seeing someone off at death" mean?

老人快要死的时候，家人一直陪在他身边，一直到最后，这就叫送终。因为送钟和送终的谐音，所以中国人送礼物的时候很忌讳送钟，觉得这样不太好。

When an elderly person is close to dying, the family stays by their side all the way until the end, that's called "seeing someone off at death." Because of the homophone between "giving a clock" and that, Chinese people avoid giving clocks as gifts, feeling it's not good.

真的吗？我从来没听说过这种事。除了送钟以外，还有别的东西也忌讳送吗？

Really? I've never heard of this before. Besides giving clocks, is there anything else that's taboo to give as a gift?

有啊，比如伞。伞和散这两个字，念起来的音也是一样的。散就是分开、离开的意思，所以两个人在谈恋爱的时候，最忌讳送伞，好像是在说他们以后会分开一样。

Yes, umbrellas for example. The characters for "umbrella" and "to scatter" also sound the same when spoken. "To scatter" means to split up or leave, so when two people are dating it's especially taboo to give an umbrella, as if it were saying they'll break up later.

梨呢？我记得梨好像也不能送。

What about pears? I remember pears can't be given either.

对，梨和离也是一样的音。离就是分离、离开，所以送梨也有一样的忌讳，尤其是把一个梨分给两个人吃，那就更不好了。

Right, "pear" and "to separate" also share the same sound. "To separate" means to part or leave, so giving pears carries the same taboo, especially splitting one pear between two people to eat, that's even worse.

这些谐音和忌讳真有意思，以前我完全不知道。

These homophones and taboos are really interesting, I had no idea about any of this before.

中国人常常这样想问题，一个词只要跟不好的事情谐音，大家就会忌讳。

Chinese people often think about things this way, as long as a word is a homophone for something bad, everyone will treat it as taboo.

好吧，那我们不买钟了。可是说真的，这个钟是我们今天看到的礼物里最漂亮的一个，我心里还是有点想买呢。

Okay, so we won't buy the clock. But honestly, this clock is the most beautiful gift we've seen today, in my heart I still kind of want to buy it.

我懂你的意思，它确实很漂亮。不过忌讳这种事，还是别冒险比较好，我们再看看别的礼物吧。

I understand what you mean, it really is beautiful. But when it comes to taboos like this, it's still better not to take the risk, let's go look at other gifts.

好，那我们再去别的地方看看，一定能找到一个又漂亮又没有谐音问题的礼物。

Okay, let's go look somewhere else then, we're sure to find a gift that's both beautiful and has no homophone problems.