(1) Eyes and facial expressions. When British and American people talk, both sides look at each other squarely. In their view, this is a sign of integrity and honesty. There is a proverb in Britain and America: Never trust a person who can't look you in the eyes. (Don't trust people who dare not look you in the eye. ) When people in China are talking, both sides don't have to look at each other from time to time, and some people even deliberately avoid constant eye contact to show humility, obedience or respect. This may be one of the reasons why the British and Americans who first came to China felt that China people were not warm and friendly enough. At the same time, it also explains why British and American people like to talk face to face, while China people tend to have a heart-to-heart talk.
It is a habit for both parties to face each other squarely, but they hate that kind of staring, because in their view, it is a very rude behavior, as if they are "things" rather than people, that is, they are "depersonalized". Ten years ago, when China just opened the door to reform and opening up and welcomed a few foreigners, the British and Americans found that China looked up and down like a "rare animal" and stared at them intently, which made them feel very annoyed. Many English-speaking people who come to China are dissatisfied with this. However, the Chinese meaning of staring is sometimes just curiosity and surprise, not rudeness.
It is said (Gao Shenying,1991:55) that when people see interesting or favorite things, their pupils will be dilated; When you see something you don't like or dislike, your pupils will shrink. This phenomenon is said to have been noticed by jewelers in ancient times. They can know whether the customer is interested in the goods from the change of their pupils, and then decide whether to raise or lower the price. If this situation is true, there is no cultural difference, but there are cultural differences who are more familiar with it. For example, American businessmen are said to wear sunglasses when dealing with jewelers in China, so as to avoid pupil changes being seen by savvy jewelers in China.
(2) sign language. Gestures can express a variety of meanings, and cultural differences are particularly prominent:
-China people count from "1" to "5" continuously with their fingers, that is, they open their palms first and then bend their fingers towards them; On the contrary, the British and Americans clenched their fists first, and then put out their fingers one by one.
British and American people use thumb and forefinger to form a circle, which means "OK" (good), while China people's "0" gesture is often used to mean "zero", so when a China student asked the American teacher about the exam results, the American teacher replied with the "OK" gesture, which surprised the China student: Did he get zero? !
-The number "3" is indicated. In China, the tips of thumb and forefinger are connected to form a circle, and the other three fingers are opened and straightened (if bent, it means "zero", which is similar to the "OK" gesture in Britain and America); The British and Americans, on the other hand, raise their index finger, middle finger and ring finger and catch their thumb with their little finger.
-China people mean "6", "7", "8", "9" and "10", which can be dealt with with with one hand, as shown in the following figure;
The British and Americans said that "6", "7", "8", "9" and "10" could not be handled with one hand, so they had to cooperate with both hands, as shown in the following figure.
-China people scrape their faces with their index fingers to show that they are not ashamed, which is really shameful; And the British and Americans express this meaning is to the object of ridicule, with a stone hand index finger on the left index finger once flat cut in the past (to whittle):
In Britain and America, people make a V-shape with their forefinger and middle finger, which means Victory (victory, success or peace), while in China, this gesture is equivalent to "two". Nixon also made a triple V gesture.
-When British and American people ask for a lift, they face the oncoming vehicles, clench their fists with their right hands and shake their thumbs in the direction of their right shoulders (note: in Australia and New Zealand, this is a lewd action); When people in China take a lift, they face the vehicle, stretch one arm horizontally to one side, palm forward, make a "stop" gesture, or raise their right hand or hands to greet the driver.
-China people waved to people to approach them, palm down; British and American people are palms up. A professor China went to an American home to give a gift to the child. When he waved to the child, the child backed away. It turns out that the palm-down wave in China is similar to the action that Americans make people walk away.
The above examples are either similar to those of China and Britain, but have different meanings; Either they have the same meaning, but their gestures are different.
The following is the unique hand-to-hand movements of the British and Americans:
-arms crossed at the waist, and then stretched down along the sides of the body, indicating "finished" and "hopeless".
-Move your arms up and down in front of you to outline the woman's body, indicating "beauty".
