Harmony in Chinese Culture 关系与面子

Harmony in Chinese Culture 关系与面子
Jul 13, 2008 03:05
VIVIANWANG Points: Join Date: Aug 3, 2007 Status: offline	Here is the general introduction to concepts at the core of Chinese society and relationships including guanxi, renqing, mianzi and keqi. Can you tell about the common expressions in mandarin Chinese fluently and immense yourself into Chinese culture? –Personal network 关系(guānxì) Throughout much of China’s history, guanxi has been and remains a deep seated concept that lies at the core of Chinese society and the relationship between the people within it. Simply put, guanxi can be seen as who you know and what they perceive to be their obligation to you. In China, an established network of quality contacts can help accomplish almost anything, and thus having good guanxi is a very powerful asset. –Human sentiment 人情 (rénqíng ) Closely intertwined with “guanxi” is “renqing” an important vehicle in Chinese social exchanges. “renqing” which literally translates as human sentiment or human emotion is defines by one western scholar as “covers not only sentiment but also its social expressions such as the offering of congratulations, or condolences or the making of gifts on appropriate occasions. The rule of ”renqing” in Chinese society as fellows: “If you have received a drop of beneficence from other people, you should return to them a fountain of beneficence”. A Chinese who has done a favor for you automatically feels that he or she is owned a favor from you in return. Actually “renqing” follows Confucian notion of reciprocity. There are many Chinese expressions that associated with “renqing”, such as giving somebody a “renqing” (song renqin) owing somebody a “renqing” ( qian renqing) ect..

Jul 13, 2008 03:05

VIVIANWANG
Points:
Join Date: Aug 3, 2007
Status: offline

Here is the general introduction to concepts at the core of Chinese society and relationships including guanxi, renqing, mianzi and keqi. Can you tell about the common expressions in mandarin Chinese fluently and immense yourself into Chinese culture?

–Personal network 关系(guānxì)
Throughout much of China’s history, guanxi has been and remains a deep seated concept that lies at the core of Chinese society and the relationship between the people within it. Simply put, guanxi can be seen as who you know and what they perceive to be their obligation to you.

In China, an established network of quality contacts can help accomplish almost anything, and thus having good guanxi is a very powerful asset.

–Human sentiment 人情 (rénqíng )
Closely intertwined with “guanxi” is “renqing” an important vehicle in Chinese social exchanges. “renqing” which literally translates as human sentiment or human emotion is defines by one western scholar as “covers not only sentiment but also its social expressions such as the offering of congratulations, or condolences or the making of gifts on appropriate occasions. The rule of ”renqing” in Chinese society as fellows: “If you have received a drop of beneficence from other people, you should return to them a fountain of beneficence”.

A Chinese who has done a favor for you automatically feels that he or she is owned a favor from you in return. Actually “renqing” follows Confucian notion of reciprocity. There are many Chinese expressions that associated with “renqing”, such as giving somebody a “renqing” (song renqin) owing somebody a “renqing” ( qian renqing) ect..

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