GuanxiandMianzi关系和面子文化

1、_"GUANXI" AND "MIANZI"Two Conce pts Crucial to Understanding Chinese PeopleAlthough there are a myriad of ways in which Western and Chinese cultures differ from one ano ther, there are two fun dame ntal asp ects of Chin ese society Westerners must un dersta nd in order to have su

2、ccessful in teract ions in China. They are the concepts of gua nxi and mianziGuanxiThe term gua nxi is ofte n tran slated in to En glish as "conn ecti ons" or "relatio nshi ps." These terms, however, are in sufficie nt to fully describe the imp orta nee of gua nxi in Chin ese lif

3、e. Guanxi refers to the in flue nee or "p ull" that one can exert on on e's social conn ecti on s. It also refers to the social obligati ons a person has withi n on e's n etwork of con tacts in society.Sometimes Chin ese people refer to their n etwork of frie nds, con tacts and ass

4、ociates (the "i nsiders" as discussed previously) as their guanxi circle. Perhaps though, it is more accurate to consider some on e'sgua nxi circle as an in tricate web. This web encomp asseso ne's in flue nee and personal obligati ons and it exte nds in an infin ite nu mber of dir

5、ecti ons with in on e's group.BROTV KtR SISTER CLflGEMATEII. ITARV friend SiSTEfl-S HUSQAHD FATHER-J FR1EW& MOTHERS ELEND CLASS MATEOS &尺 OTHER CLASSMATE'S FT)e ND FATHE.*i t Cl DS inCOUSINS 8U3'H CQUSH S FRIEND UNCLE'S ChAsSMHfTt AUNT -S FftiEND CLASEIATEL-i FATHER MCKTH F&#

6、39;& Cl,Aa；iMTF CLAtSU ATE-*& COU31I7 BRCTTHERS CJ-fiS MVTE CLABBMA-reC auntIn China, a person's guanxi network usually consists of the following: family, relatives, former classmates, coworkers, members of com mon clubs or orga ni zati ons, former or p rese nt military cohorts as well a

7、s anyone else brought into the in sider's circle. The relati on shi ps formed by these various associati ons are gen erally con sidered life long relati on shi p eve n if people lose touch with each other for years or eve n decades.Guanxi refers to one's network of connectionsand associates.

8、 Moreover, it refers to one's influenceon those connections as well as to one's obligationstoward members of the group. Maintenance of relationshi ps within the network is acco mp lished p rimarily through acts of recip rocating favors.The relatio nships, which form on e's inner circle,

9、are n urtured p rimarily through the p ractice of recip rocati ng favors. It is a system of mutual obligati on best summed up in the p hrase "I scratch your back. .you scratch min e." Retur ning favors is p aram ount to mai ntai ning the web. Failure to recip rocate is tan tam ount to comm

10、itti ng a major moral tran sgressi on.One's obligations toward others in one's guanxi web are best summed up with the p hrase "I scratch yourback.you scratch mine." In China, failure to recip rocate on a favor within one's guanxi web is no mere faux pas; F.a刁HEY* irsYOUR TURN.A

11、NCIENT12it is almost considered a mortal sin.Favors can be called in at any time: weeks, years or eve n decades after the granting of the in itial favor. So if while in Chi na, some one offers you a favor, it is imp orta nt to realize the imp licati ons before acce pti ng. Once you acce pt, you will

12、 esse ntially be locked into a n ever-e nding cycle of giving and returni ng favors, a cycle lasti ng in perp etuity.With the in sider/outsider dichotomy p ermeati ng Chin ese society, gua nxi is fun dame ntal to gett ing any thi ng done in Chi na. Guanxi is the grease that kee ps the wheels turning

13、. P erha ps no where else in the world does the p hrase "It's all about who you know" have more releva nee tha n it does in China. But it goes eve n dee per tha n that. It is not only about who you kno w. It is also about how the other person seeshis or her obligati ons toward you. The

