26: Qingqing Huang - Courtesy - Names and Titles
China, Shanghai
Uh, names. Talking about names is really complicated here. I think that probably for Americans…. Chinese and Americans are exactly opposite in their use of surnames and given names, so when do you use a given name? When do you use a surname? And when do you use a title? I think that actually, in China, especially nowadays, this is becoming simpler. Why? If you’ve just met someone, you’ll introduce them by saying, “This is Miss Huang. This is Mr Li.” At that point, you use surnames. When [they’re] first introduced. But after you’ve worked together for a while, you’re probably closer. For example, you work together at some office, so you spend time together and get to know each other better, and will probably start using each other’s names. For example… for example, you’ll probably call a guy named Li Ming “Xiao Ming” or “A-ming.” [See note] Of course, we can also take another approach. For example, you could also address them as “Xiao Li” or “Xiao Huang” [i.e. using their surname instead of their given name]. As for titles…. When we’re in more formal settings, such as negotiating with a foreign company or entering into some kind of business arrangement with the owner of another company, when we talk, we’ll say, “This is the manager of our company.” Or, “This is our director.” Or you could tell them his whole name, too: “This is Manager Li Ming.” That’s more or less how it works. I think Chinese people are more, more…Chinese are more courteous/friendly with strangers, [we’re] a warm people, so when you’re more familiar with one another, surnames and names aren’t so… [we] don’t place so much emphasis on them, don’t fuss about it. Note: Xiao, which means “little” or “young,” is a diminutive akin to adding an –ie or -y to a person’s given name in English. The prefix A is also a diminutive.啊名字,这边说名字是一件很复杂的事。我觉得可能对于美国人来说,因为中国人和美国人正好是姓名啊在称呼上面是相反的。那么何时用名何时用姓又何时用头衔呢?我觉得其实在中国的话,特别在现在的话,这件事情好像是变得越来越简单了。为什么这么说呢?啊如果你跟一个人刚刚开始的时候呢,你会这样介绍说:“哎,这是黄小姐,这是李先生。”那当时的时候你用的是姓。就第一次介绍的时候。但是你可能跟他工工作了一段时间比较熟了,比如说你们是在一个单位里面,然后这样子啊两方面都混混的比较熟了,那么你可能开始用姓名。比如说,啊比如会说是,比如一个先生他叫李明的话,你可能会说小明,或者说阿明等等之类的。当然我们也可能会啊换一种方式。比如说用小李或者是用小黄来称呼他。然后至于这个头衔呢就说我们在比较正式的场合,比如说我们和外商洽谈,或者说和另外一个公司的同,啊和另外一个公司的负责人啊开始啊进行某一桩生意啊,我们要谈的话,我们会说:“哎这是我们公司的经理,或者说这是我们的啊总监。”这时候呢就会比较多的用到头衔。当然在头衔之后你也会继续用说:“哎这是我们的经理黄经理,或者说是李经理”;或者说你也可能把姓名整个都告诉他:“这是我们的经理李明。”啊大致就是这个样子。啊我觉得中国人还是比较比较就说待的时间比较长,或者比较热络的一个民族,就是你比较熟悉之后的话,那么姓和名不太也也并不是非常重视在这一方面,不会计较。
