Chinese Etiquette – Social etiquette

Social etiquette refers to the basic qualities and communication skills that people possess in the process of interpersonal communication. Social interaction plays an increasingly important role in interpersonal communication in today’s society. Through social interaction, people can communicate with each other, establish deep friendships, and obtain support and help; through social interaction, people can exchange information, share resources, and benefit greatly from career success.

Basic introduction

Social etiquette refers to the preferred behavioral norms and customary forms used to show respect, goodwill, and friendship in interpersonal, social, and international communication activities. This definition contains the following meanings:

Purpose

The direct purpose of social etiquette is to show respect for others. Respect is the essence of social etiquette. Everyone has a high-level spiritual need to be respected. When in the process of social interaction activities, following the requirements of social etiquette, will make people obtain respectful satisfaction, thereby gaining pleasure, and achieving harmony between people.

Features

1. From a personal point of view, social etiquette has the following functions:

• Help improve people’s self-cultivation ;
• It can help you move smoothly into society, can better establish your own image, and leave a good impression of being polite and gentle in your interactions with others.

2. From a social perspective

Learn social etiquette more, it can save you from timidity and shyness in the social field, it can point to the confusion in the social field, it can give you more confidence and courage so that you know etiquette and courtesy. Conducive to obtaining information and beneficial to information exchange is to adapt to the needs of the modern information society; more importantly, social interaction is necessary for communication between people. By using social interaction, you can obtain “the other half of rich information” from the other party.

3. From the perspective of the enterprise

Etiquette is an important content of corporate culture and corporate spirit, and the main attachment point of corporate image. Most international companies have high standards for etiquette and regard etiquette as an important part of the corporate culture. It can shape the image of the unit, improve customer satisfaction and reputation, and ultimately achieve the purpose of improving the economic and social benefits of the unit.

Through social etiquette education, we can further improve our etiquette cultivation, cultivate the actual ability to respond to rewards, develop good etiquette habits, have basic civilized education, and let the flowers of civilization bloom everywhere. Hope everyone speaks etiquette, then our society will be full of harmony and warmth.

Effect

The importance of social interaction can also be said to be the function and role of social interaction. Generally speaking, the main purposes of people engaging in social activities are as follows:

1. Enhancing relationships

The time invested in social activities will bring emotional gains, such as leisure and entertainment with relatives and friends.

2. Build a relationship

In many cases, social interaction is the establishment of bonds such as business cooperation and emotional marriage.

In the process of establishing a relationship, remember to learn to follow up the relationship and avoid forgetting.

3. Enrich yourself

Rich life experience and human emotions.

Ethics

Social etiquette is a code of ethical behavior. Norms are rules, rules, and regulations. That is to say, social etiquette is rules and regulations that restrict people’s behavior, telling you what to do and what not to do. If you go to the teacher’s office to work, you must knock on the door before you enter. It is impolite to break in without knocking. Compared with laws and disciplines, social etiquette is much weaker in binding force. Violating the norms of social etiquette can only make others disgusted, and others cannot impose sanctions on you. For this reason, the restraint of social etiquette depends on the self-discipline of moral cultivation.

laws and regulations

The fundamental purpose of social etiquette is to maintain the normal life order of society. Without it, the normal life order of society will be destroyed. In this respect, it works with law and discipline. It is precisely for this purpose that both capitalist and socialist societies attach great importance to social etiquette norms. Construction.

Social principles and applications

The basic principle

1. The principle of reciprocity: Social interaction is an inevitable lesson in life, and learning a good way of socializing is a direct way to profit from each other in social life.

2. The principle of equality: social interaction is developed based on mutual respect and equality between the two parties.

3. Credit principle: Credit is the basis for openness between people. A person with high credit will get more gains in social interaction.

4. The principle of compatibility: There will inevitably be conflicts and disharmony in interacting with people, which requires mutual tolerance. Sometimes taking a step back may resolve a crisis.

5. Development principle: Socializing with others is a process of developing with others, which requires continuous understanding to deepen relationships.

Application

Social etiquette requires interpersonal communication, social interaction activities comply. This is its scope, beyond this scope, social etiquette norms may not apply. It is impolite to wear slippers in public places, but it is normal to wear slippers at home.

Appearance etiquette

1. Choose appropriate cosmetics and make-up methods consistent with your temperament, face shape, age, and other characteristics, and choose appropriate hairstyles to add your own charm.

• The intensity of makeup depends on the time and occasion.
• Don’t makeup in public places.
• Don’t makeup in front of men.
• Don’t criticize others’ makeup.
• Don’t borrow other people’s cosmetics.
• Men should not overdo the makeup.