14、 more favors you do for some one, the more obligati ons they have toward you and vice versa.Anyone in terested in doing bus in ess in China should beg in cultivat ing gua nxi as quickly as possible. When dealing with matters requiring government approval, people with the right connectionscan get aro

15、und just about any official regulations with impunity. Also, China's vast bureaucracyis pretty much unnavigable without the right guanxi. It is critical if you ever hope to en sure that all the reams of app licati ons get p rocessed and all the right papers get rubber sta mped in the right p lac

16、es.One of the fastest ways to acquire gua nxi is to hire relatives of a po werful local official. But be forewar ned. As a foreig ner, it may be assumed that you yourself have some p ull with gover nment officials in your own coun try. You may be exp ected to p rovide hel p with any nu mber of p rob

17、lems bey ond your actual scope of in flue nee. These might in clude things like obta ining visas or p erha ps letters of acce ptance from p restigious uni versities for the childre n of your new Chin ese connections. Failure to deliver on these exp ectati ons may result in your being labeled a "

18、;bad frien d." This could seriously restrict your in flue nee withi n the gua nxi web. You may eve n find yourself excluded from your n etwork altogether and have to start the p rocess of cultivati ng gua nxi all over aga in.i"巳Guanxi is the oil that kee ps the wheels turning in Chinese so

19、ciety. Without guanxi, it is p retty much imp ossible to acco mp lish anything in China.The most common method of sustaining one's network of contacts is by going out for a meal or a banquet p referably at an exp ensive restaurant. If you are a guest at a banquet, be forewarned. Most banquet sty

20、le meals consist of anywhere from 10 to 14 courses. So p ace yourself. Don't eat too much during the first few courses. Be sure to leave enough room to sample a bit of everything. Failure to do so may insult your host by leaving the imp ression that you don't like the food and don't app

21、reciate their generosity.Mianzi: FaceConfucius taught that if you lead people "with excellence and put them in their place through roles and ritual practices, in addition to developing a sense of shame, they will order themselves harmoniously" (Analects II, 3). Largely as a result of Confu

22、cian teachings, China has evolved into a shame-basedculture. This is very different from Western, conscience-basedcultures founded on traditional Christian teachings. In effect, people in China "behave properly" generally because they want to avoid shame and they fear losing face not neces

23、sarily because they might feel badly about their actions. For a lot of Chinese people, anything goes as long as you don't get caught.Of all the idiosyncrasies found in Chinese culture, perhaps the most difficult for Westerners to comprehend and fully appreciate is the concept of mianzi or "

24、face." The closest terms for mianzi in English are "dignity" or "prestige." These terms, however, do not fully encapsulatethe concept. "Face" also refers to the pride one feels in one's self-concept coupled with the way one is viewed by others.Unlike in Western

25、 culture where you either have dignity or you don't, in China, "face" can be given or earned. It can also be taken away or lost. To many Westerners, Chinese people often appear to be obsessed with issues of face. Also, most Westerners tend to underestimate the important role face plays

26、 as a key motivator governing Chinese behavior.So what exactly is face all about? Essentially, anything that raises someone's self esteem results in gaining face whereas anything that lowers one's esteem in the eyes of others results in a loss of face. Causing someone to gain face is a good

27、thing, however, causing someone to lose face can have very serious ramifications.If you've ever had the opportunity to live in China and if at any time you've inexplicably lost a friend, a contract or a customer, chances are you did something to cause someone to lose face. Unfortunately, the

28、re are many ways you can cause someone to lose face. Behaviors such as interrupting someone, declining an invitation to dinner or perhaps not showing the proper deference to one's superiors can all lead to face-losing situations. In a Western context, these kinds of behaviors are usually conside

29、red to be innocuous slights that are overlooked and quickly forgotten. But in Chinese society, these seemingly minor indiscretions can sometimes insult someone so deeply as to create an enemy for life!Because of the face issue, Westerners are often quick to label their Chinese counterparts as touchy

