中国文化之处事篇--面子第一

中国文化之处事篇 Mianzi Outweighs All Else 面子第一 “Mianzi” is an important and interesting word in Mandarin Chinese which has evolved into a synonym for “dignity” and even beyond that from⌒its literal meaning. It embodies a significant concept deeply rooted in Chinese society. When with others, Chinese people always take to heart their dignity and superiority, which they hope will earn them due respect. Otherwise, they will “lose face”. Mianzi is⌒an important link in the Chinese social network. Dignity or face is an irresistible pursue for the face-conscious Chinese. As the old saying goes, a scholar would rather die than be humiliated. To defend his dignity, one would lay down his life, let alone any⌒other efforts. Face-consciousness is⌒a typical phenomenon in the Chinese culture. Since establishing and maintaining a favorable social relationship means a great deal to individual development, the Chinese are quite careful about others’ opinions and feelings. To the Chinese, mianzi signifies an⌒art⌒of social communication. One’s face may be big or small, but his mianzi is determined by his social status. Generally, the higher the status and rank he has, the more respect he receives. Of course, common people also care very much about mianzi and have dignity of their⌒own. It⌒is highly advisable to give them plenty of “mianzi” and respect their dignity and cultural tradition. “面子”是汉语中一个重要而有趣的词，它由字面意思衍生为“尊严”的代名词，并把“尊严”的含义扩大了。“面子”成为渗透于整个中国人社会生活中的一种重要观念。中国人总想在别人面前表现出某种程度的体面和优越感，能够做到这一点就算是有“面子”，反之则是“丢面子”。 “面子”是构成中国人人际关系结构的一个重要因素，而且中国人的面子观念极强，“士可杀，不可辱”，这六个字从古至今教导着许多人。尊严及面子，是一种不可抵制的人生追求。人为自己的尊严发起保卫战时，是连性命都可以丢的，其他的各种努力更不在话下了。 “好面子”是中国文化中一个突出现象。由于建立和维持良好的人际关系对个体生存和发展非常重要，因此，中国人在交往中很重视他人的看法和感受。 面子之于中国人，是一门处世哲学，一门艺术。面子是有大小的。这不是说人的脸有大有小，而是说对于不同的人，面子的影响程度不一样。一般来说，面子大小和人的社会地位的高低是成正比的。地位越高，官职越大，面子也就越大；反之，地位越低，面子就越小。当然，老百姓也爱面子，也有自己的尊严。要想与中国人愉快交往，最大的窍门儿就是给他们留足“面子”，尊重他们的人格和文化习惯。