2. Clothing etiquette

• Pay attention to the characteristics of the times and reflect the spirit of the times.
• Pay attention to personal characteristics.
• Should conform to your own body shape.

Handshake etiquette

The handshake ceremony is the most commonly used and most widely used meeting etiquette in all social situations. It expresses greetings, closeness, friendship, greetings, farewells, congratulations, thanks, condolences, and other meanings. From the handshake, one can often understand a person’s emotions and intentions, and can also infer a person’s character and feelings. Sometimes a handshake is more emotional than words.

1. When the handshake ceremony is used to greet guests upon arrival;

When you are introduced to meet someone;

When we meet again after a long absence ;

When meeting an acquaintance suddenly in social situations;

When visiting and leaving;

When seeing off guests;

When others congratulate themselves or give gifts;

When asking someone else

When others help yourself, etc.

2. Rules of the handshake ceremony

There is a priority when giving a handshake. The order of the handshake is mainly to respect each other’s needs. The second order is mainly determined according to the social status, identity, gender, and various conditions of the handshake.

a. The order of handshake between the two is: superiors first, elders first, women first: and inferiors, juniors, males, and guests should greet first, and then reach out to shake hands after seeing the other party. In front of superiors and elders, don’t stretch out your hand first. If the identity, age, and position of the two are similar, it is polite to reach out first.

b. For example, when a man and a woman meet for the first time, the woman does not need to shake hands with the man and exchange her heads; if receiving guests, regardless of gender, the hostess must take the initiative to extend her hand to express welcome, and the host can also extend her hand to express welcome to the female guest.

c. For example, when one person shakes hands with more than one person, it should be the superior first, then the inferior, the elders and the younger ones, the host and the guests first, and the female and the male first.

d. If one party ignores the order of handshake and stretches out his hand first, the other party should immediately shake it back to avoid embarrassment.

3. The correct posture for the handshake ceremony

The standard way of the handshake is: When shaking hands, the two people are about one step apart, the upper body is slightly forward, the right hand is extended, the four fingers are together and the thumb is spread, the palms of the two people are held perpendicular to the ground, and the hands are gently shaken up and down, usually two to three seconds. Yi, watching each other shaking hands and smiling with words or simply compliments, greeting.

4. Body language of handshake ceremony

The specific style of the handshake is very different. Learn some typical style handshake, both help us to understand each other’s communicative personality, emotional status, handshake interpersonal basic attitudes and so on; we also help according to different occasions, different object to the application in each consciously interpersonal communication A specific style.

a. Humble handshake. Also known as “begging” handshake, submissive handshake. Shake hands with the other party with a palm up or upper left gesture. People who shake hands in this way are often cowardly and in a passive position. They may also be more democratic, humble, approachable, and respect, admire and even fear the other party. Such people tend to change their opinions easily, are not stubborn, and are willing to be controlled by the other party.

b. Dominant handshake. Also known as a “control” handshake, hold the opponent’s hand with the palms down or to the left. People shaking hands in this way want to express their superiority, initiative, arrogance, or dominance. Such people generally speak clearly, act decisively, and have a high degree of self-confidence. Once a decision is made, it is difficult to change their views, and their style is not very democratic. When the social status gap between the two parties is large, the party with higher social status tends to adopt this Shake hands with each other in this way.

c. Weak handshake. Also known as the “dead fish” handshake, when a handshake stretches out a weak hand, it feels like holding a dead fish. The characteristics of this kind of person are either cowardly, indifferent to others, passive, and arrogant in dealing with others.

d. “Glove-style” handshake. When shaking hands, hold the other party’s right hand with both hands, which can express more respect and kindness to the other party, or express more gratitude and desire for others. But this kind of handshake is best not used for people who have met for the first time, so as not to cause unnecessary misunderstandings.

e. Grab your fingertips and shake hands. When shaking hands, the two hands are not touching and holding each other, but only a few fingers or fingertips of the other party are pinched intentionally or unintentionally. When women shake hands with men, they often adopt this method to show their reservedness and stability. If you shake hands like this between people of the same sex, it would seem a bit cold and unfamiliar.

f. Charity handshake. That is, when the handshake ceremony is held, only four fingers are stretched out to hold another person, indicating that the person lacks cultivation, arrogant, and is not approachable. (Except for the handshake between a noblewoman and a gentleman in the European medieval period)

In addition, when the other party holds your hand for a long time and strength and shakes while shaking hands, it shows that his feelings for you are sincere and warm. When the other party is holding your hand, they don’t even want to bend their fingers, and just make a perfunctory routine to show that the other party’s feelings for you are cold. When you have not finished speaking, the other party stretches out your hand to show that you are not interested in what you said and should end the conversation as soon as possible.