30、 or hypersensitive; but note, that is the Western point of view. When in China, your best policy is to avoid causing anyone to lose face. Causing someone to lose face is very serious business. If you make someone lose face, you may encounter some unpleasant repercussions. For example, if you happen

31、to cause an employee to publicly lose face, he or she will likely seek revenge through some form of sabotage or non-compliant behavior. Also, if you happen to cause a government official to lose face, then be prepared to wait indefinitely for any application approvals from his or her office. Chances

32、 are, you will be waiting for a very long time, probably forever.Chinese people often go to great lengths to avoid a loss of face. If possible, when interacting with Chinese people, always leave them a way out of any face-losing situation. If you stay in China long enough, you will probably find tha

33、t in contests between face and the truth, face wins out every time. In Chinese culture, it is perfectly acceptable to tell a lie, even a bald-faced lie, if it serves to preserve face. If you ever catch someone in the act of lying to preserve face, go along with it and don't back them into a corn

34、er. If you choose to call them on it, you will no doubt be considered a very rude and perhaps even a very cruel person. You will also need to prepare yourself for any possible future acts of revenge. As mentioned earlier, face is a very serious matter in China. It's best not to treat it lightly.

35、The Top 12 Ways of Giving or Gaining FaceTHAT-s'GOT TO BEHTHE BEST dCHINESE FOOD rVE EVER HAD 1/7 gQaGiving someone a sincere comp limentPRESIDENT LIU, CHANG HERE DID AN EXCELLENT JOB PREPARtlG rH£ bmhM隅SI/ / IP raising someone p ublicly.IJEIIKTC/fir； Jllr>JjP ljr Lh=c. "jT jJBJLjIn

36、ljw|EXPERfcENCiNG CHINCULTURE LIKE 115 JUST FANTASTIIT WAS ALL n门WIFE'S IDEA.Obviously enjoying on eself whe n beingtreated by on e's Chin ese associates.i=乔JI e/npRss K riL亟Obviously going out of one's way todo something for someone.BlsTreating someone to anexp ensive meal or a banquet.

37、、1“wzffSWiSS chocolTSReceiving an exp ensive gift,esp ecially an imp orted one.THIS 15 MR. MA. ME 15 THE RICHEST nAN PIN YU AM UM.誹TO GET RICH IS GVORIOUS*-oeng xooiticBeing rich. Chinese people love money. They don't share thesame uneasiness many Westerners feel when talking aboutmoney or makin

38、g financial transactions. The idea of money as "filthy lucre" is compi etely absent in Chinese society.Getting rich truly is considered to be glorious.jLvBl° JBeing lucky. Throughout Asia,gambling is a popu lar p astime.求忻hoducingEarning a college degree from ap restigious university.

39、YOU HAVE AJ0£WOW! AN MBA FROM HARVARD!HEMarrying well.DOCTORCHUNGJAMES LEEHAHVAHO17!mmKtlS-LIL I_ _ .IE屉二 H Having a son.PEARL SO MATH CONTEST KINMERHaving a successful child.The Top 12 Ways of Losing Face or Making Someone Else Lose Face*Not showing proper deference to one's elders or sup

40、eriors.»YOU'RE SUCH A CUTE LITTLE grandpa IJr i性yHAVE GOT TOTHE WORST AITRESS IN UNA!j警1Criticizing someone p ublicly.-TJUST SAV MAYBE !WATCHING.t WASLBeing late on a flimsy excuse.IfIdqSORRY PM LATE.HAD TO FINISH A MOVIE11Turning down an invitation with an outright "No."In China,

41、 saying "No" to a request is consideredrude or impo lite. The most common ways of saying"No" in China are: 1) Maybe; 2) Yes, maybe;and 3) I will discuss it with so and so.IT IS VERY IMPORTANT /TO OUR 8MpANY NOW 斷I WASTHIN KING.QI1企0丁 卜 RInterr up ting someone while they are talking.OWE MORE TIME, AND1 fire d5il©J* tThreatening to fire someone or actually firing them.I YO