Why giving pears is considered inauspicious

[yang88]

Dear cecil,
I read somewhere that chinese people consider it inauspicious to give pears to sick or ailing person. Is it true. Thanks.

[Cecil Lee]

Dear Anon,
1. It is very often to hear the phonetic sound of a word and relate it with being auspicious or inauspicious.
It implies: "Hey, you want me to go `quickly' to my death is it?"
Unfortunately, the pear in Mandarin is called `li' which can mean separation.
2. Thus it is inauspicious or considered inauspicious for married couples to cut pear in halves. Which symbolically implies separation.
3. There is some truth in what you have mentioned.
4. The Chinese dread the `7th month'. This is the month where it is said that ghosts are let free to roam on earth.
It is far worse to give pears on the 15th day of the 7th month as it is said to bring more sadness to loved ones who had lost a close relative... much sorrow...
5. As mentioned above, `li' implies separation and some Chinese consider it very inauspicious to give pears to sick or the ailing as it symbolises `li' or separation. Here, separation can mean death.
Thus what you have said has some `truth' in the belief of some Chinese who dread the word `li'.
Hope that helps.
Warmest Regards,
Cecil

Quote

On 6/10/00 1:08:00 PM, Anonymous wrote:
Dear cecil,
I read somewhere that chinese
people consider it
inauspicious to give pears to
sick or ailing person. Is it
true. Thanks.