We have every reason to believe that there is not much difference between modern China people and ancient China people, and we are convinced that qualified scholars will also support this view. China and westerners have different trust standards. Some sharp-minded scholars, when carefully scrutinizing China's ancient classics, will find that there are many roundabout and ambiguous places between the lines. He will also find that China people have a very meaningful saying about the frankness of westerners: "frankness without prudence becomes rude." The story of Confucian mourning for Confucius in The Analects of Confucius is meaningful to westerners, but Confucian scholars simply don't understand it. The following passage is selected from Jacob's translation: "Rupert wanted to see Confucius, but Confucius refused to see him on the pretext of being ill." But as soon as the messenger left the house, Confucius took off his harp and sang while playing, deliberately making the children sad. "Confucius didn't want to meet people like Ai, so he solved it in the way of China.
Confucius' practice was later imitated by Mencius. Mencius was invited to the court as a guest in a certain country, but he hoped that the king would give him the honor of being summoned for the first time, so he could not get out of his illness. The next day, in order to show that it was just an excuse, he went to see the king somewhere else. The officials who accompanied Mencius had a long talk with Mencius about the above-mentioned behavior of Confucius at night, but the discussion was limited to etiquette and convention. There was no moral problem of lying for convenience, and there was no evidence that anyone had thought about it. Modern Confucius disciples did not go beyond the above discussion when explaining this paragraph to students.
In terms of the instinct of preserving ancient books, ancient China people are far higher than contemporary people in many countries. Although their history is very long; But it is all-encompassing. Many western scholars seem to admire the history of China most, and their words often reveal excessive trust. Vienna University Teacher Base? Dr. Singh published a paper in China Review in July, 1788, which contained a passage: "Scientific research has long been recognized and has increasingly proved the historical authenticity of China's classical literature." For example, Richard Finn, the latest generation of China researchers who have the widest coverage, found that on the one hand, they have a loyal spirit and a strong desire to explore the truth when recording historical events, on the other hand, they are full of lies and deception in their daily life and diplomatic negotiations, forming a sharp contrast. There are two different ways to accurately record history: one is to describe events in a specific order and proportion; Second, according to a certain spirit and motivation analysis. Explain the event. Some people who have extensively studied the history of China believe that from the former point of view, these historical works undoubtedly greatly surpassed the writing era; From the latter point of view, they are by no means as cautious as Dr. Singh thinks. We don't comment on things we don't know, but we just hope that people will pay attention to a nation that is addicted to lies and at the same time cultivate historians who respect facts. This is unique, if not unprecedented. Strong love or hate distorts the history of other countries. Don't they work in China? What works in other parts of the world won't work in China?
Not only did Confucianism itself have great defects, but Confucius did not strictly respect historical facts. Dr. Jacob Legge did not focus on the "flaws in the life of saints", but on the way Confucius handled historical materials when compiling Chunqiu. This book records the history of Lu for 234 years, which can be traced back to two years after the death of Confucius. The following passage is quoted from the lecture on Confucianism published by Dr. Jacob in his multi-volume Religion in China: "Mencius regarded the Spring and Autumn Annals as Confucius' greatest achievement, saying that its appearance frightened traitors. The author himself said the same thing and said that the world knew him and slandered him. " But when Confucius said that the world vilified him for this, I don't know if his heart was full of doubts. In fact, this book is not only extremely simple, but also vague and deceptive. Less than a hundred years after the publication of Spring and Autumn Annals, Ram revised and supplemented it, saying that Spring and Autumn Annals is "taboo for venerable people, taboo for elders and taboo for saints". I pointed out in the fifth volume of China Classic that "taboo" contains three meanings-omission, concealment and tampering. What can we say about this? ..... I often want to cut the gordian knot and simply deny the sincerity and authenticity of Chunqiu. But Confucius lived in the era he recorded, and he closely linked history with his brushwork. If a foreign learner adopts a misinterpretation method, so that he can't see the shortcomings of the Great Sage's disrespect for historical facts, the rulers of China and most scholars will not pity him or sympathize with his distress. Confucius and his disciples have always advocated authenticity, but Spring and Autumn Annals taught their compatriots to cover up the truth if it might damage the reputation of an empire or a saint.
