My initial impression of Americans seems to be that Americans are like a grown-up child in China in how they behave and behave. Not only do they often speak in a childlike manner, but they are also very casual in their manners. Compared with authentic English, American English is mostly casual and unrestrained, from pronunciation and pinyin to grammar and rhetoric. Americans are far away from China's standard public image of "sitting like a bell, standing like a pine", especially American children. They have no rules, are unkempt, and are lazy by nature. They have neither a sitting posture nor a standing posture; Familiar or not, just say 'cough'! Then call them by their first names, and do the same to your grandparents. Their meals were simple, and they were equally happy to be treated to bread and eggs or a Chinese dinner. In order to improve their English skills, Chinese students once intentionally rented a room with American students. Soon they saw themselves becoming free nannies for Americans: things were thrown around, and the newly cleaned room immediately became like a doghouse. There is no order. As a result, the Chinese students moved quickly.

After getting acquainted with Americans, you will find that they are still as straightforward and cute as big children. Americans consider themselves a nation with a sense of humor. If you scold them for being uneducated and hopeless, they will think that you are burdened by material and reputation and do not understand the true meaning of life, and they will pity you. But if you scold them for being dull and lacking in humor, Feeling, he will definitely feel extremely humiliated. Americans, old and young, men and women, talk to each other at any time and place, all with the purpose of having fun and making the language environment relaxed as a rule. Sometimes you see a group of people laughing and joking and you think they are old friends gathering. In fact, they have only known each other for less than ten minutes.

A very important thing about the American nation is that it values ??credibility (of course, not all Americans are reputable people), because the economic and social status of the United States is based on personal credibility. If you joke with him in this regard and say that he is a liar and dishonest, he will immediately fall out - Americans will fall out when they say they will, and there is no mercy at all.

Body language

Use body language

After interacting with Americans for a while, you will notice that Americans are very particular about their speech. They pay attention to their body. Language, especially eye contact, and physical distance.

We often see Americans shaking hands and kissing. According to American customs, when meeting men and women for the first time, they just shake hands, and kissing is the body language between good friends. The way to kiss is: between people of the same sex, touch each other's face and then kiss in the air; between people of the opposite sex, you can kiss each other's cheeks. Parents kiss their children, kiss their foreheads and little faces.

Smile and eye contact are very important when dealing with Americans. Smiling eyes and hello words mean the same thing in public places. If a stranger walks up to you and smiles at you, and you smile back at him, he will say 'hi' or 'hello'. This is just a courtesy and does not mean that he will stop and talk to you.

In Chinese tradition, it is rude to stare at people. Americans will think that you are evasive and insincere when you don't look directly at them, and that you are not trustworthy. So when you talk to Americans, maintain eye contact.

In addition, when talking to Americans, you should keep a physical distance between each other. Half a meter is better. If an American keeps moving forward when you are chatting with him, you may be too far away from him; if he keeps moving back, you may be too close to him.

We are all friends

We are all friends

The concept of friends in the United States is different from that in China. Americans can call people they know, acquaintances, or even people they meet for the first time friends. The United States has many holidays and various organized gatherings. Many people were having a great time together, and maybe they had only known each other for a few minutes. In a sense, the Chinese concept of friends is similar to the American concepts of little brothers, little sisters, and close friends (Buddy, Close friend).

Many adults and children in the United States admit that they are not united with their brothers and sisters. There is no hard and fast rule among family members that the elder must help the younger. Parents treat their children with the same respect as their friends. The law also stipulates that parents cannot punish their children corporally. Therefore, parents influence the next generation by being reasonable to their children and leading by example.

Their joy in raising children is to watch the growth of another life from a humane perspective, so there are particularly many Americans who adopt other people's children, and many white people adopt Asian or black children.

Americans are charitable, love to fight against injustice, have an upright personality, and make friends easily. They always trust people first, but once they feel that person is wrong, no matter who is right or wrong, they will immediately fall out, leaving no room for explanation. But if he later realizes that he misunderstood, he will sincerely apologize to you without any worries about losing face.

Beware of being considered gay

Man don't hold hands & woman don't hold hands in America

Men and men, women and women on the street When walking, if you are not in a homosexual relationship, never hug each other on the streets of the United States. To show friendship to Americans, don't hold hands, the traditional Chinese expression of proximity. In 1997, the famous American magazine Time published a photo of two girls walking arm-in-arm on a street in China as evidence of the prevalence of homosexuality in China. This shows that Americans have little knowledge of Chinese customs.

