posted by mrvonduuren on August 27, 2014 | 6 comments
I learned in class that people say "一百岁!" after you sneeze. But I have never actually heard anyone use this. Actually, the only response I have ever had from Chinese people after sneezing is a look of disdain. Any thoughts?
murrayjames on August 27, 2014 | reply
My mother-in-law says “一百岁！” to my daughter whenever she sneezes.
Rules of etiquette vary between cultures... In North America, "Bless you!" or "Gesundheit!" is said even to strangers as a courtesy. In China, expressions like “一百岁！” seem less common with people the speaker is unfamiliar with.
Polite expressions in Chinese (called 客套话) are often different from what we say in the West. If you live in China, you've heard these a millions times, sayings like “辛苦”、 “慢走” etc. Using familial relations for older strangers (阿姨，叔叔, etc.) would be another example.
mrvonduuren on August 27, 2014 | reply
Thank you murrayjames. Great insight. Just out of curiosity, where is your mother-in-law from?
murrayjames on August 28, 2014 | reply
She's from Sichuan. We live in Chengdu.
@mrvonduuren,
It's an expression people(elder generation) use on children to wish them longevity. murrayjames is right, it's less common with people(usually young people/ kids) the speaker is unfamiliar with. Not common among people the same age, either.
Just FYI, sneeze once, it's "一百岁", sneeze twice, it's "二百岁" and sometimes "一丈zhang4高".:) My parents say "一百岁"“一丈高” a lot to my 15-month-old nephew.