What does a smile mean in China?

Chinese smile for more reasons than Americans. A smile can mean the person is embarrassed, trying to be helpful, curious, happy or friendly. In the middle of an argument, smiling means that the speaker doesn't want this to become personal.

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Are you allowed to smile in China?

If you're a foreigner visiting China, you still shouldn't hesitate to smile at strangers, says Mike. Just don't be surprised if you don't get a smile in return. Chinese who are more accustomed to dealing with foreigners may understand and even appreciate the gesture.

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Is a smile universally understood?

The act of smiling is not as universal in culture as you might think and the amount people smile is culturally-influenced rather than directly related to their level of happiness with life.

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What is considered rude to Chinese people?

Do not touch, hug, lock arms, back slap or make any body contact. Clicking fingers or whistling is considered very rude. Never put your feet on a desk or a chair. Never gesture or pass an object with your feet.

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What does smiling tiger mean?

There are many Cantonese colloquialisms and phrases used to describe the various types of smiles; two common Chinese sayings come to mind: “to hide a dagger in a smile” and “a smiling tiger”, both of which are used to describe a wicked person wearing a fake smile to hide dangerous intent.

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【Learning Chinese】Class 1: an embarrassing but polite smile?what does it mean in Chinese尴尬而不失礼貌的微笑

37 related questions found

Are Chinese friendly to foreigners?

Chinese people are generally very warm and welcoming towards foreigners. This often leads to a lot of preferential treatment.

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What is the Chinese concept of love?

In the teaching of Confucius, the emphasis of love locates in actions and duty of a person as a part of his society. A core concept in Confucianism is jen (仁) or ren which means benevolent love or compassion, focuses on duty, action and attitude in a relationship rather than the love itself.

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How do Chinese show affection?

Chinese couples tend not to show verbal affection, preferring instead to cuddle or hold hands. Reasons for this include a fear of rejection or loss of face, awkwardness and cultural traditions. Expressing love is an important gesture in any relationship.

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How long do Chinese couples date before marriage?

The commission found that of 77,045 Chinese respondents, male respondents, who accounted for 58 percent, believe the dating should last about 11 months before marriage, while female expect to date for at about 13 months.

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Are Chinese allowed to marry foreigners?

The Marriage Registration Statute just specified the procedure of marriage registration, including the marriage registration procedure and divorce procedure with foreigners, therefore, it's generally accepted that there is no such restriction on Chinese marrying foreigners anymore in practice nowadays.

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What Chinese cultures should not do?

Don't
  • Don't put bones, seeds or other inedibles into in your rice bowl. Use a tissue or your hand to place them in the small plate provided — or observe how others deal with them.
  • Don't tap your chopsticks. ...
  • Don't use your own chopsticks to pick food from the central dishes.

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What is laughing tiger in Chinese?

This phrase is “笑面虎 (xiàomiànhǔ) a smiling tiger.” It means smiling tiger face. It represents a person you really need to be careful of hanging around because you never know when he or she is going to threaten you. Yes, he or she may appear to be sweet and safe.

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What is the Chinese meaning of tiger?

TIGERS SYMBOLIZE POWER & FEAR

In the Chinese culture Tigers bear a greater symbolism - power and daring and a subject of awe and fear, more than just prized for its beauty and majesty. In China, the Tiger is considered the king of all beasts as it symbolises power and a great deal of nerve.

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What is tiger in Feng Shui?

The tiger is a powerful symbol of strength, courage, and protection. It is also associated with good luck and abundance. Since the Tiger zodiac sign is associated with the northeast direction, figurines or sculptures can also be placed in this area of the house.

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How do you show respect in China?

If you are meeting someone in a business context, shake hands and smile. If it is someone older than you with some sort of rank, you may do a very slight bow from the shoulders (as opposed to a full-fledged bow from the waist) as a sign of respect. Do accept business cards with two hands. It's a sign of respect.

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Is burping rude in China?

Burping is polite

In China, burping isn't considered rude. In fact, it's actually a sign of gratitude to the cook and satisfaction with the meal. It's a great compliment, so don't be surprised when you hear a burp or two at the dining table.

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Does a smile mean the same in all cultures?

However, many of us assume smiling means the same thing in all cultures. This, though, is not the case. In fact, for one, different cultures smile more or less than one another. Some cultures even have different intents for smiling and different times that are appropriate for such.

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What cultures don t make eye contact?

For example, in African-American cultures, eye contact with authority figures may be viewed as disrespectful. Similarly, among some Asian groups, eye contact between strangers could be considered shameful. In some Latino cultures sustained eye contact may be viewed as disrespectful.

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Which countries smile the most?

Positive Paraguay

Paraguay, the little South American country with the chilled-out reputation, ranked highest worldwide for Positive Experiences, and has held this position since 2015. Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is also the country that smiles the most globally.

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Can u kiss in public in China?

For example, in China, holding hands or kissing in public is considered taboo. It's more common for friends of the same sex rather than couples of the opposite sex to hold hands or dance in public.

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Are bras allowed in China?

Clothing with metal parts including bras are banned in bid to clamp down on “wireless cheating devices” More than nine million students packed exam halls across China for the opening day of the country's university entrance exam on Friday - with attempts to stop cheating even leading to bans on metal bra clasps.

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Is eye contact rude in China?

Eye Contact: Direct eye contact is generally favoured over indirect eye contact. It is considered a sign of politeness . When conversing with an unfamiliar elder, one may lower their head to lower their gaze. This is a sign of respect.

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What age can a Chinese girl marry?

Under Chinese law, men can marry from 22 and women from 20.

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