What are the differences between Chinese and western etiquette?

Differences between Chinese and Western Etiquette

1, title.

In the west, the address is more general, but in China, an 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 explanation 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 spoken language in society. Westerners call him "uncle", which can cover aunts, aunts and aunts in China. Their relationship with these aspects is not as clear as that of China. China's father is an uncle, aunt and cousin, and her mother is an 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 use formal titles to address others, and formal titles 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 slightly and shaking hands. However, westerners think that learning 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 to meet and leave, but also to express congratulations, thanks or mutual encouragement. Now it has been replaced by simple "hello" and "goodbye".

However, China people are still not used to the western ritual of covering their faces, kissing and kissing. 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. Seeing Fujian off, China people are used to staying and saying "go well" and "walk slowly", while westerners just smile and say goodbye.

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 glass is not empty and the tea is not satisfied. In the west, people usually drink beer and wine and don't like to persuade wine.

In China, banquets similar to * * * table * * dishes are considered unsanitary in the west, and the system of separate meals is implemented. When Chinese people entertain, there will be many song and dance 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, with 13 people. 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 called "Dragon", which is considered as a descendant of the dragon. In the west, dragons are snakes, and in Christ, snakes are Satan and the devil. Yellow implies breaking off diplomatic relations.

People in China should not "give gifts after the deadline and make up afterwards" when giving gifts. You can't send a "clock" to the elderly. Turtles are called "turtles". Foreigners don't want expensive gifts, they just want expensive ones. There are also few modest words 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 take it".

5, daily behavior habits

In China, people's boundaries of personal privacy are far less profound, and people don't care about others' general understanding of their own 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, in China, people will directly ask others about 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 a private matter and should not ask directly. People in China are very close in space, and girls in China are often seen to be very close. 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 differences in greetings

Everyday greetings, most people in China use "going to work?" "Have you eaten?" "Where to?" Wait, this shows a kind of intimacy between people. But for westerners, this greeting will make them feel sudden, embarrassed or even unhappy, because westerners will understand this question as an "inquiry" and feel that the other person is asking about his 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 the year round. Tides and temperature currents from the Atlantic Ocean make the weather unpredictable, and even the weather forecast is uncertain, so people are most concerned about the weather. Second, talk about the current situation. But 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 familiar people can "call their names". But in the west, "name" is much broader than 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 "informal" in addressing, and is used to addressing equations. For example, family members can generally call each other names or nicknames regardless of seniority. At home, you can call your parents by their first names. All male elders can be called "uncle" and all female elders can be called "aunt". This cannot be done at home. Be sure to distinguish between generations, the old and the young, or you will feel rude and can't distinguish generations.

People in China often address people who are not family members as "Miss Li" and "Master Chen", and sometimes add the post held by this person at that time after the surname, 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 such names as "Teacher Li" and "Teacher Chen". It is also rare to hear them address others as "Director Huang" and "Manager Wang". Because this kind of address has not yet become a traditional address such as "doctor, doctor, judge, 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 anything 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 friend from China waited for more than a year, but didn't see a word, so he complained that he didn't keep his word. 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 your 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 way 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 etiquette. Dating back to 5000 years ago, etiquette was once the core of traditional culture. At this point, the etiquette has really reformed. So it became 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 Chinese nation, etiquette was a primitive religion accompanied by human activities. Etiquette is a system to deal with the relationship between 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 summoning the court function, explaining a person's position and instructing a person what to do. Etiquette has evolved like language, but the literal meaning is still far from the grass. Until1960s, good manners were undoubtedly very important, but with the liberation in 1970s, the popularity of formal manners 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 confidence.

Extended content

Chinese and western table manners

1. Table atmosphere contrast

Generally speaking, the dining table in the west is quiet, while the dining table in China is mobile. Westerners are usually 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, helping each other with food and persuading 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 China's cultural tradition, people are more 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 people in China pay attention to dietotherapy and nutrition, but 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. Due to the standardization of western food, there is no creativity. What westerners can't understand is that China's cooking not only does not pursue accurate standardization, but advocates randomness. When you open China's cookbooks, you will often find that the amount of raw materials prepared and the amount of seasonings added are vague concepts. Moreover, in China cooking, not only the major cuisines should have their own flavors and characteristics, but also the collocation of side dishes and various seasonings of a cuisine will change according to the chef's personal hobbies. It's also tofu brain. It's made for Sichuan guests and Suzhou guests, and the seasoning used is 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 attach importance to distinction and individuality.

This cultural feature is also clearly reflected in Chinese and western food culture. Except for a few soup dishes in western food, the ingredients 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 and is the best effect of the integration and positive transmission between Chinese and western cultures.