We see that those who claim that the history of China is true are only prepared to admit that in China, truth only exists in historical accounts. Of course, it is impossible to prove that everyone in China lies. Even if it were possible, we wouldn't do that. When China people's conscience awakens, they begin to pay attention to their beliefs, and they will provide the strongest evidence. When they talk about their own nation, we often hear, as the leader of Hainan Island said, "As soon as we open our mouths, lies are born." However, for us, China people don't lie for the sake of lying, or for some benefit other than lying, as some people think. Mr. Barber said, "They don't tell the truth, and they don't believe it." A young man from China, who has studied English, hopes to learn the English expression "You are lying" when visiting the author's friends, so as to increase his vocabulary. A friend told him that this sentence had better not be used to talk about foreigners, or he would definitely be beaten. The young man was unabashedly surprised at this. He feels that this sentence is just like saying "You lied" and won't hurt anyone. Mr. Cook said in 1857 that westerners hate being called liars. "But if you say the same thing to China people, he won't be angry at all, and he won't feel insulted. He didn't deny this fact, but replied,' I dare not lie to adults'. Saying that a China man is a liar and now he is lying is like saying to an Englishman, "You are a wisecrack, and I guarantee that your head is full of terrible wisecracks".
People in China usually break their word. Although it is not to the extent of forgery, what they say is almost not true. The truth is the hardest to get in China, and no one can guarantee that he has got all the truth. Even if someone asks you for help, such as a lawsuit, and he wants you to represent him, you will still find that he has hidden important facts from you. This is obviously caused by the instinct of prevarication, not on purpose, although the victim can only be himself. No matter where we start, the whole thing will never come out until the end. People who know China better should not feel that they have all the information after listening to one side's statement. He prefers to combine what he has heard with other situations, and finally find some people he trusts most to investigate those statements and judge the truth of the matter.
Lack of honesty, coupled with suspicion, is enough to explain why people in China often talk for a long time, but they don't get to any substantive content. To foreigners, China people are unreasonable, mainly because of their hypocrisy. We don't know what they want, but we always feel that there is more hidden behind their words. Therefore, when a China person walks up to you, sticks it to your ear and mysteriously tells you something about a China person you are interested in, you will feel heavy. You can't be sure whether he is telling the truth or framing the man. You can never guarantee that China's ultimatum is really final. For businessmen, travelers and diplomats, this easy-to-explain proposition contains many disturbing factors.
The real cause of everything is almost unpredictable, and even if you know it, you can't be sure it's true. Everyone in China, even without education, is essentially like a sly squid. When he is tracked, he can immediately spit out a lot of ink and retreat to the safest place. If you are visited during your trip and ask for donations from some poor people who want to develop new land, your servant will not simply say, "Spending money is none of my business, just like you." But "smile like a child" means that the money in your bag is only enough for your own use. In this way, you can't donate. We rarely find a janitor who says "You can't come here" to a group of China people as foreigners treat him. He just watched quietly, and as soon as they went in, he let the dog go.
Few people in China can consciously keep their promises. This is related to their misunderstood talent and weak sense of time. No matter what the real reason is, you will find it very interesting, and they will find all kinds of excuses. When China people are accused of breaking an appointment, they will say that this appointment is not important, and he will always keep an important appointment. If you condemn one of his shortcomings and swear to correct it, it will gush out of his mouth like running water. He admitted that the mistake was comprehensive-in fact, it was too comprehensive, and you had nothing to expect except credit.
