Where did this trope originate from and why sneezing? It must be something only in Asian culture because I have never seen this in any US television shows. And yet sneezing when being talked about occurs in both anime and dramas.
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2 Answers
This is something that got featured in the Book of songs, this was a poem book out of ancient china (1000BC) and still is occasionally found in Anime/Manga now a days
In certain parts of Eastern Asia, particularly in Japanese culture and Vietnamese culture, a sneeze without an obvious cause was generally perceived as a sign that someone was talking about the sneezer at that very moment - a belief that is still depicted in present-day manga and anime. In China, Vietnam and Japan, for instance, there is a superstition that if talking behind someone's back causes the person being talked about to sneeze; as such, the sneezer can tell if something good is being said (one sneeze), something bad is being said (two sneezes in a row), or if this is a sign that they are about to catch a cold (multiple sneezes). source
Small side note to "It must be something only in Asian culture because I have never seen this in any US television shows". Although not used as often in movies/series nowadays, they still feature this trope once in a while and is mainly used in a comedic sense. A sample would be Scrubs and NCIS where it got featured a few times.
answered Dec 16, 2013 at 13:41
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1I find it incredibly unlikely that the Japanese superstition has anything to do with Greece.– senshinDec 16, 2013 at 13:48
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@senshin As far as I know the sneeze originated from Greece as a sign of the gods. This later on got adopted into other parts of the world such as Asia which gave their own twist. It also might have been China. But I am not sure how the Greek/Chineese calender collide in ancient time.– Dimitri mx ♦Dec 16, 2013 at 13:51
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Wait a second... your new wiki link explains the origin of the trope. Please correct you answer then I can mark it correct.– krikaraDec 16, 2013 at 15:53
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@krikara seems like I totally missed that part ;) added the correct information– Dimitri mx ♦Dec 16, 2013 at 17:50
In Homers Odyssey Telemachus sneezes when his mother speaks about him or what he is doing. So there is western precedent.