5. Points to note when shaking hands

When giving a handshake, be attentive, don’t look left and right, and greet others while shaking hands.

When meeting and leaving, don’t shake hands across the threshold.

Handshake is always standing and holding hands. Except for the elderly, infirm, or disabled, it is very rude to sit and shake hands.

Do not put your left hand in your pocket when holding with one hand.

Men do not wear hats and gloves to hold hands with others, and those in uniform do not take off their hats, but they should raise their hands first and then shake hands. Women can wear decorative hats and decorative gloves to give a handshake.

Do not use your left hand to hold another person unless your right hand is disabled. When your right hand is dirty, you should show your palm to signal to the other party and apologize.

The handshake should be evenly applied. It is generally a symbolic grip for women, but the grip should be steady, warm, and sincere.

When shaking hands, don’t grab your hands, don’t cross your hands. You should wait for others to shake hands before reaching out. Cross-holding is usually rude behavior. Some countries regard the cross and handshake as a sign of bad omen, and cross into a “ten”, which means across, and believe that it will certainly attract misfortune.

Bowing etiquette

Bowing is a common etiquette that people use to show respect to others.

1. Occasions for bowing

The bowing ceremony can be used in solemn or festive rituals, as well as in general social occasions; it can be applied to both society and family. Lower level and higher level, students bow to teachers, juniors to the elders to show their respect; take the stage to give speeches, cast curtain calls, etc. In addition, major commercial buildings, hotels, and hotels also used bowing to express welcome and respect to guests.

2. The way of bowing

One bow: suitable for social occasions, speeches, curtain calls, etc. When bowing, tilt the upper part of the body forward about 15-20 degrees, then return to the original state, do it only once.

Three bows: also known as the most salute. When bowing, bend the upper part of the body forward and down about 90 degrees, and then return to the original shape, and do this three times in a row.

3. The correct posture of bowing

The salute and the recipient should look at each other, do not squint or look around; do not wear a hat when saluting. If you need to take off the hat, the hand used to take off the hat should be opposite to the side of the salute, that is, when saluting to the person on the left, take off the hat with the right hand and salute to the person on the right When using the left hand to take off the hat; the bower should be about two meters away from the recipient; when bowing, the head, shoulders and upper body should be tilted forward about 20 degrees to 90 degrees with the waist as the axis. The specific forward lean range can also be determined by the bower The degree of respect for the recipient depends on the degree of respect for the recipient; the hands should naturally hang down on both sides when the upper body is leaning forward, or they can be crossed and held in front of the body, with a smile, drooping eyes, and a greeting, such as “Hello”, “Good morning”, etc. Revert to an upright posture after giving the ceremony.

Normally, the recipient should bow in return with approximately the same amount of leaning forward as the upper body of the salute. However, when the superior or the elder is returning the gift, he can leaning and nodding his head or extending his right hand while leaning to nod, instead of bowing in return.

4. Points to note when bowing

Under normal circumstances, it is impolite to take off your hat while bowing.

When bowing, look down and show a humble attitude. Do not bow and roll your eyes to look at the other person. This gesture is unsightly and impolite.

After bowing and getting up, both eyes should look at each other politely. If you look elsewhere, even if you bow, it will not make people feel sincere.

When bowing, you can’t eat or have a cigarette in your mouth,

When accepting awards on stage, you must first bow to the awardees to show your gratitude. Take the prize again. Then turned around and bowed to all the participants to show respect.

Introduction etiquette

The introduction refers to the meaning of communicating with each other to establish a relationship between the two parties. The introduction is the basic method of mutual understanding in social situations. Through the introduction, the distance between people can be shortened for better conversation, more communication, and deeper understanding. There are several types of introductions commonly used in daily life and work, namely self-introduction, introduction to others, and group introduction.

1. Self-introduction

Issues that should be paid attention to in self-introduction: In principle, you should pay attention to the time, attitude, and content of the self-introduction.

a. Time: The time issue that you should pay attention to when introducing yourself has a dual meaning. On the one hand, consider when you should introduce yourself. It is generally believed that the best time to introduce yourself to others should be when the other party is free; when the other party is in a good mood; when the other party has an interest in getting to know you; when the other party initiates a request to know you, etc. On the other hand, consider how much time should be used for self-introduction. It is generally believed that half a minute or so is sufficient for the introduction, and no more than 1 minute at most. Sometimes, it’s not wrong to use a few words and a sentence appropriately and take less than ten seconds.

b. Attitude: When introducing yourself, the attitude must be kind, natural, friendly, and confident. The introducer should have a natural expression, look at each other or everyone, and be good at expressing friendship with eyes, smiles, and natural and friendly facial expressions. Don’t appear overwhelmed, blush, let alone look casual and indifferent. When introducing, you can put your right hand on your left chest, don’t panic, don’t point your fingers at yourself.

c. Content: At the time of the introduction, the full name of the person being introduced, the unit of employment, the specific work is undertaken, etc., are called the three major elements that constitute the main content of the introduction. When making self-introduction, its content has changed based on the three major elements. Specifically, it can be divided into four forms according to the differences in the content of self-introduction.

