Why is a clock considered an inappropriate gift for an elderly person in China?

ANSWER: Because in Chinese Culture, a clock is "a symbol of the end of life." That is why the grandfather in the following sentence is angry when he receives a clock as a gift. (The sentence comes from the book Schaum's Outlines: Chinese Grammar.)

我(아)送(송)給(급)爺(야)爺(야)一(일)個(개)鐘(종). 爺(야)爺(야)不(불)但(단)不(불)高(고)興(흥), 反(반)而(이)非(비)常(상)生(생)氣(기).

I 我 gave 送給 grandfather 爺椰 a 一個 clock 鐘. Grandfather 爺爺 was not only 不但 not 不 happy 高興, on the contrary 反而, [he] was extremely 非常 angry 生氣.

It reminds me of the old song "My Grandfather's Clock."
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What does 餓鬼 (아귀) literally mean?

 ANSWER: hungry (餓) ghost (鬼)

Since it is getting close to Halloween, here is a short Chinese ghost story from the Chinese grammar book Schaum's Outlines: Chinese Grammar. I did, however, add the Korean pronunciations to the Chinese characters from the book.

城(성)西(서)邊(변)有(유)一(일)所(소)房(방)子(자). 房(방)子(자)又(우)大(대)又(우)老(노). 沒(몰)有(유)人(인)住(주).
On the town’s 城 west side 西邊 there is 有 a 一所 house 房子. The house 房子 is both 又 big 大 and 又 old老. No one 沒有人 lives 住 [there].

有(유)人(인)說(설)房(방)子(자)裏(리)有(유)鬼(괴). 還(환)說(설)如(여)果(과)你(니)要(요)跟(근)鬼(괴)做(주)朋(붕)友(우), 你(니)得(득)拿(나)飯(반)進(진)去(거)給(급)鬼(괴)吃(흘).
Some people 有人 say that 說 inside the house 房子裏 there are 有 ghosts 鬼. [They] also 還 say that 說 if 如果 you 你 want to要, with 跟 the ghosts 鬼, make 做 friends 朋友, you 你 must 得 take 拿 food 飯, go inside 進去, and give it 給 to the ghosts 鬼 to eat 吃.

妹(매)妹(매)和(화)我(아)都(도)聽(청)說(설)了(료)這(저)個(개)故(고)事(사), 想(상)要(요)看(간)看(간)鬼(괴).
Younger sister 妹妹 and 和 I 我 both 都 had heard 聽說了 this 這個 story 故事 [and] wanted 想要 to see 看看 the ghosts 鬼

我(아)們(문)問(문)媽(마)媽(마)鬼(괴)喜(희)歡(환)吃(흘)什(십)麽(마)? 他(타)說(설)他(타)們(문)喜(희)歡(환)吃(흘)米(미)飯(반), 也(야)喜(희)歡(환)吃(흘)餃(교)子(자)和(화)豆(두)腐(부).
We 我們 asked 問 mom 媽媽, “Ghosts 鬼 like to 喜歡 eat 吃 what 什麽?” She她 said 說 they 他們 like 喜歡 to eat 吃 rice 米飯 and also 也 like to 喜歡 to eat 吃 dumplings 餃子 and 和 tofu 豆腐.

他(타)們(문)還(환)喜(희)歡(환)吃(흘)麵(면)也(야)喜(희)歡(환)喝(갈)酒(주)和(화)可(가)樂(락).
They他門 also 還 like to 喜歡 eat 吃 noodles 麵 and also 也 like to 喜歡 drink 喝 wine 酒 abd 和 so cola 可樂.

所(소)以(이)我(아)們(문)做(주)了(료)紅(홍)燒(소)豆(두)腐(부)另(령)外(외)包(포)了(료)很(흔)多(다)餃(교)子(자).
So所以, we 我們 made 做了 simmer-fried 紅燒 tofu 豆腐 and also 另外 wrapped 包了 a lot of 很多 dumplings 餃子.

我(아)們(문)還(환)買(매)了(료)酒(주)和(화)可(가)樂(락).
We我們 also 還 bought 買了 wine 酒 and 和 cola 可樂.

等(등)到(도)天(천)黑(흑)了(료), 我(아)們(문)就(취)到(도)那(나)所(소)房(방)子(자)去(거)了(료).
Waiting until 等到 it became dark 天黑了, we 我們 then 就, to that house 到那所房子, went 去了.

進(진)了(료)房(방)子(자), 妹(매)妹(매)就(취)問(문)你(니)想(상)鬼(귀)今(금)天(천)會(회)喝(갈)酒(주)還(환)是(시)喝(갈)可(가)樂(락)?
[We] entered 進了 the house 房子, [and] younger sister 妹妹 then 就 asked 問, “Do you 你 think 想 the ghosts 鬼 today 今天 will 會 drink 喝 the wine 酒 or 還是 drink 喝 the cola 可樂?”

忽(돌)然(연)我(아)們(문)聽(청)見(견)一(일)個(개)聲(성)音(음), 好(호)像(상)跟(근)人(인)說(설)話(화)一(일)樣(양), “酒(주)還(환)是(시)可(가)樂(락)都(도)好(호). 我(아)們(문)也(야)喜(희)歡(환)渴(갈)水(수).”
Suddenly忽然 we 我們 heard 聽見 a 一個 sound 聲音 as if 好像 someone 跟人 were saying 說話 this 一樣, “Wine酒 or 還是 cola 可樂 both 都 are good 好. We 我們 also 也 like to 喜歡 drink 渴 water 水.”

餃(교)子(자)和(화)酒(주)都(도)掉(도)在(재)地(지)上(상).
The dumplings餃子 and 和 wine 酒 both 都 fell 掉 to the ground 在地上.

我們跑出房子去了, 又跑回家了.
We我們 ran out of 跑出 the house 房子去了 and 又 ran back home跑回家了.

第(제)二(이)天(천)回(회)房(방)子(자)裏(리)一(일)看(간).
The next day第二天 [we] returned 回 to look inside the house 房子裏一看.

在(재)房(방)子(자)後(후)頭(두)找(조)到(도)了(료)幾(기)個(개)酒(주)甁(병), 全(전)部(부)是(시)空(공)的(적).
Behind the house在房子後頭 [we] found 找到了several 幾個 wine bottles酒甁, and they were all empty 全部是空的.

地(지)上(상)有(유)一(일)封(봉)信(신)說(설) “謝(사)謝(사)你(니)們(문)給(급)我(아)們(문)菜(채)和(화)酒(주).” 我(아)們(문)以(이)後(후)再(재)見(견).
On the ground地上 there was 有 a letter 一封信 that said 說, “Thank you for 謝謝你們 giving 給 us 我們 food 菜 and 和 wine 酒. We 我們 will see you later 以後再見.”