Five donts with Chopsticks

Chinese culture is a big part of online Chinese learning. However good we are at the wording, we may not be able to use the language properly if we know little about Chinese culture. In this article, we will learn five don’ts when using Chinese Chopsticks. Actually learning mandarin is not just to learn Chinese characters, grammar or pronunciation.

Chopsticks or kuai4 zi are the most commonly used tools for dining in China. It is convenient, light and easy to wash. But we should be careful when using chopsticks because there are many taboos that you should avoid by all means.When you do business with Chinese people, you may have used chopsticks, but do you know the taboos of using this dining tool? The followings are five things you are not supposed to do at table.

No.1: Don’t point to people with chopsticks, which is easy to understand. This is just like pointing to someone with your finger. Both of them are considered impolite at dinner.

No.2: Do not hold chopsticks in your mouth and suck them. It is regarded as lack of behavior in China, especially for women. If you suck them, you are very likely to make strange noises, which is often quite annoying. When a kid does this, it is not as bad as an adult does it, but it is not right anyway, so the parents or teachers will stop him or her from doing so.

No.3: Do not use your chopsticks to hit the bowl or the plate, either when you feel bored or happy. That’s what beggars do when they beg for food.

No.4: Do not put your chopsticks in the middle of a bowl of rice before eating. In China, people stick up lighted incenses to remember their pass-away ancestor. This behavior is very like the activity of showing respect to the dead, so it is the biggest taboo you should avoid at a Chinese home.

The difficult part lies in the cultural aspect. That’s why we should attach equal importance to culture learning when learning mandarin.