When a man praises a woman's beauty, in the United States, he or she is sometimes polite to you, just like when a Chinese person meets you and asks you if you have eaten, it is not necessarily because he is tempted by her beauty. Likewise, women can compliment men. Commonly used polite words include:

In formal situations and between strangers:

Hello. Hello! Hi!

How are you? How are you?

The weather is nice today. It is beautiful today.

Nice to meet you. Nice to meet you!

Among acquaintances and colleagues:

You look good today. You look good today.

Your clothes are beautiful (or I like what you are wearing today). I like your dress/shirt (Lady:dress Man:shirt)

You are very pretty (mostly used for women) You are very pretty.

Don’t do it without your parents’ consent Contact with American children and dogs

Ask for permission first before getting too close to children or dogs

Chinese elderly people sometimes express their love for their children by giving them food and touching them with their hands. head. You should try to avoid these two things in the United States. Food is plentiful and cheap in the United States. Children of ordinary people and even poor people are constantly snacking. Parents are troubled by their children's picky eaters and eating low-quality advertised foods. Ordinary parents will educate their children not to accept food from strangers, not because they are worried that the children will be disrespectful, but because they are worried that the children will be poisoned by bad people. Children don't like touching the top of a child's head, and parents won't be happy either. Strangers in the United States must keep a physical distance between each other.

American dogs are family members, as important as children. So don’t feed American dogs casually. Besides, many dogs are specially designed to deal with strangers, so be careful of being bitten! U.S. postal workers are bitten so many times every month that they have to carry spray to deal with the fierce dogs.

Do not ask Americans about their income and age

Do not ask for personal information

Americans are very taboo about others asking about their income.

To know the income of an American family, you can get a rough idea by looking at what living area the family lives in and what school their children attend. Food is cheap, cars are cheap, and housing is absolutely expensive in America. The vast majority of the average American family's income is spent on housing and tuition. Every city in the United States has rich areas, blue-collar areas and civilian areas. Each district is divided into upper, middle and lower areas. Primary and secondary schools in the United States provide free education, while private schools charge fees. Different private schools charge different fees. Americans don't make money for the purpose of saving. The level of money they earn depends on the living environment they live in.

Therefore, after losing his position, the general manager of a large company is likely to sell his current house immediately, live in a place with a relatively poor environment, and his children will also transfer from private schools to public schools.

Americans are also very taboo about others asking their age.

Don’t ask Americans their age. Even if you ask, most Americans won't tell you honestly. When attending an American birthday party, a forty-year-old MILF will say something about celebrating her 28th birthday. Unless they are required to fill out a form when applying for a job, they may not fill in their true age at that time, and the law also protects workers from filling out their exact age. To know the correct age of an American, look at the American's driver's license or passport. Passports and driver's licenses require their birth certificates. But why do you want to know other people’s ages?

Generally speaking, if you ask Americans how much the house you live in is worth and how much the car you drive cost to buy, it will be like Shanghainese thinking you just graduated from Shiliupu. Just like getting off the boat at the dock, he will think you are not polite.

The only issues you can openly discuss are the market conditions for children's education and travel expenses.

Polite manners in public situations

Don't talk too loud in public, No personal discussions in public too.

When we Chinese meet acquaintances Say hello loudly to show your enthusiasm. Please pay attention to this after coming to the United States. Public places in the United States are relatively quiet. People speak very softly and generally do not shout unless an emergency occurs. When I see an acquaintance, I say hello only when I approach. When gathering in a restaurant, make sure the other party can hear you clearly and don't make any loud noises. In addition, try to avoid talking about your own household affairs or the private matters of your children in public.

The person walking in front often opens the door for the person behind. If they come to the same door at the same time, men usually let women go first. Women also have priority when entering and exiting the elevator. Walk the same path and try to let others go first. There are very few pedestrians on the road. If someone passes you by, no matter you know them or not, if you are in a business district, you usually say "Excuse me" before walking past; if you are in a tourist area, you usually say "hello" ( Hi, Hello, good morning, good afternoon, good evening) and then walked away. When you need service from others, first pay attention to whether there is someone in front of you. Do not cut in line or interrupt other people's speeches. If a man and a woman are walking together, it is customary for men to walk on the side of the road. This habit originated from the underdeveloped society, when carriages often splashed mud and stained women's long skirts, which was a gentleman's behavior to show that men protect women.

