Chinese New Year is all about celebrating new beginnings and ushering in prosperity, so when netizens saw a bunch of 'salted' (and presumably dead) fish printed on red packets, they weren't very sure what to make of it.

A photo of the unusual design was shared on Facebook group Complaint Singapore on Wednesday (Feb 10), alongside a red bag that featured the same motif.

Considering the red packet had PSA International's logo on it, the design might have been in reference to the port and the sea. Still, death is still a taboo topic during the festive season.

"Must be done by someone who is clueless about Chinese culture," a netizen wrote, while another said anyone "with half a brain would know it's inauspicious to have dead fish dangling on a string on a hongbao".

Red packets are commonly adorned with depictions of live fish in reference to a Chinese saying Nian nian you yu (to have an abundance every year), which shares the same pronunciation as for fish in Mandarin.

The unfortunate design, however, left one netizen wondering aloud if it meant to say "every year have dead fish".

Perhaps the design has just been sorely misunderstood, other netizens reasoned.

Another Chinese saying — Xian yu fan sheng (literally salted fish flips over) — means a reversal of fortune. Seeing how the past year has gone for most of us, Covid-19 and all, the design may then be interpreted as a blessing for the future.

The recipient will have to flip over the red packet to extract its contents, after all.

For those who'd like to get their hands on similarly quirky red packet designs without potentially offending recipients by accident, why not go for some that look like your favourite new year goodies, or one that features a photorealistic goldfish?

rainercheung@asiaone.com

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