Comments on: Gesture Phobia

By: Rachel

Rachel — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 19:58:07 +0000

Hand and facial gestures (I read somewhere) are considered crude or even rude in Chinese culture. Thus they are avoided and not encouraged as children grow up. Adults then don’t have a great deal of skills when it comes to expressing themselves with gestures. Therefore you will always see some reluctance when it comes to this. I own a language school and just observe a first Italian class compared to the first day of a Mandarin lesson, and you’ll know what I mean.

By: Tobes

Tobes — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 07:00:27 +0000

I’ve noticed this too… in a conversation, when I answer “wo bu dong” (I don’t understand) the person I am talking to seems to talk faster and use more words! Gestures do seem to be a last resort (or no resort). I put this down to the Chinese people where I am not being used to explaining things for foreigners.

By: Jim Mahler

Jim Mahler — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 04:42:09 +0000

Nicki, try 做手势(zuo4shou3shi4, gesture):
请做手势给我看 (Please gesture for me.)

Or, if you want to sound a little more intellectual, 示范(shi4fan4, demonstrate, show):
请给我示范 (Please show me.)

Or put them together for greater clarity:
请用手势给我示范 (Please show me with gestures.)

By: Peach

Peach — Fri, 08 Jun 2007 00:40:58 +0000

Nicki, while I think it would be endearing if someone asked me to ‘biao yan’ something so they can understand it, I think you might get funny looks from other Chinese people. ‘biao yan’ has more to do with actual performing in a theater, show, or television than casual “act it out.” I’m not really sure what the proper phrase in Chinese would be in this situation.

By: Nicki

Nicki — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 02:43:17 +0000

The dictionary gives me 表演 biǎo yǎn for “perform / act / play / show / performance / exhibition / demonstrate”

Does anybody know if this might be the magic phrase? Perhaps I will try it out next time I’m in that sort of situation and see if I get the :blink, blink: of incomprehension or if they really act it out for me.

:o)

By: Nicki

Nicki — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 02:34:45 +0000

Yeah, for some people, it seems to “click” with them that I’m foreign and might need them to speak slowly and use simple words and gestures, others I don’t know why, but they just barrel full steam ahead.

Some of my favorite people are the ones who are willing to “show me.” When I was brand new in China, we often went to a tiny restaurant in the building next to ours. The food wasn’t very good, and they had NO English menu, but the waitress was awesome. She would literally bring ingredients out of the kitchen and show us what might be in the dish we had randomly pointed at, beacuse she KNEW we hadn’t a clue. Then she would teach us how to say them in Chinese. She was the reason we kept going back. (and the reason I can say more food in Chinese than pretty much anything else)

Perhaps we could learn how to say in Chinese “please show me” or somehow communicate to them that we need them to help us out by gesturing? I often get the written hanzi as an explanation too, and they are simply shocked when I tell them I can’t read it!

By: Ingo

Ingo — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 11:18:18 +0000

I had similar experiences. They are willing to help and just flood you with words. It’s somehow not intuitive for chinese to answer same style as you ask - with some simple words that hold the essence. They are pretty good with understanding gestures, though.

By: David

David — Mon, 04 Jun 2007 06:29:00 +0000

That’s a great piece of advice about using gestures… it can fill in for lots of things very easily.
Also, I’ve found the best solution is the one you used… if you aren’t sure just pick one… unless it’s something really important.