Learn Mandarin Chinese Culture 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the proper etiquette when receiving a gift in Chinese culture?
- Open it immediately and express excitement
- Set it aside to open later, rather than opening it in front of the giver (Correct answer)
- Refuse it at least three times before accepting
- Return a gift of equal value immediately
Correct answer: Set it aside to open later, rather than opening it in front of the giver
In Chinese culture, it is considered polite to set a gift aside and open it privately later, rather than opening it in front of the giver, to avoid appearing greedy.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes the Chinese concept of 关系 (guānxi)?
- A traditional board game played during festivals
- A network of relationships and social connections used to get things done (Correct answer)
- The official rank within a government hierarchy
- A type of formal business contract
Correct answer: A network of relationships and social connections used to get things done
Guānxi (关系) refers to the social networks and relationships that are essential for doing business and navigating society in China.
Question 3: What is the Qingming Festival (清明节) primarily a time for?
- Celebrating the harvest with lanterns
- Honoring and sweeping the graves of ancestors (Correct answer)
- Welcoming the new year with fireworks
- A national sports competition
Correct answer: Honoring and sweeping the graves of ancestors
Qingming, also called Tomb Sweeping Day, is when Chinese families visit cemeteries to clean graves, offer food, and honor deceased ancestors.
Question 4: In China, what number is considered extremely lucky and why?
- Four, because it sounds like the word for 'fortune'
- Eight, because it sounds like the word for 'prosper' or 'wealth' (Correct answer)
- Nine, because it sounds like the word for 'long life'
- Six, because it sounds like the word for 'harmony'
Correct answer: Eight, because it sounds like the word for 'prosper' or 'wealth'
Eight (八, bā) is the luckiest number in Chinese culture because it sounds similar to 发 (fā), meaning to prosper or become wealthy.
Question 5: What is the traditional Chinese lunar calendar used for today?
- Official government business and legal contracts
- Determining the dates of traditional festivals and auspicious days (Correct answer)
- Calculating agricultural subsidies
- Replacing the Gregorian calendar in schools
Correct answer: Determining the dates of traditional festivals and auspicious days
The Chinese lunar calendar is still used to determine the dates of traditional festivals like Chinese New Year and the Mid-Autumn Festival, and to find auspicious days for events.
Question 6: What does the Chinese idiom 马到成功 (mǎ dào chénggōng) literally mean, and what does it convey?
- 'The horse returns home' — meaning to retire with honor
- 'When the horse arrives, success follows' — wishing immediate success (Correct answer)
- 'A horse runs fast' — praising someone's hard work
- 'Ride the horse uphill' — encouraging persistence
Correct answer: 'When the horse arrives, success follows' — wishing immediate success
马到成功 literally means 'when the horse arrives, success comes,' and is used to wish someone swift and certain success in their endeavors.
Question 7: Which of the following is a key feature that distinguishes Chinese architecture from Western architecture?
- The use of pointed arches and flying buttresses
- Upward-curving rooflines and emphasis on symmetry and hierarchy (Correct answer)
- Predominantly circular floor plans
- The absence of any decorative elements on exterior walls
Correct answer: Upward-curving rooflines and emphasis on symmetry and hierarchy
Traditional Chinese architecture is characterized by distinctive upward-curving tiled roofs (meant to ward off evil) and strict axial symmetry reflecting social order.
Learn Mandarin Chinese Culture 5
What is the proper etiquette when receiving a gift in Chinese culture?