By continuing you agree to eChinacities's Privacy Policy .
Sign up with Google
Sign up with Facebook
Q: What is the most trivial action for which you have received praise? (e.g. "You are so clever." )
Considering they are from an ancient and wise culture, Chinese people sure seem impressed at the most simple actions or deductions. Barely a day goes by where I am not reminded of my cleverness and greatness for being able to perform basic tasks, and observe things with my eyes.
What is the most simple feat you have accomplished that earned you praise?
For me, the recent highlights were:
Stitching on a button. "You are great." Yes. It was possibly comparable to the feats of Hercules.
Looking at a map in a park (with a red dot indicating 'you are here') and heading in the correct direction (of two). "You are so clever."
Perhaps it's time to set the bar for intellectual achievement slightly higher, China. Praise-giving is a pillar of Chinese culture, but the consequence is that no one is required to develop competence, expand their mental processes, or make real achievements.
There are so many, it's difficult to choose:
- My ability to say "nihao" pretty fluently.
- My ability to add together random figures like 5 + 10 without using a calculator.
- My ability to write simple characters such as 一，二，三， 大。
- My ability to use the elevator buttons unaided.
- Knowing where a large city is located in China.
There are so many, it's difficult to choose:
- My ability to say "nihao" pretty fluently.
- My ability to add together random figures like 5 + 10 without using a calculator.
- My ability to write simple characters such as 一，二，三， 大。
- My ability to use the elevator buttons unaided.
- Knowing where a large city is located in China.
Saying " Bye bye".
Gasps of amazement... "Wow, your Chinese is so good!!"
I have had arguements with people who insist "bye bye" is Chinese. When I explain that "bye" is used in foreignerland, they then insist we stole it from the Chinese !!!
Being able to use chopsticks and I'm extra clever because I'm left handed!
ScotsAlan:
Do you ask for left handed chopsticks when you go for a meal :)
The fact that i am left-handed constantly receives notice and praise from Chinese, no matter how educated or otherwise they are. And it's always the same phrase: "left-handed people are so clever!". To which i now just reply "yeah, it's true". I say the same thing when they lavish me with general foreigner-praise, too (so handsome, so responsible etc)... yeah, it's all true.
When I know how to walk somewhere or just generally know where something is.
"You learn so fast!" "Your memory must be so gooood"
Now I don't know if they talk to each other like this because my Chinese is pretty mediocre but I just kind of shrug it off or overplay it. Like, wow! I am that great huh!
For displaying any knowledge. Like the name of a street, or the direction we are headed, or the capitol city of a country, or doing simple arithmetic, and on and on goes this list......
As I say, displaying ANY knowledge just blows them away.
And not dissimilarly, them displaying absolutely no knowledge whatsoever of anything at all, despite doing 7 million hours of homework blows us away.
royceH:
Case in point....
Learn English for ten years and then this is how it goes...
"The man crossed the road." "What did the man do?"
"Ting bu dong."
Or this...."Hi, how are you?" "I like chicken."
And so on......
ScotsAlan:
Ha ha. Because I am a man who likes a beer now and then, I am pretty good at finding beer serving establishments. I know of local places to go to that local Chinese have never heard of. I even have to direct local taxi drivers.
"Wow, you can drive in China....."
BHGAL:
this is not "trivial" ... driving in China, in cities, is a truly great and daring feat. I am generally a patient guy, but not behind the wheel. I do not and will not drive a car in China. e-bike I do... and I obey rules as taught by watching the masses, not by what I learned in the past.
andy74rc:
I have done about 150k km in China since I got the China DL in 2009. Took me few months to adapt (basically just to become a ruthless selfish idiot), but then I built all the automatism needed. I can foresee the other cars moves before the drivers even think about it.
Hotwater:
I'm the same as you Andy. After that first couple of months of acclimatisation to the Chinese driving style I now (generally) enjoy driving here. It helps a lot that I was taught to anticipate issues & especially look 3-5 cars ahead to see what might occur. Though a lot of that comes from starting driving on motorbikes, not cars.
andy74rc:
@Hotwater: I'm an enduro and (less) street rider since I was a kid. Definitely it helps a lot in building evading skills (riding offr oad moreover).
Drinking any alcohol with Chinese at the table - they make this "wow" sound, goes something like: wwwhoooaaaaooeeee and proceed to order warm water.
