Good = 好 = Hao

With my Chinese origins, I was recently reminded that my life is "good" because I have a son and a daughter. Why is this? Well, if something is good, the Chinese describe it as 好 (hăo). The character 好 consists of 女 (nǚ) daughter and子 (zĭ) son. Yes, for those of you in the know, I am using Mandarin as my reference although I grew up in household speaking Mandarin, Cantonese, and Hokkien (including English of course). I'm not fluent but not uncommon for someone who arrived in Canada at the age of 3.

The reason why the appearance of daughters and sons in the character 好 means good or beautiful can be explained with the aid of the Chinese culture. Other websites describe it better but basically, in Chinese culture (generically speaking), parents find their children unconditionally good and beautiful and think that their children are kindhearted the minute they are born. Also, another explanation implies that a family is good because they have sons and daughters, because the children embody the continued existence and happiness of a family. Since time immemorial, the Chinese put much emphasis on the value of a family and kin, which is reflected in traditional practices of ancestor worship.

I'm sure these values are shared in other cultures around the world. Nonetheless, this provides an explanation for the link between having a son and daughter, and the why my life is good and beautiful, 好.

Thank you for letting me share this part of my world with you!