Shrugging: Frowning your forehead, raising your eyebrows and shrugging your shoulders, bending your elbows, spreading your palms up, even slightly bending your legs, etc., indicating "I don't know", "What can I do", "This situation is hopeless" and "I can't do anything".
-pat your back shoulder with your hand to express "self-congratulation".
China people also have many unique gestures that are difficult for British and American people to understand:
-When others pour tea or wine for themselves, Cantonese people dot the table with their forefinger and middle finger or multiple fingers to show their gratitude. Now this action has spread to many parts of China. If you don't show politeness with this gesture, the traditional way of expression in China is to put one hand or two hands beside the cup.
-Give something to others or take something with both hands to show respect.
-Hold out two erect index fingers and slowly approach in front of you, indicating "men and women love each other" and "match a good marriage".
Cover your mouth with an open hand when you speak, indicating that you are saying "secret words".
There are many special sign languages at home and abroad, so we have to omit them because of the limitation of space.
(3) Sit, stand, walk and squat. Qiu Wensheng (1994: 20) said: "In the west, the standing person is usually longer than the sitting person in position, age or status, and plays a leading role in conversation. Therefore, one side of the conversation takes a standing posture or walks back and forth, which means that he (she) has the right to decide the course of the conversation. And in China; The situation is just the opposite. Generally speaking, the younger generation or those with lower status take standing as a courtesy, listen to opinions and be in a passive position; Elders or venerable people often sit and are in a dominant position. " There is some truth in this generalization, but it is better to analyze the specific situation. For example:
In Britain and the United States, when visiting someone's home, if the guest is a lady, most men in the living room will stand up when she enters the living room. British and American ladies of all ages like this etiquette, although fewer people in the younger generation follow this traditional custom than in the past.
—— In class, when teachers in China ask questions, students usually stand up and answer questions; In America, students usually sit and answer questions from American teachers.
Western culture emphasizes "ladies first", so it is polite to ask the ladies to sit down first. Before the ladies sit down, the men are obliged to help them pull out their chairs, and after the ladies sit down, they sit down, which is also a sign of being educated and civilized. China's traditional culture emphasizes the order of seniority, and emphasizes that elders, superiors and venerable persons sit down first. After they sit down, some of the younger generation, subordinates and those with lower rank are not seated immediately, but wait for their elders, superiors and venerable persons to "sit down" and then "thank them". When entertaining guests, before the host and guest are seated, the more traditional people still maintain the traditional etiquette of "giving up their seats" and "thanking them", but it is not as formal as before, but in any case, the "little people" always have to sit down after the "big people". China people are also afraid to sit in comfortable seats. Please see the following dialogue (Ouyang Fasu, see Hu Wenzhong, 1988:36):
W：(Showing C the sofa) Sit down，please．
C：No，no. I'll sit here． (Moving towards a chair)
W: Oh，do sit over here on the sofa．
C：No，no．This chair is perfectly all right．
There are also cultural differences in sitting posture:
The traditional sitting posture of China people is "sitting like a bell". It has always been required that the angles of the upper body and thighs, thighs and calves form a right angle, and the waist should be straight and the knees should be tightened. This is the so-called "sitting in danger". The traditional chair in China is a fauteuil chair, whose chair surface is at right angles to the back of the chair, so it is unlikely to sit on your back, otherwise people will slip underground. The plush chair is a material catering to China's "standard" sitting method.
-British and American people are not used to "sitting in danger." Pressing one ankle on the other thigh is a typical American leg-lifting method, which is called "four-legged". In the Second World War, the German Nazis judged someone to be an American spy because of his "four-legged" frame and arrested him.
-Americans are uncomfortable with the "four-legged" frame. Sometimes when talking to people, they actually put their feet on the desktop. When I was about to leave the United States for home, I went to an American bank to close my account. In the conversation, the bank manager actually put his feet in leather shoes on the table, which is a "domineering" style. After returning to China, I have been bitter about this matter, thinking: Maybe my bank deposit is pitiful in the eyes of this manager, and he disdains it. Besides, I am a yellow-skinned China, so this white rich man can "condescend" and put his feet on the table to talk to me. Later, I learned: "Americans put their feet on the table, which is a relaxed and informal expression, and is often a respect for the other party." But for some people in Latin America and Asia, this behavior is rude or pretentious (Jensen, see Hu Wenzhong,1990:131).
