You may have already forgotten the days when you had to learn how to use chopsticks. Every
Chinese kid manages to use them for some time. But chopsticks are not just simple tools to pick up food. They come with their own special rules and traditions.
Generally, people should not make noise with chopsticks. Playing with chopsticks is seen as bad manners, just as playing with forks and knives in a western country is impolite.
Some people believe that chopsticks should not be left standing upright in a bowl. It looks like the incense (香) that Chinese people use to honor the dead. Doing it at the dinner table is believed to bring bad luck.
You should not knock chopsticks on the edge of the bowl either, as beggars (乞丐) do this to ask for food. Parents might get angry if children do this as they don't want their children to be as poor as beggars in the future.
Besides, chopsticks can also be a great gift. In Chinese, "chopsticks" are known as "kuaizi", so new couples feel happy to receive chopsticks as a wedding gift. Skilled people paint beautiful pictures on chopsticks to make them look like fine artworks.
Today, even some people from western countries are learning to use chopsticks and like to collect them.
