What are the differences between Chinese and western etiquette?

Differences between Chinese and Western Etiquette

1, title.

In the west, address is more general, but in China, one address can cover many addresses. For example, in the west, men are called gentlemen and women are called ladies or young ladies. In China, the first definition of "Mr" is "teacher", which is the oldest title for teachers.

With the reform and opening up, Mr. Wang has become the most popular honorific word in society. Westerners call him "uncle", which can cover China's aunts, aunts and aunts. Their relationship with these aspects is not as clear as that of China. China's father is uncle, aunt and cousin, and his mother is uncle, aunt and cousin. In the west, people like to call each other by their first names. In China, people like to add positions, such as xx manager, xx president and so on. This is a symbol of identity and status. Westerners rarely address others with formal titles, which are used for judges. Senior government officials, officers, doctors, professors, senior religious figures, etc.

2. Communicative language.

In China, people usually greet each other by nodding, shaking hands or bowing, leaning forward slightly and shaking hands. However, westerners think that tilt is inferior. Hugging is the most common greeting and farewell ceremony, and kissing and hand kissing are also common. In our country, it is not only used when meeting and leaving, but also used to express congratulations, thanks or mutual encouragement. Up to now, it has been replaced by simple "hello" and "goodbye".

However, China people are still unaccustomed to the western face-covering ceremony, kissing ceremony and body-kissing ceremony. China likes to ask politely when meeting, where have you been? Have you had a meal It is strange for the west to think that this violates their privacy. When bidding farewell to Fujian, China people are used to staying and saying "go well" and "walk slowly", while westerners just say goodbye with a smile.

3. Banquet

Wine culture has a long history in China, and it is considered indispensable in social occasions such as doing business and making friends. The cup is not empty and the tea is not full. In the west, people usually drink beer and wine and don't like to persuade wine.

In China, banquets like * * * table * * dishes, while in the west, it is considered unsanitary and a separate meal system is implemented. When people in China entertain themselves, there will be many singing and dancing performances. In the west, there is less noise and movement and more dining procedures.

4. Taboo customs

People in China don't like to say "4" because it is homophonic with "death". They think 8 and 6 are auspicious, prefer even numbers and pursue pairs. Westerners do not like 13. According to the story in Christ, Judas betrayed Jesus at the last supper, and the number was 13. I don't like Friday either. China people respect the elderly, while westerners avoid them.

People in China like yellow, and there is a totem named "Dragon", which is regarded as a descendant of the dragon. In the west, dragons are snakes, while in Christ, snakes are Satan and the devil. Yellow means breaking off diplomatic relations.

China people should not "give gifts out of date, and make them up afterwards" when giving gifts. You can't send a "clock" to the old man. The tortoise is called a "tortoise". Foreigners don't want to be expensive when giving gifts, but they just want to be expensive. There are also few words of humility when giving and receiving gifts. But the gift packaging requires exquisite. When talking with people, westerners avoid talking about personal affairs, age, marriage, income, etc. China people are used to calling themselves "impolite, please accept".

5, daily behavior habits

In China, people's boundaries on personal privacy are far less profound, and people don't care about others' overall understanding of their lives. In daily life, China people visit others to show their enthusiasm. On the other hand, westerners should make an appointment with this person before visiting. A sudden visit will make the interviewee unhappy, because it will disrupt other people's work arrangements. Westerners are more afraid of others prying into their privacy. China people are enthusiastic, willing to help others, and like to ask others how they can help.

For example, people in China will directly ask others the price of the goods they buy. In China's view, the price of goods only represents the quality of goods. Westerners think this is private and should not be asked directly. People in China are very close in space, and girls in China are often regarded as intimate. Westerners think that China people are too close, while China people think that westerners are indifferent, arrogant and excessively alienated. This is all caused by the differences in cultural concepts between the East and the West. Orientals attach importance to righteousness and affection, while westerners advocate individual independence.

Differences between Chinese and Western Communication Etiquette

First of all, the difference of greetings.