The first is the social type. It is suitable for general interpersonal contact, just briefly introduce yourself below. Such as “Hello! My name is ×××.”

The second type is the communication type. It is also suitable for ordinary interpersonal communication but is intended to seek to communicate or communicate with each other. The content can include your name, unit, place of origin, interests, etc. For example: “Hello! My name is ××× and I am from Zhejiang. Now I work in a bank. Do you like watching football? Hi, I am also a football fan.”

The third type is the work type. It takes work as the center of introduction and meets friends through work. The content should focus on your name, company, and the specific nature of your job. Such as: “Ladies and gentlemen, hello! I am glad to have the opportunity to introduce myself to everyone. My name is ×××, and I am the business manager of Haifeng Company, specializing in the marketing of electrical appliances. If possible, I am willing to be present at any time For your services.”

The fourth type is etiquette. It is suitable for formal and solemn occasions and belongs to a self-introduction that has to be made out of politeness. In addition to the three essential elements, the content should also include some friendly and courteous sentences. For example: “Hello everyone! In such a rare opportunity today, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is ×××, I am from Hangzhou ×× Company, and I am the company’s public relations manager. Today is my first visit. When I went to the beautiful Xishuangbanna, this beautiful scenery attracted me deeply. I am willing to stay here for a few more days and I am willing to meet all of you here, thank you!”

2. Introduce others

To introduce to others, we must first understand whether the two parties have a desire to get acquainted; secondly, follow the rules of introduction; thirdly, when introducing each other’s name and work unit, we must find some common conversation materials for both parties, such as common hobbies and common Experience or topics of mutual interest.

Introduced rules

Introduce men to women first. Such as “Miss Zhang, let me introduce to you, this is Mr. Li.”

Introduce the younger to the older first. Among the two persons of the same sex, the young person is introduced to the elder first to show respect for the elders and seniors.

Introduce the low-status to the high-status first. Following the principle that people with high social status have the priority to understand each other, except in social situations, on all other occasions, people with low social status are introduced to people with high social status.

Introduce the unmarried to the married first. For example, if the unmarried woman is obviously older than two women, then the married one is introduced to the unmarried.

Introduce the guest to the host.

Introduce those who come first to those who come first.

Etiquette of introduction

a. How to introduce the person: There must be an opening statement when introducing, such as: “Please let me introduce to you, Miss Zhang, this is ——“, “Allow me to introduce, Mr. Li, this is ——“. When introducing others, the gestures should be gentle. Regardless of which party is introducing, the palm should be up, the back of the hand should be put together, the thumbs should be spread, pointing to the person being introduced, and nodding and smiling to the other party. If necessary, you can explain the relationship between the introduced party and yourself so that the new friends can understand and trust each other. The introducer should be in the main sequence of the introduction, and the language should be clear and unambiguous so that both parties can remember each other’s names clearly. When introducing someone’s strengths, you should do the right thing, and you should not over-praise and cause embarrassing situations.

b. The practice of the person being introduced: As both parties being introduced, they should show their enthusiasm for getting to know each other. Both parties should face each other face-to-face. When introducing women and elders, they should generally stand up. However, if the meeting is in progress or at a banquet, you don’t have to get up, just slightly bow your head. If it is convenient, after the introduction of the introducer, the two parties should shake hands, smile, and greet each other. Such as “Hello”, “It’s nice to meet you”, “It’s an honor to meet you”, “Please advise”, “Thank you”, etc. If necessary, business cards can be exchanged.

Group introduction

If one of the two parties being introduced is an individual and one is a collective, different methods should be adopted according to the specific circumstances.

a. Introduce someone to everyone. This method is mainly suitable for the introduction of high-status people, the elderly, and special guests in major events. After the introduction, all guests can get to know the introduced person by themselves.

b. Introduce everyone to one person. This method is suitable for informal social activities to enable those young or low-status people who want to get to know more people they respect to meet their own communication needs, and others will take those high-status and older people Introduce to yourself; it is also suitable for formal social occasions, such as a leader’s interview with model workers and people who have made outstanding contributions; it is also suitable for the introduction of two groups of equal status; Introduction. There are two basic orders for introducing everyone to a person: one is introduction according to seat or team order; the other is introduction according to the order of status. Don’t introduce it randomly, so as not to make the person feel favoritism and affect the mood.