I was talking to a friend today about Chinese taboos and she mentioned one that I’d vaguely heard of before but never gave much thought to – do not give knives as gifts to anyone unless you want to sever your relationship with them.
For the Chinese, the giving of a sharp object like knives or scissors mean that you want to sever your relationship with someone. So, if you are thinking of gifting your significant other with a set of lovely kitchen knives or a swiss army knife that he has been wanting, ask him or her to give you some money – even a coin or a dollar would do.
It implies that they “bought” the sharp objects off you so the relationship is maintained.
I was very intrigued by this. I’m not the most superstitious of people, but I’m not about to risk severing relationships with my friends and loved ones!