Every Chinese-language textbook starts out with the standardphrases for greeting people, but as an American, I always found myself to speak freely when it came to seeing guests off at thedoor. Just a goodbye would not do, yet that was all I had ever learned from the books. So I would smile and nod, bowing like aJapanese and searching madly for words that would over thevisitor's leaving and make them feel they would be to comeagain. In my unease, I often hid behind the shirts of my Chinesehusband's kindness.
Then finally, listening to others, I began to pick up the phrasesthat relationships and sent people off not only successfullybut also skillfully.
for the Chinese includes a lot of necessary habitualpractice. Although as a ,I'm not expected to observe or evenknow all the rules, I've had to learn the expressions of politenessand at a leaving-taking.
The Chinese feel they see a guest off to the farthestpossible point— down the flight of stairs to the street below or per-haps all the way to the bus stop. I've sometimes waited halfan hour or more for my husband to return from seeing a guest off, he's gone to the bus stop and wailed for the bus to arrive.
That's very well, but when I'm the guest being seen off, my pro-tests are always . My hostess or host, or both, insists on me down the stairs and well on my way, with my repeating " Don't to see me off at the every landing " . If I try to go fast to them from following, they are simply out to the discomfort of having to run after me. Better to accept the inevitable.
Besides, that's going against Chinese ,because haste(doing things quickly) is to be avoided. What do you say when you someone? Not " Farewell or Godspeed(祝福)" , " Goslowly " . To the Chinese it means " Take care " or " Watch your " ,or some such caution(谨慎),but translated literally(字面意思)it means " Go slowly. "
A.easy B.difficult C.unable D.effective
A.useful B.terrible C.priceless D.proper
A.smooth B.talk C.calm D.take
A.speeded B.broke C.destroyed D.eased
A.Parting B.Leaving C.Separating D.Interviewing
A.wife B.guest C.hostess D.foreigner
A.protest B.refuse C.explain D.state
A.can B.will C.may D.must
A.farthest B.nearest C.easiest D.shortest
A.although B.unless C.if D.since
A.fastest B.first C.next D.last
A.effective B.unnecessary C.useless D.troublesome
A.leading B.seeing C.inviting D.pushing
A.trouble B.have C.decide D.walk
A.protect B.keep C.discourage D.dismiss
A.rule B.custom C.design D.opinion
A.meet with B.talk with C.part from D.call on
A.and B.or C.but D.even
A.foot B.health C.shoe D.step