Once, a gentleman from China was hired to copy and annotate some aphorisms. After an old saying, he explained that you can't refuse others' demands at once. On the contrary, even if you don't actually want to help, you should agree on the surface. "Put it off until tomorrow, and then, another tomorrow, to comfort the requester." People in debt generally use this method. No one can expect to get the debt back once, and the debtor will not be disappointed. The debtor will swear to pay it back next time. Then next time, next time.
What can best illustrate the hypocrisy of China people is their attitude towards their children. Children learn to be dishonest from an early age, and neither the children themselves nor the teachers realize this. When the child is still babbling and vaguely sensible, the adults tell him that if he doesn't listen, the monster hidden in the sleeves of the adults will come out and bite him. Foreigners are often compared to unknown monsters, which can better explain why people in China often scold us. Children have a vague fear of us when they are very young. When they grow up, once they realize that we are not terrible, we are just ridiculous. How can they not coax us into the street?
The driver pulled the foreigner, followed by a group of screaming urchins. He was angered and shouted at them to catch some and tie them to the back of the car and drag them to death. In this case, the shipping union threatened them and watered them with boiling water. Words like "I'm going to hit you" and "I'm going to chop you to death" are equivalent to "don't do that" to children who know something.
If China people want to pretend to be "polite", they must master a lot of vocabulary. They can show the humility of the speaker and the nobility of the listener. When a "polite" person mentions his wife, if he must be addressed, he will say "modest respect" or other similar elegant polite address. Although rural people are not elegant language, they can also grasp the essence of "courtesy" and call their partners who are in trouble with * * * "bitch". China people's own stories can properly illustrate their characteristics of paying attention to etiquette. A guest, dressed in his best clothes, sat in the living room waiting for his master to appear. A mouse was playing on the beam and put its nose into the fuel tank on the beam. The sudden arrival of the guest startled the mouse, and it turned and ran away. As a result, it knocked over the fuel tank and hit the guests, and the gorgeous coat was immediately covered with oil. Just as the guest turned blue with anger, the host came in. After a brief greeting, the guest explained, "I came to your house and sat under your beam. I accidentally disturbed your mouse. Your mouse left and your oil drum fell on my cold clothes, which really made you laugh."
Needless to say, few foreigners can entertain China people in the way of China people, which requires long-term exercise. When the host goes to dinner, he should bow warmly to a group of guests and greet them gently: "Please sit down and have dinner." Or hold the teacup to your mouth, look around, and solemnly say to the guests, "Please have tea." What is even more unacceptable is to kowtow and kowtow on different occasions to express "I can, I will, I can, I must, I should" (depending on the situation) and "fall at your feet". Occasionally, a sentence like "I should scream, I should die" means bad manners and small details are ignored. Or, riding a horse and meeting an acquaintance halfway, stop and say to him, "I'll come down and you ride." I don't care where you are going or whether his behavior is reasonable. Even the most uneducated and ignorant China people often pose invitations, forcing the most unsympathetic westerners to admire them unconsciously, because others will, but he won't. The small etiquette we constantly see on various occasions is the individual's dedication to the whole society, which reduces social friction. If he refuses to make this dedication, he will be punished because he has gone astray. If the driver stops to ask for directions, if he forgets to take off his braid, he may be pointed in the wrong direction, in addition, he may be insulted.
Judging what is the most suitable gift is also a science in the East, and it may be the same in other countries. For the recipient, some things are absolutely unacceptable, and some things are totally unacceptable. If foreigners make their own decisions in this respect, they will definitely make mistakes. In general, people should be cautious about gifts, especially in unexpected situations. Even if it's a happy event like having a son, be careful. "I'm afraid of the Greeks, even if he brings gifts." This proverb has eternal vitality all over the world, as well as in China. There is always an article behind the gift-giving, like China's two-part allegorical saying "The mouse pulls the shovel, and the big head is behind", or in other words (in essence), asking for more in return than giving.