啊名字,這邊說名字是一件很複雜的事。我覺得可能對於美國人來說,因為中國人和美國人正好是姓名啊在稱呼上面是相反的。那麼何時用名何時用姓又何時用頭銜呢?我覺得其實在中國的話,特別在現在的話,這件事情好像是變得越來越簡單了。為什麼這麼說呢?啊如果你跟一個人剛剛開始的時候呢,你會這樣介紹說:“哎,這是黃小姐,這是李先生。”那當時的時候你用的是姓。就第一次介紹的時候。但是你可能跟他工工作了一段時間比較熟了,比如說你們是在一個單位裏面,然後這樣子啊兩方面都混混的比較熟了,那麼你可能開始用姓名。比如說,啊比如會說是,比如一個先生他叫李明的話,你可能會說小明,或者說阿明等等之類的。當然我們也可能會啊換一種方式。比如說用小李或者是用小黃來稱呼他。然後至於這個頭銜呢就說我們在比較正式的場合,比如說我們和外商洽談,或者說和另外一個公司的同,啊和另外一個公司的負責人啊開始啊進行某一樁生意啊,我們要談的話,我們會說:“哎這是我們公司的經理,或者說這是我們的啊總監。”這時候呢就會比較多的用到頭銜。當然在頭銜之後你也會繼續用說:“哎這是我們的經理黃經理,或者說是李經理”;或者說你也可能把姓名整個都告訴他:“這是我們的經理李明。”啊大致就是這個樣子。啊我覺得中國人還是比較比較就說待的時間比較長,或者比較熱絡的一個民族,就是你比較熟悉之後的話,那麼姓和名不太也也並不是非常重視在這一方面,不會計較。Ah míngzì,zhèbiānshuō míngzì shì yíjiàn hěn fùzá de shì。Wǒ juédé kěnéng duìyú měiguórén láishuō,yīnwéi zhōngguórén hé měiguórén zhènghǎo shì xìngmíng ah zài chēnghū shàngmiàn shì xiāngfǎn de。Nàme héshí yòng míng héshí yòng xìng yòu héshí yòng tóuxián ne?wǒ juédé qíshí zài zhōngguó de huà,tèbié zài xiànzài de huà,zhèjiàn shìqíng hǎoxiàng shì biànde yuèláiyuè jiǎndān le。Wéishénme zhèmeshuō ne?Ah rúguǒ nǐ gēn yígèrén gānggāng kāishǐ de shíhòu ne,nǐ huì zhèyàng jièshào shuō:“āi,zhèshì Huáng xiǎojiě,zhèshì Lǐ xiānshēng。”nà dāngshí de shíhòu nǐ yòngde shì xìng。Jiù dìyīcì jièshào de shíhòu。Dànshì nǐ kěnéng gēn tā gōng gōngzuò le yíduàn shíjiān bǐjiào shóule,bǐrúshuō nǐmén shì zài yígè dānwèi lǐmiàn,ránhòu zhèyàngzi ah liǎng fāngmiàn dōu hùn hùnde bǐjiào shóule,nàme nǐ kěnéng kāishǐ yòng xìngmíng。Bǐrúshuō,ah bǐrú huì shuō shì,bǐrú yígè xiānshēng tājiào lǐmíng de huà,nǐ kěnéng huì shuō xiǎomíng,huòzhě shuō āmíng děngděng zhīlèi de。Dāngrán wǒmén yě kěnéng huì ah huàn yìzhǒng fāngshì。Bǐrúshuō yòng xiǎolǐ huòzhěshì yòng xiǎohuáng lái chēnghū tā。Ránhòu zhìyú zhègè tóuxián ne jiùshuō wǒmén zài bǐjiào zhèngshì de chǎnghé,bǐrúshuō wǒmén hé wàishāng qiàtán,huòzhěshuō hé lìngwài yígè gōngsī de tóng,ah hé lìngwài yígè gōngsī de fùzérén ah kāishǐ ah jìnxíng mǒu yīzhuāng shēngyì ah,wǒmén yào tánde huà,wǒmén huì shuō:“āi zhèshì wǒmén gōngsī de jīnglǐ,” huòzhěshuō: “ zhèshì wǒmén de ah zǒngjiān。”zhè shíhòu ne jiùhuì bǐjiào duōde yòngdào tóuxián。Dāngrán zài tóuxián zhīhòu nǐ yěhuì jìxù yòng shuō:“āi zhèshì wǒmén de jīnglǐ huáng jīnglǐ,huòzhě shuō shì lǐ jīnglǐ”;huòzhěshuō nǐ yě kěnéng bǎ xìngmíng zhěnggè dōu gàosù tā:“zhèshì wǒmén de jīnglǐ Lǐmíng。”Ah dàzhì jiùshì zhègè yàngzi。Ah wǒ juédé zhōngguórén háishì bǐjiào bǐjiào jiùshuō dāide shíjiān bǐjiào cháng,huòzhě bǐjiào rèluò de yígè mínzú,jiùshì nǐ bǐjiào shóuxī zhīhòu de huà,nàme xìnghémíng bú tài yě yě bìng búshì fēicháng zhòngshì zài zhè yīfāngmiàn,búhùi jìjiào。

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View original Cultural Interviews with Chinese-Speaking Professionals from University of Texas at Austin.