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Review focus: human feelings, face, mian-zi, Chinese values, social prestige, business relationships
Asian Business Code Words Index NTC/Contemporary Publishing Company Asian Business Strategy & Street Intelligence Ezine
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Ambrose King, a professor in the Sociology Department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, says that one cannot understand Chinese behavior without an understanding of the concept and role of ren quing or "human feelings" and mian-zi or "face". He emphasizes the traditional Chinese values are based on human feelings - as opposed to religious principles, as in most of the rest of the world. This respect for the feelings, especially as manifested by "face-work", is expected to hold society together and make it function harmoniously. Professor King adds that one of the cardinal principles of Chinese life since ancient times is summed up in the concept of mian-zi or "face" - something that China's Communist party tried desperately to eradicate - without success. Mian is a sense of social status,what a person thinks of himself or herself in relation to all other people. It has been described as "social prestige", with the implication that it is something that society bestows upon a person. It is measured in terms of how high one is in society, one's wealth and power. Professor King likens mian-zi to a credit card. The more "face" you have, the more you can "buy" with it. He adds that just like a credit card, mian-zi can be overdrawn, and care must be taken to keeps one's account balance. Most people tend to credit themselves with more "face" than they actually have (in the eyes of others). The Chinese tend to be exceedingly conscious of any slights to their mian-zi and to the possibility of harming another person's "face". The continuous efforts to protect their own mian-zi as well as the mian-zi of others is referred to as "face-working" and takes up a great deal of time and energy of every individual. The higher one is on the social ladder, the more acute is the concern with "face". In both personal and business relationships, it is critical to the Chinese that they maintain "face" and avoid offending the "face" of others. As Professor King puts it, failure to preserve the mian-zi of others is tantamount to robbing them of their social status and bringing great humiliation on them. He adds: "This is a very grave matter. In Chinese culture it is inconceivable that anyone would dare to disregard mian-zi. Anyone who does not care about his own mian-zi is considers shameless. So sensitive are the Chinese to losing their own "face" or inflicting damage on the "face" of others that they have extreme difficulty in being candid and forthright in their dealings with others. As a result, the use of intermediaries or third parties in both personal and business dealings has become a deeply entrenched custom. When tow people have not met or when they have just met and do not know each other well, they cannot be sure of the relative "size" of each other's "face", making frank discussions virtually impossible. On such occasions, the natural reaction is to do nothing. If they must engage in some kind of business, their first choice is to go through a host or intermediary. Mian-zi also makes it difficult or impossible for people with a lot of "face" to engage in any kind of direct social or business intercourse with those who have very little "face". This circumstance grew out of the vertical structure of Chinese society and works to maintain the status quo. Chinese sensitivity to mian-zi is apparently the reason why they attempt to get new relationships on a "good friends" basis as rapidly as possible. "Friends" has to be one of the most popular words in China today. Foreign business people in particular are bombarded by declarations of friendship and by being described as "friends" by those who want to impose on the relationship no matter how new it might be. However, this "friendship" is officially regarded by the Chinese as between organizations, not between individuals. In so many words, maintaining "face" is being moral. Disregarding "face" is being immoral. In chine-raising as well as education, this sensitivity to face is drummed into the Chinese by warnings and variety of shaming techniques. In comments on the moral aspect of mian-zi, philosopher Shih Hu said that it includes the kind of respect the group or society has for people with a reputation for being upright and moral. They are the people who will fulfill their obligations regardless of the pain or cost, who always conduct themselves as decent human beings. Once people lose this respect, Hu continued, it is no longer possible for them to function effectively in their community.
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Boye Lafayette de Mente is one of our regular monthly columnists at the 
| This month's column is excerpted from Chinese Etiquette & Ethics in Business, by Boye Lafayette De Mente available from NTC/Contemporary Publishing Company |
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