"Shi." This is the character for the number 10. And get this...
The way the Chinese say "Ten minutes" or "Ten o'clock" with their hands is not the same way we might do in the States. In the States, we might hold up all ten fingers if someone we're talking to didn't hear us, or if we want to signal an upcoming exit cue to someone standing across a crowded room...
The way the Chinese say "Ten" with their fingers is with a simple cross of the index fingers. They lift their hands and their fingers form a lowercase t across the heart.
"When are you going to bed?" my grandfather asked me. He crossed his index fingers in front of his chest. "Ten o'clock?"
As all of you know, China (and more specifically, Taiwan) is a big part of my heritage. My mother was born in China but raised in Taipei, Taiwan. (FYI, my father was born in Philadelphia but raised in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida. So kind of the same.) All of my mother's immediate family still resides in Taipei: my grandparents, my aunt, my uncle, their children and their children's children. I'm going to Taipei this summer for seven full weeks (from May 28-July 15) to live with them, become familiar with their Taiwan lifestyle and finally learn to speak some Mandarin.
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