Chinese Relationships 101: How to Maintain a Social Network in China

There is one word that I ALWAYS teach my students when they are new to Chinese culture. As with any country/culture, relationship is everything. To interact with meaning with those around you, it’s essential you have an understanding of how business, interpersonal, familial and other types of relationships work. The word that best covers the Chinese philosophy of relationship is:

关系 Guanxi
关系 (Guānxi): Guanxi, relationship.
关 (Guān): close; relation.
系 (Xì): system; line, link.

So what exactly does it mean? A general overview is this: "关系 (guānxi) Guanxi" describes a network of friends, family, colleagues and other relationships which an individual cultivates with other individuals in Chinese society. It comes from Confucianism, and the philosophy that one should associate one’s self with others in a hierarchical way, to maintain social order.

The foundation of "关系 (guānxi) Guanxi" is trust, reciprocity and following through on mutual obligations.

Examples of "关系 (guānxi) Guanxi":

One example would be a person who is looking to build a solid network or create "关系 (guānxi) Guanxi" to improve...Read More

As you may know, colors hold an important role in the use of language in Chinese culture. The color "红 (hóng) red" is associated with fortune and good luck. The color "白 (bái) white" represents death and decay. "黑 (hēi) black" can represent integrity, but also indicate a fearful and pessimistic outlook on life. While colors have literal meanings to describe the appearance of things, they also have figurative and symbolic meanings to represent the future outlook and situation.

I enjoy teaching my Mandarin Chinese students about colors, since it is both a language lesson and a cultural lesson as well. My classes enjoy discussing an event in their life and a color that corresponds to it. A color whose literal meaning also has a figurative, symbolic meaning is "黄 (huáng)".

The literal meaning:

黄 (huáng) = yellow (adj.)

Tā yǒu yì tiáo huáng qúnzi.
她 有 一 条 黄 裙子。
She has a yellow dress.

Jack de màozi shì huángsè de.
Jack 的 帽 子 是 黄 色 的。
Jack’s cap is yellow.

The implied meaning:

黄 (Huáng) = the failure to do something, unsuccessful
黄了 (Huáng le) = plans or deals have failed

Let’s check more examples here!

Quiz:

1. Read the dialogue below and answer the question that follows:

Neil hé Judy shì bú shì yào jiéhūn le?
Lily: Neil 和 Judy 是 不 是 要 结婚 了?

Tāmen de qīnshì huáng le, yīnwèi Neil de bàmā bù xǐhuān Judy.
Tom: 他 们 的 亲 事 黄 了，因为 Neil 的 爸妈 不 喜 欢 Judy。

Which of the following statements is true?

A. Neil and Judy will dress in yellow on their wedding day.
B. Neil and Judy will not get married.
C. Neil’s parents like Judy very much.
See Answer Analysis