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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Eric: Hello and welcome to Culture Class: Chinese Superstitions and Beliefs, Lesson 1 - Feeling Pulses in Your Right and Left Eyes. I'm Eric and I'm joined by Dehua.
Dehua: 你好! (nǐhǎo!) I'm Dehua.
THE TWO SUPERSTITIONS
Eric: In this lesson we’ll talk about two common superstitions in China. The first superstition is about bad luck. What’s it called in Chinese?
Dehua: 右眼跳灾, (yòu yǎn tiào zāi).
Eric: Which literally means "A twitch in right eye, upcoming disaster." Dehua, can you repeat the Chinese phrase again?
Dehua: [slow] 右眼跳灾 [normal] 右眼跳灾
Eric: In China, it's believed that if your right eyelid twitches, bad things could happen to you.
Dehua: Actually this isn’t true for all regions in China.
Eric: That’s right. Some people from certain areas actually believe the opposite, that a twitch in the left eye indicates upcoming disaster.
Dehua: So it depends on who you ask.
Eric: Where did this superstition come from?
Dehua: It’s just a saying that was passed down.
Eric: The second superstition is about good luck. What’s it called in Chinese?
Dehua: 左眼跳财, (zuǒ yǎn tiào cái).
Eric: Which literally means "A twitch in left eye, upcoming fortune." Let’s hear it in Chinese again.
Dehua: [slow] 左眼跳财 [normal] 左眼跳财
Eric: This superstition is the opposite of the previous one.
Dehua: Yes. In China, it's believed that if your left eye twitches, luck might be coming your way.
Eric: Again, this changes depending on the region. In some places, people believe that a twitch in your right eye indicates upcoming fortune.
Dehua: Again, it’s just a saying that was passed down.
Eric: So if your eye twitches, it could be either good luck or bad luck.
Dehua: Right, so be on the lookout!

Outro

Eric: There you have it - two Chinese superstitions! Are they similar to any of your country’s superstitions? Let us know in the comments!

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