Chinese table manners - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Chinese table manners are the traditional styles that are used for eating in the region of China

China

Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...

. In most dishes in Chinese cuisine

Chinese cuisine

Chinese cuisine is any of several styles originating in the regions of China, some of which have become highly popular in other parts of the world – from Asia to the Americas, Australia, Western Europe and Southern Africa...

, food is cooked in bite-sized pieces and easy to hold and eat

EAT

EAT or eat may refer to:* Eating, the process of consuming food, for the purpose of providing for the nutritional needs of an animal* To take a loss in a transaction. The one who absorbs the loss is said to eat the cost of that loss...

. Therefore, chopsticks

Chopsticks

Chopsticks are small, often tapered, sticks used in pairs of equal length as the traditional eating utensils of China and its diaspora, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and Northern provinces of Laos, Thailand and Burma. Generally believed to have originated in ancient China, they can also be found in some...

are used at the table instead of fork

Fork

As a piece of cutlery or kitchenware, a fork is a tool consisting of a handle with several narrow tines on one end. The fork, as an eating utensil, has been a feature primarily of the West, whereas in East Asia chopsticks have been more prevalent...

s and knives.

History

There are many eating manners that one must pay attention to which date from the time of ancient China, such as how to sit in a banquet or the placing of the cutlery, and so on. Etiquette governs nearly every action at the table. Some rules were out of courtesy and identity, and were called by ancient Chinese "respect for manners"; some others were traditional; and some only concerned the behaviors of certain groups of people (especially women) and were actually not necessary. Whatever their origin, these rules show ancient China's dietary habits and food culture, and some of them are still followed in modern Chinese life. Compliance with these rules sometimes signals a person's status, culture, and family education to others. Because the custom of using banquets to solve problems in business, for friendship, and even in officialdom by the Chinese people, ones should pay great attention to the manners by the table and especially to the Chinese eating taboo

Taboo

A taboo is a strong social prohibition relating to any area of human activity or social custom that is sacred and or forbidden based on moral judgment, religious beliefs and or scientific consensus. Breaking the taboo is usually considered objectionable or abhorrent by society...

Eating in Chinese culture

Eating is a dominant aspect of Chinese culture, and in China, eating out is one of the most accepted ways to treat guests. Similar to Westerners drinking in a bar with friends, eating together in China is a way to socialize and deepen friendship.

Table etiquette

Etiquette

Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group...

is very important to Chinese people. In Chinese culture, using correct table manners is believed to bring “luck

Luck

Luck or fortuity is good fortune which occurs beyond one's control, without regard to one's will, intention, or desired result. There are at least two senses people usually mean when they use the term, the prescriptive sense and the descriptive sense...

” while incorrect use will bring shame

Shame

Shame is, variously, an affect, emotion, cognition, state, or condition. The roots of the word shame are thought to derive from an older word meaning to cover; as such, covering oneself, literally or figuratively, is a natural expression of shame....

. Similarly, table etiquette indicates children’s educational status: holding chopsticks incorrectly leaves a bad impression and shames the parents, who have the responsibility of teaching them.

Seating

Honourable people would take the seats of honour, and humbler ones then sit according to status; elders sit facing the best direction; and teachers seat themselves in a place of honour relative to their students. When sitting at a rectangular table, elders sit at the shortest side of the table, against the back wall of the room and facing the door, then the others judged by their ages sit from inside to outside; in the case of a round table, the most inside seat is left for the elder to show his venerability.

Inviting guests

There are many traditions that govern table manners in China such as the correct treatment of guests and how to use chopsticks correctly. Although each Chinese household has its own set of table manners and rules, the foundational traditions used to welcome guests are the same.

There are common rules for inviting guests over. When the guest of honor enters into the room, the hosts stand until the guest of honor is seated. The host then orders the dishes brought, and the guest should be silent. When the dishes arrive, the meal begins with a Toast

Toast (honor)

A toast is a ritual in which a drink is taken as an expression of honor or goodwill. The term may be applied to the person or thing so honored, the drink taken, or the verbal expression accompanying the drink. Thus, a person could be "the toast of the evening," for whom someone "proposes a toast"...

from the host, and the guests then make a toast in turn in the honor of the host. The guest of honor should be the first one to start the meal. The best food in a dish should be left for the guest of honor. When the hostess says her food is not good enough, the guest must be courteous and tell her it is the best food

Food

Food is any substance consumed to provide nutritional support for the body. It is usually of plant or animal origin, and contains essential nutrients, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins, vitamins, or minerals...

he has ever tasted. Guests should never “split the bill” with the host. A guest who “split(s) the bill” is very ungracious and embarrassing to the host. However, it is expected for the guest to offer to pay for the meal multiple times, but ultimately allow the host to pay.