Many foreigners living in China are aware of the hypocrisy of giving gifts. Luckily, we are familiar with all the details of giving gifts. In order to show respect for several foreigners, a small village gave them an opera. Of course, everyone knows that foreigners should hold a banquet to thank them. But the villagers refused and asked them to donate a sum of money, even a little, which could be used for the construction of public facilities. In this village, they did it. Shortly thereafter, another village was deeply moved by foreigners' medical spirit of disaster relief, and sent representatives to invite them to the theatre. These villages know that the invitation will definitely be rejected. When each delegate heard the news of rejection, his face showed the same sad surprise, and then he turned to the issue of donation, which was still a public facility. Each one is point-to-point, without any further representation.
It's not just foreigners who are troubled in this respect. When the rich people in China are unfortunate enough to meet a happy event, their neighbors will congratulate them with something insignificant, such as giving a newborn baby a worthless toy, but the host must hold a banquet to thank them-in China, this is always an appropriate way. At this time, even those who don't know China the least will admire the subtlety of China's motto: "He who eats himself eats tears; Eat other people's, eat sweat. " The host was also forced to pretend to be sincerely welcome. In order not to lose face, all the anger is suppressed in the stomach. Disgraced Bidiu rice is more deadly.
This shows that many actions of China people are deliberately made for the sake of "face". When employed, most of the etiquette of China people towards foreigners is just a kind of hypocritical courtesy, especially in big cities. It is easy to find this by comparing a person's behavior in public and private places. It is said that there was a gentleman in China who was always regarded as a model of etiquette in his foreign host's home. However, if he meets his master on the street in Beijing, he will glare as if he wants to "kill him", because if he greets his master, he will let others see that this gentleman who has read many books of poetry makes a living by savage foreigners to some extent. Although this situation is well known, it can't be admitted on the surface, especially in public. When several China people enter the room, they only salute the China people in the room, completely ignoring the foreigners' presence, which is very normal. Teacher China will praise his foreign students for their accurate listening and perfect pronunciation, and their language acceptance will soon surpass that of other students. But at the same time, some strange pronunciation mistakes of this student will also become jokes between this teacher and colleagues. Generally speaking, teachers hired to teach Chinese are naturally considered to be the people who have the most right to decide whether their Chinese pronunciation is correct or not.
Another superficial and hypocritical phenomenon that can illustrate China's politeness is that he promises verbally but doesn't actually do it. The gift did not bring the expected benefits, and the giver was not discouraged, because he had long known that things might not be done, but the face of the giver was saved. Similarly, if you have an argument with your boss about payment in a pub, your driver may come forward to mediate, decide that he will pay the insufficient part, and then reach into your wallet. If he pays for it himself, the final bill will still be on you. If he had to pay the reminder himself, he would say, "Can you expect the people attending the funeral to be buried in the grave together?"
Despite their duplicity, many people in China are really modest. However, there must be many people, both men and women, whose modesty is fake. When people clearly realize that some ideas are difficult to express directly, they talk about some unpleasant things to express indirectly. But these elegant people, once provoked, can even swear the worst words.
False modesty and false sympathy are composed of empty words. However, China people should not be blamed for this, because they do not have enough wealth to maintain sympathy for so many people for a long time. The most disgusting thing is not empty sympathy, but the cheerful expression when pretending to sympathize with the dead. Mr. Barber mentioned a coolie in Sichuan, and he couldn't stop laughing when he saw two wild dogs swallowing corpses on the catwalk. Mr. Medus told us that his Chinese teacher laughed when he heard that his good friend died funny. When a favorite child dies, long-term grief will make parents numb, which is different from the above situation, because there is a huge difference between silent grief and rude fooling their natural feelings about human nature.
