The differences between Chinese and Western business etiquette

The difference between Chinese and Western business etiquette

Introduction: There are great differences between Chinese and Western business etiquette. With the increasingly frequent economic and trade exchanges between countries, it is important to learn Chinese and Western etiquette. The differences in habits between social interactions are very necessary and can help us communicate better with people. At the same time, it plays a very important role in business activities.

Differences in communication styles

China is integrating with the world with rapid development, and transnational communication is increasing day by day. China's contacts with Western countries are increasing. There are great differences in the cultural practices of the two parties, which also have a certain impact on communication rituals. Both Chinese and Western cultures attach great importance to interpersonal communication, but there are obvious differences in the concepts and methods of communication.

1 Different languages ??

Greetings also have different forms of expression, which is often one of the factors causing misunderstandings in communication errors. The form of greeting in Chinese is surprising to foreigners who are new to Zambia. For example: Chinese people like to say hello with such words as "Have you eaten?". This extremely plain and clichéd daily greeting reflects the simplicity and simplicity of the Chinese people. Real character: It has no more rhetoric, no lofty talk about society and politics, it directly points to the most concerned and urgent issues that people are most concerned about; it reflects the real and warm relationship that has always existed between ordinary people. , also reflects the Chinese people’s sincere care for individual lives. However, the literal translation of this greeting is unacceptable to English speakers. Greetings in English are often comments or predictions about weather conditions, not only because the British people's geographical location is particularly sensitive to weather, but more importantly because weather is always an impersonal topic. Chinese people may talk about age, salary, marriage, etc. when chatting, which reflects the social familialization of Chinese culture, the principle of "all brothers in the world", and shows concern for others. But if you say this to a British person, I'm afraid he will be sensitive to the fact that you want to pry into his privacy, which will easily lead to cultural conflicts and misunderstandings.

Every kind of conversation, after a long period of development and evolution, Each country will form its own unique title system and standardize the use of titles for different statuses, including elders and younger ones. Chinese culture is very particular about it. If you don’t pay attention, you will be rude. Its most human characteristic is the "principle of belittling oneself and respecting others". For oneself, such as: younger brother, humble essay, humble house, lowly wife, etc.; for others, elders, and superiors, certain titles, positions, and titles should be used to show respect. Such as: Xiongtai, Gui, you, your old, Chief Qian, etc. In English, there are also ten surnames (sometimes, title + Christian name). They are mostly used to address people from the royal family, upper levels of government, religious circles, military circles or legal circles, such as Prince Charles, President Roosevelt, Father White, General Patten and so on. For example, compared with the form of title + surname in Chinese, this form of address in English is far less common than in Chinese.

It is quite common for the Alfang family to be called by their first names, especially among people from Meiwei. Calling people by their first names is a sign of close relationship and familiarity with each other. Brothers and sisters, colleagues, acquaintances or close friends can all be called by their first names. In some schools, not only teachers or professors can call students by their given names, but students can also call teachers or professors by their given names. This kind of temperament that likes to match names reflects people's desire to be informal and expect close relationships.

2 Cultural differences

In families, the relationship between parents and children is also very different between China and the West. Chinese people's interpersonal relationships are mainly based on ethics. In Chinese families, children rely on their parents when they are young. Parents make a lot of personal sacrifices for the family, but require more obedience from their children. When children grow up, they have the responsibility to support their parents, but in some cases they will continue to rely on their parents.

The dependence and dependence relationship between parents and children makes it impossible for children to get along with their parents equally, and it is even less likely for children to call their parents by their names; Westerners believe that the goal of parents in raising children is to enable them to become independent adults by the age of 18 or so. Individuals who are independent, self-reliant, and responsible for their own actions tend to make their own decisions in all aspects of career, marriage, family, sports, and hobbies. However, when children become adults, they have less and less contact with their parents, and the family , the taste of family affection is much colder. In Western families, the relationship between parents and children is relatively equal. There is not so much dependence between children and their parents. Children do not live at home after graduating from middle school. Young people are proud of their independence. When parents get old, they no longer rely on their children, and children have no responsibility to support their parents. Both parties do not have so many obligations and responsibilities, which makes the equal relationship between parents and children in the family possible.

Differences in catering business etiquette

The Chinese have a saying: "Food is the first priority for the people". This shows the status of food in the minds of Chinese people, so Chinese people will eat Consider it a top priority. Chinese food pays more attention to the color, aroma, taste, shape and meaning of the food, even more than the emphasis on nutrition. As long as it tastes good and looks good, nutrition seems to be unimportant. Western food pays more attention to the combination and absorption of nutrients. A scientific concept of diet. Westerners pay more attention to the nutrition of food and ignore the color, aroma, taste, shape and meaning of food. Their diet is mostly for survival and health, and they seem not to pay attention to the enjoyment of taste. In terms of dining atmosphere, most people like to be lively when eating. Many people gather together to eat, drink, talk and laugh, creating a lively and warm dining atmosphere together. Unless it is a very formal banquet, there is no special business etiquette. Both parties like an elegant and quiet environment when dining. They believe that they must pay attention to their business etiquette at the dining table and not make unnecessary noises. For example, they must not make unpleasant noises while dining.

Chinese and Western banquet business etiquette also have their own characteristics. In China, from ancient times to the present, most people respect the left. When entertaining guests, guests with distinguished status should be seated on the left side, and then arranged in sequence. In the West, the right side is respected. Men and women sit apart from each other, and husbands sit apart from each other. The seat of a female guest is slightly higher than that of a male guest. The host should pull out the chair for the female guest next to him to show respect for the lady. . In addition, Westerners should sit upright when eating, with their heads bent, and the heat should be low. It is very impolite to eat with your mouth, but this is exactly the way Chinese people usually eat. When eating Western food, the host does not advocate excessive drinking. Sprinkles are a must on the Chinese dining table to add to the fun. Whenever you want to show respect for the other party, you drink cup after cup.