Chopstick usage

Since chopsticks are often used in many dishes in Chinese cuisine, knowing the correct chopsticks usage is essential. The most common chopsticks usages are the following:

It does not matter whether you hold the chopsticks in the middle or at the end, but you should make sure that the ends are even.
Chopsticks are not used to move bowls
Bowls
Bowls is a sport in which the objective is to roll slightly asymmetric balls so that they stop close to a smaller "jack" or "kitty". It is played on a pitch which may be flat or convex or uneven...

or plates
Plate (dishware)
A plate is a broad, concave, but mainly flat vessel on which food can be served. A plate can also be used for ceremonial or decorative purposes.-Materials:...

.
Chopsticks are not used to toy with one's food or with dishes in common.
When not in use, chopsticks must always be placed neatly on the table with two sticks lying tidily next to each other at both ends.
Treat chopsticks as extension of your finger
Finger
A finger is a limb of the human body and a type of digit, an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of humans and other primates....

s, and do not point at other people or wave chopsticks around.
Do not suck the tips of chopsticks.
Do not impale food with chopsticks.
Do not point the chopsticks at another person. This amounts to insulting that person.
Do not bang your chopsticks as though you were playing a drum. It implies you are a child, or a beggar.
Do not stick chopsticks vertically in a bowl of rice
Rice
Rice is the seed of the monocot plants Oryza sativa or Oryza glaberrima . As a cereal grain, it is the most important staple food for a large part of the world's human population, especially in East Asia, Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and the West Indies...

; it implies the food is for the dead.

Three Long Two Short

The chopsticks

Chopsticks

with different length shouldn't used on a table:

in the old times, the below part of Coffin

Coffin

A coffin is a funerary box used in the display and containment of dead people – either for burial or cremation.Contemporary North American English makes a distinction between "coffin", which is generally understood to denote a funerary box having six sides in plan view, and "casket", which...

was made with two short boards to the both heads and another three long ones to the bottom and both sides, this type was called “Three Long Two Short”, implied the disaster, so when it is not necessary, for all the things that may described by “long” and “short” it should avoid the saturation of “Three Long Two Short”.

Immortal Guiding

“Immortal Guiding” means that one uses the thumb

Thumb

The thumb is the first digit of the hand. When a person is standing in the medical anatomical position , the thumb is the lateral-most digit...

, middle finger

Middle finger

The middle finger or long finger is the third digit of the human hand, located between the index finger and the ring finger. It is usually the longest finger...

, ring finger

Ring finger

The ring finger is the fourth digit of the human hand, and the second most ulnar finger, located between the middle finger and the little finger. It is also called digitus medicinalis, the fourth finger, digitus annularis, digitus quartus, or digitus IV in anatomy.- Etymology :According to László A...

and little finger

Little finger

The little finger, often called the pinky in American English, pinkie in Scottish English , or small finger in medicine, is the most ulnar and usually smallest finger of the human hand, opposite the thumb, next to the ring finger.-Muscles:There are four muscles that...

to hold the chopsticks, but points the index finger

Index finger

The index finger, , is the first finger and the second digit of a human hand. It is located between the first and third digits, between the thumb and the middle finger...

to the others. Because the index finger is actually is the finger for meal, using this finger to point to the others stands for censure.
The much worse case is to use the four fingers except middle finger to hold the chopsticks and to use the middle finger to point.

Taboos to using of Teapot

One shouldn’t point the mouth of the teapot
Teapot
A teapot is a vessel used for steeping tea leaves or a herbal mix in near-boiling water. Tea may be either in a tea bag or loose, in which case a tea strainer will be needed, either to hold the leaves as they steep or to catch the leaves inside the teapot when the tea is poured...

to others: this has the same meaning of using the finger to point to somebody, that’s very impolite to the one that be pointed; sometime, it also means that this person (the one be pointed) is not welcome to the house.

When someone is using a teapot to pour tea for the others, he should hold the teapot with his right hand and press the teapot lid with another hand to show his honour and sedateness. In some places of south China (especially Canton
Guangzhou
Guangzhou , known historically as Canton or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of the Guangdong province in the People's Republic of China. Located in southern China on the Pearl River, about north-northwest of Hong Kong, Guangzhou is a key national transportation hub and trading port...

and Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...

) the one who gets the tea uses the knuckles of his first and middle fingers to tap the table two or three times to show his thankfulness.

Using the tea to force the visitor out : there was a rule in Qing Dynasty
Qing Dynasty
The Qing Dynasty was the last dynasty of China, ruling from 1644 to 1912 with a brief, abortive restoration in 1917. It was preceded by the Ming Dynasty and followed by the Republic of China....

’s officialdom as “the tea that given by the boss shouldn't be taken”. If the boss give tea to his subordinate by his own hands (normally that would given by a servant), that means he is impatient to the subordinate, and the subordinate should leave immediately. If the boss is visiting the subordinate by his house, the subordinate must not give the tea to the boss by his own hands, either, because that’s very impolite and means to force the visitor out.