As mentioned above, westerners and China people have been trading for hundreds of years, and in this process, the commercial reputation of China people has been verified many times. In order not to make the conclusion appear unfounded, we should give some examples as the basis. Here is an example. Mr Cameron, the manager of HSBC, said in his farewell speech: "I have talked about the high-standard trade principles of western business groups. In this respect, China people are not backward at all. In fact, no one can win our trust as quickly as China businessmen and bankers. Of course, there are exceptions to everything. But in order to show that I have enough reasons to draw this powerful conclusion, I can tell you that in the past 25 years, our bank has done a lot of business with China people in Shanghai, with a total amount of several hundred million taels of silver. So far, we haven't met any China people who broke their promises. " The best evaluation of this speech may be another thing that happened three years later: a comprador of this bank in Hong Kong made the bank make a profit of one million a year in the case of losses and insecurity.
We don't know whether there is an essential difference between retail and wholesale in business activities in China. However, in order to make our thinking more comprehensive, we should really consider whether the above results have any impact on China people's amazing sense of responsibility-this is an advantage that westerners should study hard. When doing business with westerners, China people can make the most profit by keeping their promises. Therefore, there is no doubt that we naturally want to gain the greatest trust of the people of China. However, long-term and extensive observation can only prove that China people's business activities are the biggest example of this nation's lack of credit.
A clever scholar wrote a very interesting paper, arguing that China people's ordinary business activities are only activities in which one party cheats the other. Generally speaking, the relationship between these two people is the relationship between Jacob and Laban, or as China said, the iron brush meets the copper basin. As we all know, letting a child do business is actually equivalent to destroying him. Fake scales, fake rulers, fake money and fakes-these phenomena are inevitable in China. Even some big brands with eye-catching signs tell customers that our store is "authentic" and "no price", but this is not the case.
We don't mean to show that China is dishonest, but according to our observation and experience, it is difficult to guarantee that he will be found. What will happen if you associate with a nation that doesn't pay attention to facts? A well-dressed scholar told foreigners that he could not read. But if you hand him a small book, he will not hesitate to slip away from the crowd without paying, even though the small book is only worth three coppers at most. In this respect, he is not ashamed at all. Instead, he was complacent and lied to that stupid foreigner. That guy trusts a complete stranger. When people in China buy things from foreigners, they usually pay a copper coin less. He declared that he had no money. If you tell him there is a copper coin in his ear, he will reluctantly take it off and give it to you, just like being cheated. Similarly, a person will linger for a long time and want to get something from you for free on the grounds that he has no money. But in the end, I will take out a pile of copper coins and hand them to you with an unhappy face, telling you to take only the money he should pay. If you trust him and let him take things without paying, he will be elated, just like killing a snake.
China people always have the habit of "borrowing things" from their relatives, and always don't say hello intentionally or unintentionally, which is probably a sign of social unity. Most of the "borrowed" things are sent to the pawnshop immediately, and the owner has to get them himself when he wants money. A China boy from a missionary school was found stealing money from a single lady who was in charge of the student dormitory. In the face of irrefutable evidence, he sobbed and explained that at home, he had always been used to stealing his mother's money, and the foreign teacher was too much like his mother, so he couldn't help but want to steal it.
There are obviously many evils in China society, and there is no doubt that there are many evils in the West, but the most important thing is to clearly understand the essential difference between them. As we said before, China people lack faith, which is not common, but it can often be found. We have listed some examples when discussing other topics, and some should be discussed in detail.
If you have the necessary knowledge, you can write a very interesting book about blackmailing the people of China-everyone does it from the emperor sitting in the emperor's chair to the humblest beggar. China people have the wisdom to pay attention to reality, and are unwilling to let extortion form a complete behavior system. Everyone, like the atmosphere, can't get rid of this encirclement. It is so vicious and depraved that it can only be eradicated if the whole empire is thoroughly rectified.
The character of China people and the present situation of China inevitably make it difficult for westerners to communicate with China people in a pragmatic manner to the greatest extent, while at the same time maintaining the reputation of "gentleman"-if he is lucky enough to get this reputation. It is often said that rickshaw pullers, boatmen, pub owners, coolies and middlemen will be beheaded as usual, no matter what crimes they have committed. Like their peers, they have a special relationship with foreigners. Because foreigners would rather endure fraud than cause social unrest. In this respect, they generally have neither interest nor ability. However, if the principle of justice is destroyed among the people of China, only through social unrest can society finally reach a balance.
