TheChineseConceptofFace

单击此处编辑母版标题样式,单击此处编辑母版文本样式,第二级,第三级,第四级,第五级,*,*,The Chinese Concept of Face,Intercultural Communication,1,Agenda,The meaning of Face,Face and the Family,Different situations of Face,Tangible and intangible Face,Reactions of face-losing people,Explanations for the importance of Face,Tips for avoiding face-losing situations,2,Some Idioms of Face,树有皮，人有脸,银钱如粪土，脸面值千金,打人不打脸，骂人不揭短,打狗还看主人面,(,不看僧面看佛面,),人必须对自己脸负责（美国）,死要面子活受罪,Lose face,Save face,3,1. The Meanings of “Face”,Literally, face means your facial expressions.,If you have sallow complexion (,面黄肌瘦,), you suffer from malnutrition, or a hard life.,If you look in the pink, you are having a smooth and prosperous life,Therefore, your facial expression is, in a sense, the reflection of your living situations.,Your face is an indication of your wealth, your power, your influence, and you gain a lot of FACE for possession of these.,By definition, “face” means ones claims about his/her own characteristics and traits which he/she presents to others and expects others to understand.,4,Face is a concept not hard to understand because, even as Westerners, everyone has face. When equated to Western values, face is very similar to the notion of reputation.,But as the Chinese idiom goes, “a person needs face just as a tree needs bark”. This shows how important “face” is in China.,Face is the relative importance of a person among people of relevance to him.,People of relevance: people you know and people who know you.,Face is meaningful when you are with relevant people.,5,2. Face and the family,If other people feel you are important, then you are important. If you feel you are important while other people dont acknowledge this, then your importance is meaningless.,Whether you have “face” or not depends on whether or not you are admired.,Face is vested in the value of a family, or the honor and reputation of the family.,A individuals face is shared by the entire family.,When a man gets to the top, all his friends and relations get there with him.(,一人得道、鸡犬升天,),A mans livelihood or career is assured if he has influential friends,(,大树底下好乘凉,),when the tree falls the monkeys scatter,(,树倒猢孙散,),6,3. Different Situations of Face,To have face,Good family background, outstanding children (good at study, even if poor), big house, etc.,The hope to get the recognition, favor or approval of others, or to be considered as a member of a group. If these are obtained, the person gets positive face.,To lose face,Make a mistake when answering the teachers questions, especially when he/she volunteers to answer the questions.,Direct contradiction of another person is seldom seen in China because of the role of face.,7,To save face,Saving face is an action whereby one is able to prove that he was not wrong, or show that the degree of his wrongdoing was only very small - not such a big deal.,This restoration is usually done with the help of someone else with good face -usually by making some kind of announcement before ones peers, exonerating or endorsing the person who had lost face.,To lend face,In a case where a person has no face or no recognized reputation within certain circles, this person may be required to seek out and borrow a certain measure of face from someone willing to lend it to them.,8,4. Tangible and intangible “face”,My son scored high on national matriculation exams, I can gain a substantial lot of face! (even if Im very poor),Your daughter scored very low on the exams, you lose a lot of face! (even if you drive the BMW).,Although I take the bus while you drive the BMW to go to work, you are downgraded by your daughters poor performance on the test. Anyhow, the BMW can not ensure your daughter can be admitted to a good university in China.,So, if I invite you to my celebration banquet for my son, you may not come because you feel your face is lost.,So, face can be used to compare with one another.,Is FACE tangible or intangible?,9,5. Reactions of Face-losing People,Feel greatly depressed, ashamed, even lead to death,A raped girl may commit suicide (what if she does not do so?),Grave face-losing situations will cause people to commit suicide,A slap on the face will cause a person to take immediate revenge, or cause someone to commit suicide,For integrity and righteousness, a person would rather die than to live in disgrace.,After theft, impiety, betrayal, divorce, etc., people will chose to stay at home, or choose a less trodden road with the face lowered downward to avoid eye contact with neighbors.,Community members will look at him or her with various kinds of facial expressions that display chill, disdain, displeasure.,Face, in a sense, is a communal check!,10,6. Possible Explanations for High Importance of Face,Lack of mobility,Chinese people tend to spend their entire lives in the company of the same friends, neighbors and relatives.,Consequently, face-saving behaviors take on great significance: they maintain harmony, avoid conflicts, and protect the integrity of the group.,Great importance of li (,礼,),Li,（礼）,means “right conduct in maintaining ones place in the hierarchical order”.,Anyone who acts against accepted norms of,li,will lose his/her face.,11,7. Emotion and Face,Human feelings in Chinese culture,（七情）,Enjoyment,喜,Anger,怒,Sorrowfulness,哀,Happiness,乐,Love,爱,Disgust,恶,Desire,欲,Six senses,Visual, audial, smell, taste, touch, sense (,意,),12,Lian,（脸）,/mian zi,（面子）,给面子，,give,增面子，,add,挣面子，,earn,赏脸，,reward,留面子,save,Situations concerning face:,Fear of expressing love,Fear of talking about sex,Fear of talking with authority figures,Fear of revealing ones own shortcomings,Fear of speaking and performance,13,8. Communication and Face,The concept of face is deeply interactive,Inseparable part of communication,A product of communication,A motive and means for communication,The fewer written legal codes that people create for regulating a peoples interaction, the more significant the unwritten concept of face becomes in such a community.,Face functions as the barometer of the communal check.,14,9. Tips for avoiding a face-losing situation,To remember that the Chinese seldom say “no” bluntly. They often use round-about ways, which gives westerners a feeling of indecision and uncertainty.,To be deferential to those above you, and considerate to those below you, by virtue of age or position.,Not to expect that a Chinese will act contrary to group norms.,To avoid confrontations and showing of anger. If you must say no, do so as tactfully as possible.,To criticize in private and with expressions of positive regard.,To avoid embarrassment and loss of face by telling some white lies, when need be.,15,