Daily greetings, most people in China use "Are you going to work?" "Have you eaten?" "Where to?" Wait, this shows a close relationship between people. However, for westerners, this greeting will make them feel sudden, embarrassed or even unhappy, because westerners will understand this question as a "question" and feel that the other party is asking about their private life. In the west, they just say "hello" or "good morning!" According to the time. "Good afternoon!" "Good evening!" Do it.

There are two kinds of greetings most commonly used by westerners: one is to talk about the weather. If the British meet and say, "What a beautiful day!" This is because Britain is influenced by the westerlies all year round. Tides and temperature air currents from the Atlantic Ocean make the weather unpredictable and even uncertain, so people are most concerned about the weather. Second, talk about the current situation. However, it is limited to general remarks and does not involve privacy. You can say, "How have you been recently?" When we first met, we always said something like "Nice to meet you".

Second, the difference of appellation.

In Chinese, only people who are familiar with each other can "call each other by their first names". But in the west, the meaning of "name" is far wider than that of Chinese.

In the west, "Mr" and "Mrs" are usually used to address strangers with unknown names. In Britain, women in their teens or twenties can be called "Miss" and married women can be called "Lady" or "Madam".

The west seems to be very "eclectic" in addressing, and is used to addressing with equations. For example, family members can usually call each other by their first names or nicknames, regardless of their qualifications. At home, you can call your parents by their first names. All male elders can be called "uncles" and all female elders can be called "aunts". This can't be done in China. Be sure to distinguish between generations and the relationship between old and young, otherwise you will feel rude and can't distinguish between generations.

People in China usually address people other than their family members as "Miss Li" and "Master Chen", and sometimes add the positions held by that person at that time after their surnames, such as "Director Huang" and "Manager Wang". However, except for a few traditional names-doctor, doctor, judge and professor, British and American people can't tolerate the names of "Miss Li" and "Miss Chen". It is also rare to hear them address others as "Director Huang" and "Manager Wang". Because this title has not yet become the traditional title of "doctor, doctor, judge and professor".

Third, the difference of farewell words.

There are many different farewell words in Chinese and western languages. For example, when saying goodbye to patients, people in China often say things like "drink more boiled water", "put on more clothes" and "go to bed early" to show their concern for patients. But westerners will never say something like "drink more water" because it will be considered as pointing fingers. They will say "take care" or "I hope you get well soon" and so on.

An American said to his friend in China, "I'll keep in touch." However, this China friend waited for more than a year and didn't see a word, so he complained that he had broken his promise. In fact, this sentence is just a farewell word, which is equivalent to "goodbye". The speaker has no intention, let alone any promise. In addition, in western culture, if guests want to say goodbye, they usually need to hint or euphemistically express their farewell to their hosts a few minutes in advance and ask for permission before leaving. In western culture, it is considered impolite to suddenly say "it's getting late" and then stand up and say goodbye to the host.

Origin of Chinese and Western Etiquette

Chinese etiquette and western etiquette have different origins.

1, the origin of Chinese etiquette

In China, etiquette equals etiquette and ceremony. The essence of etiquette is the method of communication between people and the belief in ghosts and gods. People think that everything is controlled by invisible ghosts. Therefore, etiquette comes from the belief in ghosts and gods, which is a special form of belief in ghosts and gods. China is a country full of sense of ceremony. Dating back to 5000 years ago, etiquette was once the core of traditional culture. So far, manners have really been reformed. So it has become a ceremony of modern civilization. Chinese etiquette plays a legal role in China culture. The origin of etiquette can be traced back to early human beings. It is said that at the beginning of the founding of the Chinese nation, etiquette was a primitive religion accompanied by human activities. Etiquette is a system to deal with the relationship among people, gods and ghosts. It is said that there were five kinds of ceremonies in ancient China. In fact, etiquette can be divided into two main parts, one is politics and the other is life. In the process of establishing and implementing etiquette, China's legal system has been formed. The essence of etiquette is how to deal with the relationship between people and the belief in ghosts and gods.