When it is difficult for a person to be impartial, he must be an extraordinary person to try to be impartial. Neither doubt nor credulity is the perfect embodiment of the golden mean. If we are dissatisfied with the seemingly necessary dishonesty, China people who judge people's character quickly will classify us as "temperament figures". For excitable people, it is not easy to keep the nirvana of Buddha all the time. Even if we can keep this quiet character, it will be regarded as the best target for further arbitrary extortion. There is a typical China person who is employed to work for foreigners. One day, I saw a peddler selling foreign villains in mud along the street. Those villains are exquisitely shaped and well dressed. He stopped, looked at it for a while, and said to the stall owner, "Ah, you are only playing with toys, but I am playing with real things."
Needless to say, as far as we know, the government of China seems to be an important example of this feature we are discussing. This kind of example can also be found in the whole history of Sino-foreign relations, as well as the famous history of official-civilian relations in China. The proclamation issued by officials at all levels is a unique and concise example. These proclamations are long, colorful and complicated, showing a noble moral realm. The only thing missing is the truth, because these gorgeous orders are not prepared for people to carry out. The author and readers know this very well, and there will never be any misunderstanding. "The life and official documents of China politicians, like Rousseau's Confessions, are noble in emotion and despicable in behavior. He cut off a hundred thousand heads, but quoted Mencius to discuss the sanctity of life. He pocketed the money for building the dam, causing the river to flood a province, but he lamented that people had left their homes. He loudly denounced the person who made the false oath, but after signing the agreement, he privately said that it was only a temporary deception. " There is no doubt that there are impartial officials in China, but they are hard to find. Moreover, their living environment makes them isolated from the world and unable to get what they want. Comparing the situation of people who have the best chance to understand China's classics with these classic teachings is obviously powerless in guiding the society to a higher level.
"How many trustworthy China people do you know?" Here only refers to China people who have received formal education. Different people have different experiences and criteria for evaluating China people, so the answers vary widely. Most foreigners will answer "very few", "seven or eight" and "a dozen" depending on the situation. Sometimes, some people will answer "many" and "too many to remember". But we are convinced that among people of insight and discrimination, such an answer is definitely very few.
It is wise to observe what a nation takes for granted. When discussing the characteristics of mutual suspicion among China people, we can see that it is natural for China people to distrust others, and their reasons are easy to understand. This situation makes the future of China full of uncertainty. This country is not ruled by elites. On the contrary, it is the most despicable guy in the empire who holds all the power. A clever Taoist platform said to foreigners, "Officials below the emperor are all bad people and should be killed, but it's no use killing us. The next one will still be as bad as us. " There is a proverb in China that snakes know where their caves are. Another important phenomenon is that the bureaucrats in China have great distrust of businessmen. They know that the so-called "reform" is just a superficial shell that will soon fall off. A bricklayer in China spent a long time smoothing the poorly covered chimney and roof with unadjusted mortar, but he knew very well that when a fire was first made, the chimney would smoke everywhere. The first time it rains, the roof leaks. In China, this is just a very common thing.
China has enough strength to develop resources everywhere. As long as it has confidence, shy capital will come out of the hidden place. In China, all kinds of knowledge needed to develop resources are very rich, and all kinds of talents are available. However, without mutual trust based on sincerity, all this is not enough to revive the empire.
A few years ago, a thoughtful China man came to the author for advice on how to solve the problem of drilling wells in a certain area. People in China usually build a well with bricks from top to bottom. But in some areas, after the well is drilled, after a period of time, the whole ground will sink, the shaft wall will collapse, leaving only a small hole, and the well will gradually dry up. Treating the long-standing pain in China is the same as treating this unfortunate area in Zhili, and all prescriptions are difficult to cure. All treatments are superficial, and the whole empire can only fall into the mire of despair like a cart full of jewels.