After accepting invitations from a friend, you must choose a special gift for the host. Many things could be on your present list: fruit, clothes, or books. However, in China, the clock "钟"(zhōng) could never be given as a present. In Chinese, "钟"(zhōng) has the same pronunciation as "终"(zhōng), which means "the end, the death." "送钟"(sòng zhōng) means giving a clock as a present to somebody and "送终"(sòng zhōng) means attending funerals. The two homophonic phrases are naturally connected. To avoid the bad results which are brought by good intentions, do remember not to give a clock "钟"(zhōng) as a present to your Chinese friends.