2. The origin of western etiquette

In western countries, the word "etiquette" means "stay away from the grass". Louis XIV's gardener found nobles walking through his garden, and then he put up a sign warning them to stay away from the grass. When the Duke and Duchess still walked straight through these signs, Versailles ordered that no one should disobey etiquette because of this blatant disregard. Later, the meaning of etiquette includes the summons of court function, which explains a person's position and instructs a person what to do. Etiquette has evolved like language, but its literal meaning is still to stay away from the grass. Until1960s, a good etiquette was undoubtedly very important, but with the liberation in 1970s, the popularity of formal etiquette declined. In 2004, returning to traditional values became a new focus. Proper etiquette provides a very important tool for children and adults, which not only provides a competitive advantage, but also gives them self-confidence.

Extended content

Chinese and western table manners

1. Table atmosphere contrast

Generally speaking, western dining tables are quiet, while China dining tables are mobile. Westerners are usually very active, but as soon as they sit at the table, they concentrate on cutting their own dishes quietly. People in China are usually quiet. As soon as they sit at the dinner table, they will talk endlessly, offer each other food and persuade them to drink. The noise on the dining table in China and the quietness on the dining table in the west reflect the fundamental differences between Chinese and western food cultures.

2. Table manners

In the cultural tradition of China, people are also particular about attending various formal dinners. However, in the change and development of modern customs, there are both progress and backwardness. From the traditional point of view, this overloaded diet not only causes waste, but also is harmful to human body. Although China people pay attention to dietotherapy and nutrition, and pay attention to keeping healthy and nourishing through diet, our cooking takes the pursuit of delicacy as the first requirement, which leads to the loss and destruction of many nutrients. Therefore, nutrition may be the biggest weakness of China's diet.

3. Western cooking follows norms and science.

Westerners emphasize science and nutrition, so the whole cooking process is carried out in strict accordance with scientific norms. The use of recipes is an excellent proof. Westerners always take recipes to buy food and cook, but in comparison, it is still a very mechanical thing, which leads to a disadvantage of western food. When people are in a foreign land and want to taste local food, no one will definitely choose KFC or McDonald's. In addition, standardized cooking even requires accurate ingredients, accurate spice addition to grams and accurate cooking time to seconds. Because of the standardization of western food, it is not creative. What westerners can't understand is that China's cooking not only does not pursue accurate standardization, but advocates randomness. When we open China's cookbooks, we often find that the amount of raw materials prepared and the amount of seasonings added are vague concepts. In addition, in China cooking, not only should each major cuisine have its own flavor and characteristics, but even the collocation of various seasonings in the same cuisine will change according to the chef's personal preference. It's also tofu. It's made for Sichuan guests and Suzhou guests, and the seasonings used are definitely different. In the west, a dish faces different consumers in different regions and seasons, and there is no change.

4. Westerners who advocate freedom value difference and individuality.

This cultural feature is also clearly reflected in Chinese and western food culture. Except for several soup dishes in western food, the raw materials in the main course are irrelevant. Fish is fish, steak is steak. Even if there is a collocation, it is carried out in the dish, which embodies the inheritance and violates the traditional cultural customs. For example, the clothes when eating are much more casual than in the past, such as tunic suit, jacket or suit, which also reflects the change and development of traditional culture, which is the best effect of the integration and positive transfer between Chinese and western cultures.

Examples.

Nowadays, many westerners, especially Americans, don't like smoking or drinking, and many people don't like others smoking or drinking in their own homes. In today's China, many people both smoke and drink, which seems to be a strange social phenomenon. No one can socialize without smoking or drinking. Therefore, there are still bad habits of smoking and getting drunk at the dinner table in China. Although they know it hurts, they still can't ban it. Presumably, this is the incompleteness of cultural migration and development. It is necessary for us to constantly promote the development of humanistic culture and improve the humanistic quality of the nation on the basis of a correct understanding and understanding of cultural phenomena.

