Chinese superstitions

So yesterday I posted about eyebrow threading. This would mortify my father. Not only because I am sharing with the whole interwebs my *ahem* very personal [/sarcasm] grooming habits, but because he hates the idea of plucking eyebrows. He, in fact, was so adamant about my younger sisters and I NOT tweezing, that he said it was bad luck in Chinese culture to remove your facial hair.

Pssshht, yeah. This was the general response from me and my sisters, and I'm pretty sure all three of us employ some sort of hair removal technique on a routine basis at this point. But it did get me thinking about the other crazy superstitions held by Chinese people, my parents included. Let's start by the ideas that my parents, particularly my dad, have drilled into my sisters and me throughout our lives.

Things my dad says will bring you bad luck in Chinese culture:

1. The number 4: In most (if not all) Chinese dialects, the word for "4" sounds remarkably like the word for "death". So naturally 4 = DEATH. Makes sense, huh?
2. Sweeping the house on Chinese New Year (CNY) Day:  Because you will "sweep" away all the good luck. (my thought was always: "But won't it sweep out the bad luck too?")
3. Washing your hair on CNY Day: Again, because you will "wash" away all the good luck. So stay away from all Chinese people on Chinese New Year. They be smelly.
4. Having unpaid debts on CNY: If you have debt on Day 1, you will likely have debt the rest of the year. This has actually motivated me to pay off all my credit cards by Chinese New Year every year. I wonder if $200,000 in student loans count...
5. Crying on CNY: Because if you cry on Day 1, you will likely cry the rest of the year. This is the one day all the parents are supposed to put up with their bratty kids, and not spank or punish them. Lucky kids.
6. Talk about deceased people after dark: Because it will disturb their spirits. Or bring ghosts. Or both. I can't remember.
7. Getting a clock for your birthday: Because the word for clock in Chinese also sounds like the word for death. (A lot of words sound like death, apparently.) So clock = death. But only on your birthday. I assume other days are okay.

Man, that's a lot of stuff. Alternatively, there are ways to change your luck if you've committed any of the above atrocities. Observe:

Things my dad says will bring you good luck in Chinese culture:

1. The number 8: The Chinese word for 8 sounds like the Chinese word for prosperity. So 8 = prosperity. Savvy?
2. Long noodles on your birthday: The longer the noodle, the better, because the length of the noodle represents the length of your life. Long noodle=long life. So no penne or farfalle on your bday, mmmkay? (This may be the day to go visit the noodle shops in China that make a whole bowl of noodles from one continuous noodle.)

Hmmm, that's all I can remember for now. Lots more stuff can bring you down, I guess.

Here are some other superstitions that I found around the web:
-A house facing North will bring bad luck to the family living there (sucks for 1/4 of the building)
-Clipping toe or finger nails at night will bring ghosts (and may result in uneven nails)
-It one keeps a turtle as a pet, it will ruin his business
-If a dog howls for a few hours in late night, it means someone died somewhere
[Source]

So what have we taken away from this? Eight is good, four is bad, Chinese people smell on New Year's, no turtles, always face South, and someone is always dying somewhere (HEY, it's TRUE!!!).
Funnily enough, nothing about eyebrows. Hear that dad? We can tweeze all we want!!

Are there any strange Chinese superstitions I missed? Any weird beliefs in your family/culture?