I think the silliest that I have had is "wow! you can use both hands to do everything, you are very smart!" because I didn't choose to be ambidextrous, I didn't master it after learning or hardship, it came naturally as part of my genes, there is no reason to receive praise for it. Chinese also think that left handed people are smart, but meeting an ambidextrous person was like meeting with Da Vinci or Einstein in their mind...
Robk:
Yeah, I am the same. I play around with Chinese and switch hands to eat and watch them try. I mentioned this before, but they usually don't do so well and it embarrasses them that a foreigner can use chopsticks better than them.
Kind of teaches them that complimenting someone on something so mundane (which REALLY seems like mocking) is foolish and can backfire on you.
sewing a button is a funny one... or sewing closed the hole in the pocket.. my wife was truly amazed that I could or would do such a thing. I am so proud of myself now for doing it, because now she does it. not my job, it is hers. what a great wife.
I think the original expectation is that I would just go buy "new", which may be true back home, but here, I will probably just be buying another hole in the pocket, so might as well fix it.
I know bus routes and schedules and #'s far better than the family, and I can't read a speck of Chinese. I been here a couple years, they been here forever and still struggle to remember the most common routes we occasionally use. not frequent, but I do know them, they don't.
Chopsticks. Seriously, people of China, it's not hard.
I have to agree with the fascination that foreigners can use chop sticks. I guess I can understand that. Many times, I have had to help show Chinese people to use a knife and fork.
Another one is that I am strong. Not meaning I am fat. But, I am strong.
Generating body heat. When the temperature is above 15C, it's usually warm enough for me to ditch the sweaters, and go with long sleeves (I still haven't needed a jacket this winter, just a sweater or hoodie when it gets cold). I'm in the southwest part of China, and everyone is wearing layers upon layers upon layers. I've had middle aged and older men (and women) grab my arms because they want to feel if I'm really not cold, and occasional compliments for not freezing to death when I don't wear a heavy jacket or sweater.
I've decided to go with it. To those who know English (like students), I'll explain that both my mother's father, and my father's father, were mammals, and our people are well known for being endothermic.
When I want something more concise, I'll just flex, and announce, "I'm not cold... because I am all that is MAN!"
andy74rc:
"....I'll explain that both my mother's father, and my father's father, were mammals, and our people are well known for being endothermic."
Cunninglus.
"You are so clever!"
AladinSane:
My ex wouldn't even let me do that to her. Bummed me the hell out.
Honestly? Being white. I'm quite pale and I've had girls tell me they want my skin...as in they actually want MY skin covering THEIR organs. Freaked me the hell out.
...And of course just walking into a small shop or the supermarket and doing exactly what every Chinese person comes in to do: buy shit.
I tried explaining to my TA this afternoon that I'm not a pop star, pro sports player or what have you and that while friendliness is appreciated, I don't need every tiny, mundane thing I do turned into prime time...I don't think she really got it. *sigh*
DrMonkey:
You are assuming that you are looked upon like a member of the same humankind. Wrong : in China, a lot of people separate humans as Chinese and not Chinese. To some, you are seen as an almost different specie. Being an entirely different breed of human in the eyes of your TA, the most trivial things are surprising : a bit like you never had a cat, and you would be surprised that your cat can understand some things. Of course, saying that to your TA will trigger anger, or incomprehension, denial.
AladinSane:
Right. And that's what's simultaneously frustrating and a tad endearing. I thought I made it kind of obvious I was being looked at in that way though...
Mateusz:
I've gotten that too, usually by girls, for whom, white skin is all the rage. I told them them that I actually envy getting a tan, and would be happy to trade their yellow skin for mine. I like the reactions I get when I tell them that I just need to fetch my flensing knife, and that they should hold still, because it could sting a bit.
I opened a can of pineapple last night. I was in the bar and 3 girls were trying to open the can with a pair of scissors. I showed them a photo of a can opener, but they did not understand. I went to the local supermarkets and eataries to seek a "ki guan jie", but none could be found. In the end I went home and got my can opener. I opened the can. They were impressed. I was so impressed with my cleverness that I posted it on wechat 
We were talking about the "Under the Dome" documentary and I mentioned I had seen it and I knew Chai Jing was a xiao san. Everyone was amazed. "How can a non-Chinese know these things." Such an exclusive club. It's almost as if I picked the lock to their secret diary or something.