Seat classification

Both China and the West pay attention to the arrangement of formal banquets. People in China traditionally use square tables. Opposite the door, the seats are on both sides. When entertaining guests, the elderly, guests or people with high status sit in their seats, while the host and hostess or accompanying guests sit down, and the rest of the guests sit in the wrong seats in sequence. Westerners use long tables to entertain guests, and male and female hosts sit at both ends of the long table, and then arrange seats according to the order of male and female guests and ordinary guests. For table rules, westerners eat with knives and forks, while China people use chopsticks. Of course, the use of knives, forks and chopsticks has its own rules. Through the differences between Chinese and western food cultures and the comparison of Chinese and western table manners, it not only reflects the cultural traditions in different places, but also reflects different national psychology, values and moral standards, social relations, social etiquette and social customs, that is, western culture advocates personal honor, self-centeredness, innovative spirit and personal freedom, while China culture advocates modesty, prudence, selfless dedication, moderation and unity and cooperation; Westerners have a strong sense of equality and a simple family structure; However, China people have a strong sense of hierarchy and complex family structure, and most of the traditional happy families are four generations living under one roof. In cross-cultural communication, it is not uncommon for people to misunderstand information or even hurt each other because of cultural barriers. Sometimes kind words will embarrass each other, and polite manners will be misunderstood as absurd and vulgar. Therefore, studying the differences between different cultures and the correct cross-cultural communication behavior has become a problem that cannot be ignored. In the process of comparative study, their advantages and disadvantages are obvious. This kind of research is conducive to the positive transmission of culture, so as to take its essence and discard its dross, thus promoting the development of national language and humanistic culture.

Seven Taboos of French Table Etiquette

If you have to be late or even cancel the appointment after agreeing to the other party's invitation, you must inform the other party in advance. It is acceptable to be late for the meeting, but if it exceeds 15 minutes, it will leave the other party with a bad impression that they don't attach importance to the appointment. When ordering, you should choose the food you want to eat. If you can't find a clue after reading the menu, you can ask the waiter to recommend the specialty of the restaurant for you, but you should make it clear that if you want to eat seafood, don't eat red meat. Remember that you can't make up your mind about everything. People who only know "yes but (whatever)" will only add trouble to the guests at the same table. There are many details to pay attention to when eating, but in fact, most of them are daily etiquette. As long as you keep calm, don't make big moves, don't make a sound, and don't interfere with others' eating, you are qualified.

1, the most basic principle of using tableware is from outside to inside. After finishing a dish, serve and take away the tableware, and may add another set of knives and forks as needed.

When eating meat (such as steak), you should cut it from the corner and then cut another piece after eating. When you meet a part or side dish that you don't eat, just move it to the edge of the dish.

If you have something to spit out in your mouth, you should put the fork to your mouth and take it out, or take it out with your fingers and move it to the edge of the plate. Try not to attract others' attention during the whole process, and then eat naturally.

4. When you meet a side dish like beans or rice, you can hold the fork in your left hand, put it flat on the plate with the fork tip facing up, and then gently push the beans or rice onto the fork with a knife. If you need seasoning but you can't reach it, you can ask the other person to pass it to you. Never stand up and lean forward to get it.

Wipe your hands and mouth after eating. Don't wipe hard with a napkin. Pay attention to manners and gently print off the oil stains on your mouth or fingers with a corner of your napkin.

6. No matter how comfortable the stool is, sit upright and don't lean back. When eating, you can lean forward slightly and keep your arms close to your body to avoid bumping into the next door.

7. After eating every dish, it is very ugly to put the knife and fork on the four sides or cross them. The correct way is to put the knife and fork side by side on the plate with the fork teeth facing up.

Chinese and western wedding etiquette

Differences between Chinese and Western Wedding Places

As one of the most important days in people's lives and a new starting point for a happy couple, China people's wedding is grand and lively. In ancient times, people would hold banquets in their own homes or restaurants to entertain relatives and friends as witnesses of new people. In contemporary China, newcomers usually invite relatives and friends to hotels or guesthouses. It will create a lot of ostentation and extravagance in the hotel, highlighting the grand and lively characteristics of the wedding.

In the west, people's weddings are usually held in churches or other quiet places, which are well organized and not as lively as Chinese weddings. Western weddings emphasize solemnity and sacredness, and pursue the combination of romance and reality.