Sorry, thank you

Always say Thank You after getting service, say Excuse Me to get attention

The most commonly used phrases in and out of public places I'm sorry, thank you. Before asking for directions or asking questions, first say sorry. If you want other people's attention, you have to say sorry. If you are passing by someone who is only as close as an arm's length to you, don't forget to say sorry as you pass by. If someone blocks your way without paying attention, say sorry and they will get out of the way. Don't push others with your hands. In the United States, people pay attention to the distance between bodies. Exceeding a certain distance will give people a sense of aggression.

Chinese people have a tradition of never thanking their closest relatives. If you thank them too much, you will be ignored. It's different in the United States. Between husband and wife, parents and children, you have to say thank you for any help, especially from outsiders. Even when a mother gives her children food and clothing, the children will habitually say thank you when receiving the gift. When a husband eats the food cooked by his wife, he always says thank you at the end and compliments the food on how delicious it is. In the United States, when you receive services from anyone, whether paid or unpaid, you must say: Thank you!

Front article

Table Manners

With the economic development of Taiwan and mainland China, more and more Chinese people are traveling to the United States. Many businessmen are invited to dinner at formal occasions.

The following points are the differences in habits between China and the United States:

Chinese people pay attention to the quality of food, Americans pay attention to environmental quality

Clinking glasses is a necessity for Chinese people, and Americans clink glasses or pour themselves. There is no difference in drinking.

Chinese people have more dishes and show that they warmly welcome Americans and just have enough to eat

Americans don’t know how to use chopsticks in Chinese restaurants and make a fool of themselves. Similarly, many Chinese people in Western restaurants don't behave awkwardly with knives and forks.

Western food is not rich in food, but there are many utensils.

Generally, each person has a bowl, two plates, one large and one small, one knife, two forks, and two spoons.

The bowl is for drinking soup, the small plate is for eating lettuce, and the knife is used to cut the food on your plate, such as fish and meat.

Forks, the one placed far away from the bowl and basin is for eating lettuce, and the one placed closer is for eating.

Spoons, the big one is for soup, the small one is for snacks. On formal occasions, meals are served to the diners. If you are a guest at an American home, there will usually be public forks and spoons, and guests are not allowed to use their own knives and forks to pick up food.

American recipes are usually:

Appetizers, such as spring rolls, fall into this category;

Lettuce and soup;

Staple food, beef, pork, chicken or fish and seafood, usually only one of them is chosen, and then served with bread, noodles or rice;

Dessert, cake, ice cream or fruit;

Ice water is provided.

Everyone will have a napkin that can be placed against their chest or on their lap.

When eating, it is most taboo to talk with the rice in your mouth, and it is also taboo to hold a knife and fork while dancing and talking in a lively manner. Don't make any noise when drinking soup, and don't lift the soup bowl to drink. When the soup reaches the bottom of the bowl, tilt the bowl forward, and then scoop it up with a spoon. When eating noodles, use the fork against the spoon to roll the noodles into bite-sized pieces and bring them to your mouth instead of sucking the noodles with your mouth.

After eating, Chinese people don’t take burping seriously and may even think it is a sign of satisfaction with the host’s hospitality. In the United States, it is considered impolite. So if you can't hold it in, cover your mouth with a napkin and burp, and then say sorry to your tablemate.

Also, try not to pick your nose, do your hair, or scratch your ears in dining situations (or in any situation), as this behavior will be considered rude and uncultured behavior.

When saying goodbye, even if the food served by the host is not to your liking and you may still be hungry, from a polite point of view, you must tell the host that the food is delicious and say goodbye politely. .

Attending American Party

Attending American Party

There are many opportunities for Americans to get together. Attending an American party is also easy. When the host invites you, don't forget to ask about the reason for the party. If it's a Christmas party or a birthday party, etc., don't forget to bring gifts. Gatherings on other occasions are very casual. Just ask the host what they need you to bring. Sometimes they will say to bring beer, fruit, or lettuce. If the host says they don’t need anything, then you go empty-handed. Americans don’t say this. Be polite. Most of the popular gatherings at present are 'dining parties' among relatives and friends, in which each participant brings a piece of food.