-British and American people like to sit on the carpeted floor at home; On American streets or on public occasions, I also see many people sitting anywhere. After arriving in China, some British and American people also sit anywhere, and China people feel unsanitary when they see it. When people in China have to sit underground, they often find a newspaper or spread it on the ground with a handkerchief. The British and Americans think this is unsanitary, because in their view, how can handkerchiefs be put underground? Littering scraps of paper is not hygienic in itself, and it is against public morality.
-American teachers in class, some actually sit on the podium, China students are greatly surprised, thinking that this is a vulgar behavior, but American teachers do this in order to reduce the tension in the classroom and narrow the distance with students, which is an informal expression.
"Sit like a clock, stand like a pine, walk like the wind and lie like a bow" is the orthodox requirement of China culture, but in today's real life, the practice of China people has a considerable distance from this tradition. I talked about "sitting" above, and then I will look at the cultural differences of "standing", "walking" and "squatting".
-China teachers in class, except just visible to the blackboard, most of the time is standing in the center of the platform, while British and American teachers are particularly active, always walking back and forth in the classroom, it seems that standing still can't stand it. So British and American people think that China's class is too conservative, too formal, too rigid, and even makes people sleepy. China people sometimes think that British and American teachers are too casual and even disturb the class order. Similarly, in the general report meeting, China's speakers are generally standing still on the podium, calm and solemn, serious and "inflexible"; However, British and American speakers keep walking back and forth in front of the audience, and even go to the audience's side to enhance their appeal. The speakers move frequently, lean forward and backward, stand on tiptoe, and even turn their backs to the audience for some effect, which makes them look "too active" and "undignified".
-British and American people stand and stamp their feet to show impatience; People in China stamp their feet to show their anger, annoyance, frustration and regret.
-British and American people walk with their heads held high, swaggering and striding forward, so the former Soviet Union once said, "Americans walk as if the land under their feet belongs to them, and the British walk as if they don't care who owns the land under their feet"; And some China students say that the British and Americans walk "as if the whole world belongs to him". In a word, the standing and walking posture of British and American people is that of athletes and soldiers; In the eyes of British and American people, the standard of China people is the posture of scholars and civilians.
-China people can squat for a long time with their feet on the ground and their toes pointing out. British and American people not only find this posture difficult to do, unable to keep their balance, but also generally taboo it. The typical squat posture of British and American people is two toes on the ground, or one toe and one foot on the ground, but it is this "balanced" posture; They won't last long, so if they want to have a rest, they would rather sit on the ground. I found that the squatting position of public toilets in China is a reflection of the squatting work of China people. In many airports in China, the toilets in domestic flight lounges are squatting except for a "disabled-only" sitting toilet; In the restrooms in the terminal of international flights, all seats are sitting toilets.
(4) head movements. China people, like British and American people, nod their heads to show their agreement and shake their heads to show their disapproval. However, due to the differences in thinking modes mentioned in the previous section, the head movements are sometimes inconsistent. For example, "You should not be discovered." Mother said to us. We all shoot our heads.
Mother said to us,' Don't lose heart'; The latter sentence literally means "We all shook our heads", and if we use words instead of nonverbal expressions, it should be "No, we won't be discovered.". But if this sentence is translated into Chinese, No should be translated as "Yes", the whole sentence should be "Yes, we won't lose heart", and the nonverbal action of China people corresponding to No here should be "We all nod"; If you communicate with British and American people in English, the way of thinking and the nonverbal behavior restricted by it should conform to the habits of English people and shake your head to indicate "yes" in this situation. For example, both China and Britain and the United States have the action of raising their heads and pointing in the direction with their chins. The difference is that China is often accompanied by pinching their lips, while Britain and the United States pinch their lips and smack their mouths to express "blowing kisses"!