72: Yang Wan - Courtesy - Written vs. Verbal Communication

China, Jiang Su, Yangzhou

Regarding the question of oral agreements vs. written ones… China, in particular, has a tradition of oral agreements, especially when it comes to making appointments. Such agreements have an absolute power to bind. For instance, since ancient times we’ve had sayings such as “a gentlemen’s agreement” or “once a gentleman gives his word, even the speed of four horses cannot catch it and take it back”. These are all very, very typical “Chinese” cultural factors. However, following (China’s) reform and opening up phase, especially now with China’s economy growing like wildfire, there are a lot of circumstances in which you must use written contracts in order to regulate people’s activities and standardize commercial/business operations. Of course this may be only a temporary phenomenon. Once a country’s legal system and its moral level, the moral level of the entire society, improves, then perhaps these kinds of things will gradually take a turn for the better. However, there is one other thing. That is, I feel no matter what, though written agreements/communications may be important, oral communication, I believe, is more direct, more effective and more efficient. Say for example you want to apply for something, or you want to convey your own ideas to someone else. If you communicate only in writing, this could never be superior to sitting down and having a face to face exchange. This way the outcome would be much better.

关于这个…口头表达和书面表达的问题，哦…在中国来说呢，哦，总的来说，尤其是中国有这个传统，就是这个口头表达，尤其是口头上的约定，是很有一定的约束力的。比如说我们古代有“君子协定”，“一言九鼎”，哦…“君子一言，驷马难追”。这都是非常非常典型的中国的这个、这个文化里面，哦，包含的这个元素。但是呢，随着这个现在的，尤其是改革开放之后，尤其是现在这个经济建设如火如荼的时候，哦…很多、发生了很多情况，必须要用、就是说，明文的合同、来才能够规范人的这个行为，才能规范很多商业行为。当然这是，可能也是一种暂时的现象。哦，随着…国家的这个法制以及道德水准，整个社会道德水准的提升，可能这些现象会逐渐逐渐地好转。另外还有一个呢，就是说，哦…从我本人来说，我觉得这个，无论是、当然这个书面的沟通是很重要的，但是说，口头、口头的沟通，我觉得比书面的沟通来得更加直接，来的更加的有效，更加的有效率。哦，比如说，你要是、哦…想要、哦、想要，哦，申请什么东西，或者说想要、哦…从别人那儿，想要、哦，想要表达一个自己的什么的想法，你与其用书面的表达的方式，不如当面、和、和人当面坐下来，嗯…如果，面对面的交流，这样呢，效果会、会更加好。

關於這個…口頭表達和書面表達的問題，哦…在中國來說呢，哦，總的來說，尤其是中國有這個傳統，就是這個口頭表達，尤其是口頭上的約定，是很有一定的約束力的。比如說我們古代有“君子協定”，“一言九鼎”，哦…“君子一言，駟馬難追”。這都是非常非常典型的中國的這個、這個文化里面，哦，包含的這個元素。但是呢，隨著這個現在的，尤其是改革開放之後，尤其是現在這個經濟建設如火如荼的時候，哦…很多、發生了很多情況，必須要用、就是說，明文的合同、來才能夠規范人的這個行為，才能規范很多商業行為。當然這是，可能也是一種暫時的現象。哦，隨著…國家的這個法制以及道德水准，整個社會道德水准的提升，可能這些現象會逐漸逐漸地好轉。另外還有一個呢，就是說，哦…從我本人來說，我覺得這個，無論是、當然這個書面的溝通是很重要的，但是說，口頭、口頭的溝通，我覺得比書面的溝通來得更加直接，來的更加的有效，更加的有效率。哦，比如說，你要是、哦…想要、哦、想要，哦，申請什麽東西，或者說想要、哦…從別人那兒，想要、哦，想要表達一個自己的什麽的想法，你與其用書面的表達的方式，不如當面、和、和人當面坐下來，嗯…如果，面對面的交流，這樣呢，效果會、會更加好。

Guānyú zhège…kǒutóu biǎodá hé shūmiàn biǎodá de wèntí, e…zài Zhōngguó lái shuō ne, e, zǒngdeláishuō, yóuqí shì Zhōngguó yǒu zhège chuántǒng, jiùshì zhège kǒutóu biǎodá, yóuqí shì kǒutóushang de yuēdìng, shì hěn yǒu yídìng de yuēshùlì de. Bǐrúshuō wǒmen gǔdài yǒu “jūnzǐ xiédìng”, “yìyán jiǔ dǐ”, e…“Jūnzǐ yìyán, sìmǎ nán zhuī”. Zhè dōushì fēicháng fēicháng diǎnxíng de Zhōngguó de zhège, zhège wénhuà lǐmiàn, e, bāohán de zhège yuánsù. Dànshì ne, suízhe zhège xiànzài de, yóuqí shì gǎigé kāifàng zhīhòu, yóuqí shì xiànzài zhège jīngjì jiànshè rúhuǒrútú de shíhou, e, hěn duō, fāshēng le hěn duō qíngkuàng, bìxū yào yòng, jiùshìshuō, míngwén de hétong, lái cái nénggòu guīfàn rén de zhège xíngwéi, cáinéng guīfàn hěn duō shāngyè xíngwéi. Dāngrán zhèshì, kěnéng yě shì yìzhǒng zànshí de xiànxiàng. E, suízhe…guójiā de zhège fǎzhì yǐjí dàodé shuǐzhǔn, zhěngge shèhuì de dàodé shuǐzhǔn de tíshēng, kěnéng zhèxiē xiànxiàng huì zhújiàn zhújiàn de hǎozhuǎn. Lìngwài hái yǒu yíge ne, jiùshì shuō, e…cóng wǒ běnrén lái shuō, wǒ juéde zhège, wúlùn shì, dāngrán zhège shūmiàn de gōutōng shì hěn zhòngyào de, dànshìshuō, kǒutóu, kǒutóu de gōutōng, wǒ juéde bǐ shūmiàn de gōutōng láide gèngjiā zhíjiē, lái de gèngjiā de yǒuxiào, gèngjiā de yǒuxiàolǜ. E, bǐrúshuō, nǐ yàoshi, e…xiǎngyào, xiǎngyào, e, shēnqǐng shénme dōngxi, huòzhěshuō xiǎng yào, e, cóng biérén nàr, xiǎng yào, e, xiǎng yào biǎodá yíge zìjǐ de shénmede xiǎngfa, nǐ yǔqí yòng shūmiàn de biǎodá de fāngshì, bùrú dāngmiàn, hé, hé rén dāngmiàn zuò xiàlái, en…rúguǒ, miànduìmiàn de jiāoliú, zhèyàng ne, xiàoguǒ huì, huì gèngjiā hǎo.

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