{"id":9674,"date":"2018-01-21T08:33:39","date_gmt":"2018-01-21T08:33:39","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/?p=9674"},"modified":"2018-01-21T08:33:39","modified_gmt":"2018-01-21T08:33:39","slug":"sending-flowers-china-dos-donts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/sending-flowers-china-dos-donts.html","title":{"rendered":"Sending Flowers in China: Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts"},"content":{"rendered":"

The topic of how to send flowers in China came to my mind a short time ago when one of my friends told me of a student who sent her some chrysanthemums as a \u201cthank you\u201d gift for helping him with his studies. For Chinese people, this is considered an infelicitous act, and it bothered my friend quite a bit to receive these flowers.<\/p>\n

It brings up the question of today\u2019s article: what must foreigners know about what kind of flowers to give to Chinese people, especially on special occasions?<\/p>\n

First, About Chrysanthemums\uff1a<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"f1\"<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The chrysanthemum is a symbol of good quality, refinement, and longevity; it is quite well-known as one the \u201cFour Gentlemen\u201d in traditional Chinese culture.<\/li>\n
  2. However, chrysanthemums are given in memory of the dead (though not all kinds, but white ones are always used in this manner).<\/li>\n
  3. There is no accurate and exact explanation for why chrysanthemums are used for the dead in Chinese culture. The most likely possibility is that it has just become a conventional rule: since it is used so often for the dead, especially in the Tomb Sweeping Festival, people have associated this flower for such usage.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Again, though not all chrysanthemums are given in memory of the dead, my advice is don\u2019t even think twice about giving this to a Chinese person. Just don\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n

    \u6559\u5e08\u8282Teacher\u2019s Day(Ji\u00e0osh\u012b ji\u00e9)<\/h2>\n

    Recommended flowers\uff1a<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"f2\"<\/p>\n

    \u5411\u65e5\u8475(Xi\u00e0n\u0261r\u00ecku\u00ed) Sunflower: to show love and respect to your teachers;<\/p>\n

    \u5eb7\u4e43\u99a8(K\u0101n\u0261n\u01ceix\u012bn) Carnation: to show thanks and respect to your teachers.<\/p>\n

    Festivals about love<\/h2>\n

    Valentine\u2019s Day(\u60c5\u4eba\u8282Q\u00edn\u0261r\u00e9n ji\u00e9) \/ the Double Seventh Festival\u4e03\u5915\u8282(Q\u012bx\u012b ji\u00e9) \/ Singles Day(\u5149\u68cd\u8282Gu\u0101n\u0261\u0261\u00f9n ji\u00e9)<\/p>\n

    Recommended flowers\uff1a<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"f3\"<\/p>\n

    \u73ab\u7470(M\u00e9i\u0261u\u012b) Rose: this shows deep love;<\/p>\n

    \u90c1\u91d1\u9999(Y\u00f9j\u012bnxi\u0101n\u0261) Tulip: Symbolizes high quality\u3001deep consideration, and intelligence.<\/p>\n

    Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u5149\u68cd\u8282(Singles Day, Gu\u0101n\u0261\u0261\u00f9n ji\u00e9)\uff1aa new-born festival, held on the 11th <\/sup>of November every year, that is, \u201c11\u00b711\u201d. One reason for this is \u201c1\u201d means \u201csingle\u201d and it is shaped like a long single stick, so that day is entitled \u201cSingles Day\u201d.<\/p>\n

    \u6625\u8282The Spring Festival(Ch\u016bnji\u00e9)<\/h2>\n

    This is the biggest and greatest festival for Chinese people. People will return to their own families no matter how far they are or how busy they are. During this period, people always like bright-colored things, as they believe this will bring good luck and grant strong wishes. So, the flowers also reflect this belief.<\/p>\n

    Recommended flowers\uff1a<\/strong><\/p>\n

    For Elders:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"f4\"<\/p>\n

    \u957f\u5bff\u82b1Jonquil(Ch\u00e1n\u0261sh\u00f2u hu\u0101): for longevity;<\/p>\n

    \u7261\u4e39\u82b1Peony(M\u01d4d\u0101n hu\u0101): for wealth, honor, and beauty;<\/p>\n

    \u5927\u4e3d\u82b1Dahlias(D\u00e0l\u00ec hu\u0101): for good fortune and great profit.<\/p>\n

    For Friends or Colleagues\uff1a<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"f5\"<\/p>\n

    \u5bcc\u8d35\u7af9Lucky Bamboo (F\u00f9\u0261u\u00ec zh\u00fa): a wish for them to make their fortunes;<\/p>\n

    \u7ea2\u8272\u8774\u8776\u5170(H\u00f3n\u0261s\u00e8 h\u00fadi\u00e9l\u00e1n): for success in their careers and general happiness.<\/p>\n

    Notes:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"f6\"<\/p>\n

    \u5251\u5170Gladiolus (Ji\u00e0nl\u00e1n)\uff1aThis orchid means \u201cof noble quality\u201d, but it is a homophone for “\u8270\u96be\u201d(hardship, ji\u0101nn\u00e1n), and \u201c\u89c1\u96be\u201d(to see you hard, ji\u00e0n n\u00e1n) in some dialects, so some people may not like this flower as much because of this.<\/p>\n

    \u6885\u82b1Plum blossom (M\u00e9ihu\u0101)\uff1aThis symbolizes elegance and nobility, but can cause an association with \u201c\u8d70\u9709\u8fd0\u201d\uff08unlucky, z\u01d2u m\u00e9iy\u00f9n\uff09, so to some degree, it\u2019s not suitable to be given to businessmen.<\/p>\n

    \u6bcd\u4eb2\u8282Mother\u2019s Day (M\u01d4q\u012bn ji\u00e9) & \u7236\u4eb2\u8282Father\u2019s Day(F\u00f9q\u012bn ji\u00e9)<\/h2>\n

    Recommended flowers:<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"f7\"<\/p>\n

    \u5eb7\u4e43\u99a8(K\u0101n\u0261n\u01ceix\u012bn) Carnations: thankfulness for a mother\u2019s everlasting love;<\/p>\n

    \u767e\u5408\u82b1(B\u01ceih\u00e9 hu\u0101) Lily: symbolizes high quality and elegance;<\/p>\n

    \u8431\u8349(Xu\u0101n c\u01ceo) Hemerocallis fulva: it means a wish that all troubles will go away,<\/p>\n

    \u5411\u65e5\u8475 (Xi\u00e0n\u0261r\u00ecku\u00ed) Sunflower: to show love and your respect to your mother.<\/p>\n

    The flowers mentioned above are just a fraction of what can be given in Chinese culture. Which kind of flower is better and more appropriate to give depends on the time, place, the person, even the hobbies and the personality. I hope that today\u2019s article has taught you a little bit about the social act of giving flowers to in Chinese society. Learning proper social manners so that one does the right thing at the right time is not only a reflection of elegance and knowledge, but also of courtesy and respect for others.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    The topic of how to send flowers in China came to my mind a short time ago when one of my friends told me of a student who sent her some chrysanthemums as a \u201cthank you\u201d gift for helping him with his studies. For Chinese people, this is considered an infelicitous act, and it bothered…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":111,"featured_media":9683,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[122,89],"post_series":[],"yoast_head":"\nSending Flowers in China: Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.digmandarin.com\/sending-flowers-china-dos-donts.html\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Sending Flowers in China: Do\u2019s and Don\u2019ts\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The topic of how to send flowers in China came to my mind a short time ago when one of my friends told me of a student who sent her some chrysanthemums as a \u201cthank you\u201d gift for helping him with his studies. 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