Examples.

Nowadays, many westerners, especially Americans, don't like smoking and drinking, and many people don't like others smoking and 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. So China still has the bad habit of smoking and drinking on the dining table. Although they know it hurts, they can't stop it. Presumably this is the incompleteness and 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 are seated, the male and female hosts or accompanying guests are seated, and the rest of the guests are seated in the wrong order. Westerners treat guests with long tables, with male and female hosts sitting at both ends, and then arrange seats in 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. The differences between Chinese and western food cultures and the contrast between Chinese and western table manners not only reflect the cultural traditions in different places, but also reflect 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. Their advantages and disadvantages are obvious in the process of comparative study. 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's acceptable to have a meeting a little late, 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, but 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 any noise, and don't interfere with others' eating, you are qualified.

1, the most basic use principle of tableware is from the outside to the inside. Finish a dish, serve, take away the tableware, and add a set of knives and forks if necessary.

2. When eating meat (such as steak), 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, move it to the side of the dish.

3. If you have something to spit out in your mouth, 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 such as beans or rice, you can hold the fork in your left hand, put the fork tip up flat on the plate, and then gently dial 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.

5. 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 a napkin.

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

7. After eating every dish, it is 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, the wedding of China people 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 newcomers. In contemporary China, newcomers usually invite relatives and friends to hotels or guesthouses. There will be a lot of ostentation and extravagance in the hotel, highlighting the characteristics of grand and lively 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 weddings in China. 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's wedding is inseparable from red, and 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 show celebration, set off new people and indicate prosperity and happiness in the future. 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. In the traditional culture of China, the symmetrical and paired golden pheasant patterns symbolize the beauty and harmony of husband and wife's life. 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, which symbolizes virginity, youth and purity. After marriage, the groom will personally unveil the veil.

Western brides wear white dresses. White has been a symbol of celebration since Roman times. 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 their 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

The traditional wedding customs in China are "three books and six rites" and "three worships and nine knocks". The so-called "three books" refer to the letter of appointment, the letter of gift and the letter of welcoming relatives. "Six gifts" refer to receiving gifts, asking names, Najib, receiving gifts, inviting parties and welcoming guests. There are a series of activities in the middle, such as changing the Geng spectrum, writing documents, giving gifts, going to bed and so on. There are a lot of taboos and customs in these activities, such as scissors, spittoon, ruler, 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 rope, 72 sets of clothes, with cypress, lotus seeds, longan and lily. At the same time, weddings have a certain order. According to the general situation, during the whole wedding process, there are: ancestor worship, departure, setting off firecrackers, waiting for the groom, pleasing, saying goodbye, going out, car gifts, throwing fans, setting off firecrackers, touching oranges, holding the bride, wedding reception, 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 that triviality is the uniqueness of our wedding. In fact, although different countries have different wedding customs, from the complicated details and metaphors in the article, we can see 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, representing 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 to symbolize 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 of 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 wanted 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 wield a sword to scare off the enemy. When holding 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, symbolizing fertility, and 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 the period of 1850- 1990, white was also a symbol of wealth. By the beginning of the 20th century, the meaning of white representing purity far exceeded others. 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, Anglo-Saxon grooms often stepped forward 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 do you want to cut the wedding cake?

According to traditional European customs, in western weddings, the bride and groom should kiss through 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, and her behavior immediately set off a fashion, which is the origin of the custom of the bride wearing a white veil today.

Chinese and western visiting etiquette

In terms of appellation and appellation

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 explanation 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 the People's Republic of China, we often add the word "comrade" to the names of acquaintances. For example, there is no need to elaborate on "learning from comrades" when a leader speaks at a meeting. 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 lean slightly to shake hands, while westerners feel that leaning seems 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 a "handshake" etiquette for meeting and leaving today, which is accepted by most countries. In our country, the handshake ceremony is not only used to meet and say goodbye, but also to express congratulations, thanks or mutual encouragement. Therefore, it is the most widely used greeting etiquette in social intercourse. Courtesy when meeting and saying goodbye has evolved into two phrases: "hello" and "goodbye" today. Politeness can only shake hands with each other, which is concise, hygienic and appropriate in today's strange diseases. In western countries, we are not used to and can't accept the face-to-face, kissing and kissing hands in front of us.

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 glass should not be empty and the tea should not be too full. In 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 of wine culture. Wine-making techniques handed down for thousands of years and the beautiful meaning given to wine by people make drinking an indispensable part of China people's activities such as entertaining guests and friends and socializing. The profound wine culture of the Chinese nation also impressed 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.