Differences between Chinese and Western Wedding Dresses

In China, the bride and groom wear red dresses at traditional weddings. China people can't get married without red. They are used to using bright colors to set off the atmosphere. Therefore, the color of women's wedding dresses in the past dynasties is big red, which has become customized to celebrate, set off new people and indicate that future life will be prosperous and happy. The bride's dress is a wide-sleeved double-breasted dress with a beaded crest on her head. It is worth noting that Zhai Yi's model is very special. Duijin itself has a complete sense of symmetry. In China culture, it represents the meaning of symmetry and beauty. The golden rooster pattern is symmetrical and paired, symbolizing the beautiful and harmonious life of husband and wife in China traditional culture. Generally, the bride will tie a bun high on the wedding day, which is different from unmarried women. On the wedding day, the bride wears a red skull mask symbolizing virginity, youth and purity. After marriage, the groom will personally unveil it.

Western brides wear white dresses. Since Roman times, white symbolizes celebration. From 1850 to 1920, white is also a symbol of wealth. At the beginning of this century, the pure meaning represented by white is far more than others. The west believes that white is related to virginity. The bride in ancient Rome wore a white wedding dress and a bright orange veil, symbolizing the flame of passion. In the western Catholic tradition, white represents happiness; In other areas, white represents various ceremonies and meanings in weddings and funerals. In the Victorian era, most brides could only wear traditional national costumes, and only the upper class could wear white wedding dresses representing power and status. It was not until modern times that the privileges of the aristocratic class disappeared, and the white wedding dress became the dress of ordinary brides.

Differences of Marriage Customs between Chinese and Western Cultures

Chinese traditional wedding customs include "three books and six gifts" and "three worships and nine knocks". The so-called "three books" refer to letters of appointment, letters of condolences and letters of welcoming relatives. "Six gifts" refers to accepting gifts, asking names, Najib, accepting gifts, inviting dates and welcoming people. In the meantime, there are a series of activities, such as changing Geng Pu, writing a document, giving a big gift, and going to bed. There are many taboos and customs in these activities, such as scissors, spittoon, ruler, a piece of candy, silver belt, vase, copper basin and shoes, dragon and phoenix quilt, a pair of sheets and pillows, two pairs of chopsticks and bowls tied with red ropes, 72 sets of clothes, accompanied by cypress, lotus seeds, longan and Ber Ber. At the same time, weddings have a certain order. According to the general situation, in the whole wedding process, there are: ancestor worship, departure, firecrackers, waiting for the groom, pleasing, farewell, going out, car gifts, throwing fans, firecrackers, touching oranges, holding the bride, wedding banquet, seeing off guests, making trouble in the bridal chamber and going home three times. From this we can see the triviality of our culture, but don't think triviality is the uniqueness of our wedding. In fact, although different countries have different wedding customs, we can see from the complicated details and metaphors that the respect and expectation for marriage have no borders.

In western countries, there are old, new, borrowed and blue customs at weddings. Old refers to the wedding dress, headdress or jewelry handed down by mother, which represents all beautiful things; New refers to gifts given by friends, such as skirts and ornaments, which symbolize a new life; Borrowing means that you can borrow things from anyone. It is said that you can borrow money or silver from rich relatives and friends and put it in your shoes, which symbolizes wealth. Blue means that some trinkets or bouquets of the bride are blue, which means the purity and chastity of the bride. There are also many customs when holding weddings in the west. For example, when getting married, the bride always carries a handkerchief. Westerners believe that white handkerchiefs symbolize good luck. According to folklore, farmers believe that the tears shed by the bride on the wedding day can make the sky drop dew and nourish crops. Later, the tears of the bride on the wedding day became a good sign that she would have a happy marriage. At weddings, the bride always stands on the groom's left. It is said that in ancient times, the Anglo-Saxon groom had to protect the bride from being taken away by others. At the wedding, the groom asked the bride to stand on her left. Once a rival in love appears, she can immediately wave her sword to scare away the enemy. When hosting a wedding banquet, the wedding cake should be specially customized. According to historical records, since Roman times, at the end of the wedding, people will break a piece of bread on the bride's head, which symbolizes fertility, while crumbs represent luck. Newcomers must use icing to make today's wedding cake. It can be seen that the marriage customs in the West are not simpler than those in China.