When attending business gatherings or dinner parties, arrive on time and do not arrive more than 5 minutes early or late. Business lunches are the most common in the United States. Generally, people only have one hour for lunch, so the time scale must be mastered. For business meetings, it is best to arrive ten minutes in advance. If you really have to be late, don't forget to call to say hello and rush over.

Attend a family dinner. Generally speaking, when the host invites you, he will indicate the time of the party. Don't arrive before the reservation time, because the host may be busy preparing. Do not stay longer than the end time notified by the host. Gifts brought to dinner parties are generally wine, flowers and cakes.

Common gatherings of family and friends

Baby shower: a party held for new parents before the baby is born.

Baptism: Baptism; a ceremony in church where Christians formally accept babies into God.

Bris: Circumcision: Jews circumcise a baby boy on the eighth day after birth, and relatives and friends always participate and celebrate.

Bar Milzvah: Bar Mitzvah: A Jewish celebration ceremony held when boys and girls turn 13 years old.

Bachelor Party: Farewell bachelor party: a party held between same-sex friends for friends who are about to get married, including the groom's bachelor party and the bride's bachelor party.

Thanks Giving Party: Thanksgiving Party

Christmas Party: Christmas Party

Cards and gifts

Send thank you card. If you are invited to a formal occasion or receive a gift from someone else, don't forget to send a thank you card. This is a very basic etiquette in the United States. Teachers teach children when they are in kindergarten. Americans receive a slew of gifts every year at Christmas and on birthdays, which are also the most profitable opportunities for card makers.

Send Christmas cards. From Thanksgiving to New Year, Americans give each other gifts and greeting cards. When sending a card, if the recipient is married, make sure the card is addressed to both spouses, even if you don't know the recipient's spouse. If the recipient is Jewish or Muslim, instead of saying 'Merry Christmas' on the card, choose 'Happy Holidays'. Many American families use their own family photos to make holiday cards for relatives and friends.

-According to traditional etiquette, the people to whom you should send cards during Christmas are:

Family members: parents, spouses, children

Good friends and relatives< /p>

People who meet often

People who rarely communicate with each other, but who communicate with each other all year round

Colleagues who work together every day

Family doctors and dentists Physician

During the holidays, it is also a time for gift-giving. Colleagues or secretaries in the company work together all year round and help each other, so we should take this opportunity to return the favor. Common expressions are: treat the other party to a meal, send flowers or give them a gift they like.

The holidays are also tipping season. Once a year you should tip anyone who provides service to you personally or to your family all year round. For example, a nanny (usually $100), a caretaker of your apartment, a postman, your child's teacher, etc. (usually $5 to $20). As for personal beauticians, you usually tip them after cutting your hair, but during the Chinese New Year you should tip them more.

American Cultural Etiquette

(1) Social Etiquette

Americans have the following four main characteristics in how they treat others.

First, easy-going, friendly and approachable.

Second, be enthusiastic and cheerful, informal.

Third, the city is not deep and I like humor.

Fourth, have strong self-esteem and be competitive.

(2) Clothing etiquette

Generally speaking, Americans are not very particular about their daily dress. Advocating nature, preferring looseness, and paying attention to shape to reflect personality are the basic characteristics of American dressing. When dealing with Americans, you should pay attention to the following things that the other party should pay attention to in dressing up, so as not to give the other party a bad impression.

First, Americans attach great importance to the neatness of clothing.

Second, when visiting Americans, you must take off your hat and coat when entering the door. Americans think this is a courtesy.

Third, Americans attach great importance to the details of clothing.

Fourth, women in the United States are advised not to wear black leather skirts.

Fifth, in the United States, if a woman casually takes off her shoes in front of a man, or lifts the hem of her skirt, it will often make people think she is deliberately seducing him.

Sixth, wearing pajamas and slippers to meet guests, or going out in this outfit will be considered rude by Americans.

Seventh, Americans believe that wearing bright makeup when going out in public places, or applying makeup in public will not only be regarded as uneducated, but may also make people uncomfortable. Feeling "suspicious".

Eighth, people who still wear sunglasses indoors are often regarded by Americans as "people who cannot see the sun."

(3) Dining Etiquette

Americans mainly have the following six rules for dining:

First, no noise is allowed while eating.

Second, you are not allowed to pick up food for others.

Third, smoking is not allowed.

Fourth, it is not allowed to persuade others to drink.

Fifth, it is not allowed to take off clothes in public.

Sixth, discussion of disgusting things is not allowed.