Differences in clothing and business etiquette

Western men usually wear conservative suits, white shirts and ties when going to formal occasions. He likes black, so he usually wears black leather shoes. Western women wear suits for formal occasions. In addition, it is customary for women to wear earrings when going out. In Western countries, especially in the United States, people usually wear casual clothes, such as T-shirts and jeans.

Nowadays, people in Zhonggu tend to dress in different styles, and traditional Chinese tunic suits, cheongsams, etc. have withdrawn from the stage of history. In formal occasions, men's attire has changed from western style to western style. In daily life in the market, you will see many people wearing vests, shorts, loafers and other clothing that is not consistent with business etiquette.

1. Differences in personal outlook on life

Westerners worship individual struggle and are especially proud of personal achievements. They never hide their self-confidence, sense of honor and ecstasy after achieving achievements. . In this country, the spirit of Individualism is a frontier cultural heritage. During the colonial period, pioneers broke free from the shackles of society. At the same time, they no longer enjoyed the ease and comfort of a civilized society. They had to be independent, self-reliant, and self-sufficient. This kind of self-reliance continues to this day and has become one of the essences believed in by the people of Meiquan.

Chinese culture does not advocate showing off personal honor, but advocates modesty and prudence. When receiving compliments from the other party, although the other person psychologically feels that they also like to hear compliments, especially when there are many people or in public places, they still tend to refuse. Generally speaking, most Chinese people oppose or despise Wang Po's self-promotion. However, Chinese self-humility or self-denial often make Westerners greatly dissatisfied.

From the perspective of Westerners, this not only denies oneself, but also denies the appreciation of the praiser. This old-fashioned modesty will not work in the competitive market of Western capitalism.

Most Westerners regard the possession of material wealth as a symbol of personal survival ability. They believe that the acquisition of material achievements marks the emergence of individualistic values ??and personal independence. Social affirmation with an independent spirit. In order to express themselves (Self_achie\ement), they attach great importance to hard work and promote personal achievement through labor. They are not used to caring about others, helping others, and not caring about other people's affairs. Westerners always like to do their own thing and don't like to meddle in other people's business. The Chinese advocate the pragmatic spirit of selfless dedication and hard work, and advocate helping others and helping each other. They believe that people's high-level spiritual needs are more driving than the material needs of enjoyment. However, taking the initiative to help others or accepting help from others often becomes embarrassing in the West. In order to accept help, you can only prove that you are not capable of completing one thing independently, and you will also make misunderstandings and interfere in other people's private affairs.

2. Differences in social customs

In Britain, in the Middle Ages, rescuing the weak, especially caring for women, was regarded as the "spirit of riding ten". For hundreds of years, Fang's tradition has always been to take care of women and respect women as a requirement of social and business etiquette. There are many "Ladies first" etiquette followed in various modern social situations: when walking and entering and exiting the door, only ladies go first; when going downstairs, men have to walk and protect women, but when going upstairs, men go first Provide protection from behind; when walking on the sidewalk in Daheng, the man should walk on the side of the road to ensure that the woman is not hurt by vehicles; when entering and exiting the door, getting in and out of the elevator or car, the man should take the initiative to open the door for the woman, take care of her and Let her go first; when entering and exiting the door, men take the initiative to help women take off or put on their coats; when eating, men take the initiative to stand behind women, push and pull chairs for them, and help them sit down; in venues and buses, men take the initiative to give up their seats to women ; Let women sit in the center of the front row when taking pictures; men must take off their hats when riding in the elevator together? The culture of "Men are superior to women" is one of the representative works of the Chinese sage Confucius. It has always occupied an unshakable position in traditional social customs, giving Chinese people It left a very deep imprint. In modern China, the concept of "female local talents, especially" was a bit controversial at first, and some people were not used to it. Over time, people slowly accepted it. With the progress and development of the times, "lady's death" has become a concept. It has also been expanded to "Elderly Priority" and "Children Priority". This is regarded as a sign of the progress of Tuhui civilization. Now, with the deepening of cultural exchanges between the West and the West, Western ladies, especially Youyuan, are also highly stigmatized in China. The blending of Western culture has also made Chinese and Western business etiquette increasingly integrated and more international.

3 Differences in the concept of hierarchy

There are many examples in Western history that violate the concept of equality, and people have never stopped criticizing the equality phenomenon that exists in Western countries. As a kind of pursuit and belief, half-class is respected by most people. As a popular proverb goes: (If working hard, even cowboy can be president.) If you work hard, even a cowboy can be president. In a family, the relationship between children and parents is not one of submission, but an equal relationship. In school, teachers and students also feel like friends. Teachers are not in a supreme position. Students are regarded as the center of teaching. Teachers stand from the perspective of students and arrange teaching according to the needs of students. In a company, there are no insurmountable obstacles between the boss and the employees. Even in hierarchical armies, successful officers generally do not use absolute power to speak to their subordinates. Instead, they allow soldiers to develop a spirit of collaboration in an equal atmosphere, so that they can complete tasks consciously. The essence of Chinese traditional culture is to emphasize social order and uphold social order. It should be in order, father and son should be in harmony. In the words of Confucius, it is the king, the minister, the father, the son. The social order advocated and upheld by the etiquette spirit is an affinity social relationship. In this kind of local society, the king is benevolent and the minister is loyal, the father is kind and the son is filial, the brother is loved and respected when he sees it, the dog is gentle with the dog, and the loving wife listens. In today's society, although the hierarchy in the traditional ritual system has been completely eliminated, the concept of hierarchy still has an impact on Eastern culture. ;