What's the difference between Chinese and western weddings?

1. Why does the bride wear a white dress?

Since Roman times, white symbolizes celebration, just as in China, red symbolizes celebration. During 1850- 1990, white was also a symbol of wealth. By the beginning of the 20th century, white meant purity far more than other colors. Therefore, white is usually the first choice for western weddings, which symbolizes the beauty and holiness of the bride.

2. Why does the bride always stand on the left of the groom in western-style weddings?

Western weddings are different from traditional Chinese weddings. Western weddings don't follow the position of "men left and women right". That's because in ancient times, the groom in Anglo-Saxon often stood up to protect the bride from being taken away by others. At the wedding, the groom asked the bride to stand on his left. Once a rival in love appears, he can immediately draw his sword and repel the enemy.

3. Why did you cut the wedding cake?

According to the traditional customs in Europe, at western weddings, the bride and groom should kiss across the cake. A clever pastry chef had a brainwave, mixed all kinds of cakes together and covered them with a layer of snow-white icing, which became a modern wedding cake. When cutting a cake, the bride and groom must cut the first cake together with a knife, not separately, and don't ask others to cut it for them.

4. Why does the bride wear a veil?

At first, the bride's veil symbolized youth and purity. It is said that at a western wedding, a beautiful aristocratic girl stood behind a white veil, and her husband was surprised and amazed, which inspired her to wear a white veil at the wedding. Her behavior immediately set off a fashion, which is the origin of the bride's custom of wearing a white veil today.

Chinese and western visiting etiquette

As far as appellation and appellation are concerned,

The appellations of westerners are generally general, and usually one appellation can cover multiple appellations of China. For example, westerners call men gentlemen and women ladies or young ladies. The first definition of the word "Mr" in various dictionaries in China is "teacher", which is the oldest and oldest title for teachers and has been circulated for thousands of years. After the founding of People's Republic of China (PRC), we often add the word "comrade" to the names of acquaintances. For example, at a meeting, when a leader speaks, there is no need to elaborate on the words "learn from comrades". However, in today's life, with the reform and opening up, "Mr." has become the most popular honorific word in society.

As far as meeting etiquette is concerned.

People in China usually like to nod, shake hands or bow when they meet, or slightly tilt and shake hands, while westerners feel that tilting seems to be inferior. In the west, especially in Europe and America, hugs are very common meeting gifts and farewell gifts, and kisses and hand kisses are also common meeting gifts in the west. The handshake ceremony originated in the semi-barbaric and semi-civilized period of western human beings. This habit has gradually evolved into the "handshake" etiquette of meeting and leaving today, which is accepted by most countries. In our country, the handshake ceremony is not only used to meet and leave, but also to express congratulations, thanks or mutual encouragement. Therefore, it is the most widely used greeting etiquette in social intercourse. Nowadays, the courtesy of meeting and saying goodbye has evolved into two phrases "hello" and "goodbye". Politeness can only shake hands with each other, which is concise, hygienic and decent in today's strange diseases. However, in western countries, we are not used to and can't accept the gifts of kissing and kissing hands in front of each other.

In terms of banquets and drinking.

China people have always regarded it as an indispensable part of social occasions such as doing business and making friends. China usually follows the principle that the cup should not be empty and the tea should not be too full. In the eyes of westerners, they usually like beer and wine, but they don't like to persuade wine. Their behavior will follow that of the hostess. China is a big country in wine culture. Wine-making techniques handed down for thousands of years and the beautiful meaning people give to wine make drinking an indispensable part of China people's entertaining guests and friends and social activities. The profound wine culture of the Chinese nation also left a deep impression on foreigners, making them curious about China's liquor, but how disgusted they were with China's forced persuasion on the wine table. Just like we normal people in China refuse to be polite to foreigners.