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Posts: 104

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Q: Why do some Chinese think foreigners are super intelligent?

I have met many Chinese, a lot of them, who, when they realise I can comfortably make myself understood in Mandarin, jump into such flatteries as ' Hey, you must be very smart! If you can speak our language, you really must be smart!'. And the flatteries refuse to stop when I tell the people I only attended language lessons for 9/10 months and I continue to learn through interaction with locals.

 

While I appreciate Chinese is not as easy to learn I find it insulting to suggest that learning this language requires some super intelligence as the people here would like to portray it. I've told most of them it's not a question of being smart etc...just the role of the environment. Some see the point but there is a bunch of others who still don't get it; they cling to their 'you must be very intelligent' argument. I find the Chinese are very good at flattering a person. I always get offended by their flattery. Just what makes them think things are made better when exaggerated flattery is involved? Does it mean they feel good when they are flattered and assume everybody else likes it too? And why do they seem to think Chinese language is a no-go zone for foreigners?

11 years 38 weeks ago in  General  - China

 
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Posts: 218

Governor

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It's like you are 'double smart'. You only took a short time to learn a language most people find difficult to grasp,

and,

you are incredulous at how foolish these compliments must be.

 

One day I hope to reach your level. Until then I struggle to pronounce 'shum mao' and feel super cool when I'm told 'Hey your smart to learn it so well!'.

I am so smart, SMRT.. I mean .. S-m-a-r-t 

 

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11 years 38 weeks ago
 
Posts: 277

Governor

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 It's a mixture of things I think; on the one hand many people are genuinely pleased to meet a foreigner who has made the effort to understand Chinese, but it seems that that is so often not the case that an assumption becomes drawn that foreigners are a bit thick. Maybe i'm wrong but sometimes the flattery seems a bit patronizing, kind of like "Good monkey, clever monkey."

 Now if someone says I speak Chinese well I just say, "Thanks, you too." 

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11 years 38 weeks ago
 
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I think some of it is down to the brainwashed stereotyping that Chinese seem to be brought up with such as:

 

- Foreigners cannot speak Chinese (therefore it applies to all foreigners).

- Foreigners cannot use chopsticks (therefore it applies to all foreigners).

- Foreigners live on junk food (therefore it applies to all foreigners).

 

When they meet foreigners that do not conform to the expected stereotyping, it leads to confusion and sometimes shock. Hence you are considered to be some kind of innate genius.

LAR:

Kaiwen,

              Good points. And then, one can get into/bring up the more hurtful and racist stereotypes like all foreign expats are criminals or rapists or bad people,etc etc.

* Will it ever stop? :(

11 years 38 weeks ago
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11 years 38 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1153

Shifu

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i think they think we are smarter especially in the us since the us is only just over 300 years old and our country was the 1st in devoloping cures for 100s of diseases put the 1st man on the moon over 40 years ago put the 1st satalite into orbit 1st cars ever made

1st jet engines ever made 1st telephones 1st electricity should i go on i dont believe its rocket rocket science to figure out why people from the us are smarter i can give you a list a mile ling but i think u get my point  lmao at these posts i think the people that right them should think things threw 1st but i guess that would be to much to ask

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11 years 38 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1090

Shifu

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Bona,

         In reply to your question, it's called ethnocentric thinking.

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11 years 38 weeks ago
 
Posts: 2763

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They don't mean super-intelligent, they mean intelligence approaching their own. I met a few Chinese who think we're stupid and any sign of intelligence shocks them. They must deem you super-intelligent to uphold their belief in their own superiority.

 

You most likely have above average intelligence and you may even be a genius but that is not what they mean.

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11 years 38 weeks ago
 
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Yeah, my friends did seem to go on and on about it whenever I'd speak Chinese to the point where it's ridiculous. Yet at the same time, if I would go to order something, even if I could do it myself, I guess my Chinese wasn't good enough because they'd order it for me. Even after living in China for 10 months, my friends would get excited over Chinese I had said before...? Also, one of the weirdest compliments I ever got, and this is several times from the same woman: You use chopsticks better than some Chinese. It just felt strange hearing it. I mean, I could use chopsticks long before coming to China. Maybe I improved on eating foods I had no experience eating with chopsticks before, but it's not difficult. Well, there are still a few things like drumsticks that I just can't seem to eat with chopsticks, but I think that's normal.

 

Also I'd like to mention (again) that a girl told me I couldn't be a nerd because I'm too pretty. 

Bona:

Yeah, I have also recieved tones of praises because of the way I use chopsticks. Seems anything Chinese is 'difficult', so if you can do it, u deserve showers of praises....as though it's only the Chinese who can do these things. It's really ridiculous!

11 years 37 weeks ago
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11 years 38 weeks ago
 
Posts: 211

Governor

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Bona:

With due respect, I must admit I couldn't get how the site you provided relates to the question asked here.Or did I miss something?

11 years 37 weeks ago
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gregoryneal1:

Well, indirectly I would say it does. Obviously not to the part about language ability, but just intelligence in general.

 

Pretty cool that it has performed over 3000 days now. That is what engineering is all about !!   Wow!

 

Oh, and I'm a Space nerd too...   so, I just wanted people to be aware of our little friend up there on the Red Planet !

 

More BIG news coming from the NASA Mars program soon !!!!!

11 years 37 weeks ago
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11 years 37 weeks ago
 
Posts: 1090

Shifu

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Bona,

          You raised some very good questions. Yes, it's very strange how Chinese get all lit up if a foreign person speaks Chinese, or what I don't like is the arrogant laughing that they do. Do Western people react like that when Chinese,S. Koreans,etc. speak English? NO, we don't! :( They're so ******* childish/immature. I remember reading a Westerner's perspective on how some So. Koreans head-trip when an American/Canadian/Brit etc. speaks Korean/Hangul..that they had broken a "secret code" of sorts. I think that the Chinese are the same way..just as xenophobic,ridiculous and ethnocentric.

siyingyuan:

Well you have to keep in mind China is not as multi-culture as most western countries are. I know there's a lot more foreigners in China now compared to 20 or 10 years ago. Most Chinese people have never had any personal contact with any foreigner. While compared to people living in Western countries, it's not too hard to find a Chinese or S. Korean classmate or co-workers in any field. My first ESL teacher was an Asian born in Canada, and she told us when she visited a small town in Canada that I now don't remember the name, she's the only Asian there and people gave her weird looks. And I heard so many stories about how their Canadian homestays talk to international students like a child. So it's happening, LAR, everywhere. They might not laugh as Chinese do, due to different culture/custom but arrogant is defiantly not owned only by Chinese.

By the way, my mom told me, when she was a child,  they used to follow after foreigners (in a group of 10-30 people) and pointing at them like people following after animals in the zoo. So yeah, China is learning, give them a little more time. And be grateful you did not come to China back then. :)

11 years 37 weeks ago
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11 years 37 weeks ago
 
Posts: 19790

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I met few Native African English teachers, who spoke Chinese with ease after just few years living in China. I don't speak Chinese more than few words, so I didn't understand what they were saying in conversation with Chinese.

I am convinced, their Native African language makes it easier to learn Chinese for them. I am thinking, it is the same for Native Africans to learn Chinese as it is for Native English speakers to learn German or Spanish.

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11 years 37 weeks ago
 
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