Hints:

Chinese

 

 

 


 









That's all very well, but when I'm the guest being seen off, my protests are always useless, and my hostess or host, or both, insists on seeing me down the stairs and well on my way, with our going through the "Don't bother to see me off" ritual at every landing. If I try to go fast to discourage them from following, they are simply put to the discomfort of having to flee after me. Better to accept the inevitable. Besides, that's going against Chinese custom, because haste is to be avoided. What do you say when you part from someone? "Go slowly." Not farewell or Godspeed, but "Go slowly." To the Chinese it means "Take care"or "Watch your step" or some other such caution, but translated literally it means "Go slow." That same "slow" is used in another polite expression used by the host at the end of a particularly large and delicious meal to assure his guests what a poor and inadequate host he has been.
这样好倒是好，但当我成为别送的客人时，我的推让总是无效；而且，女主人或男主人甚至两个人都要送我下楼，并陪我走好一段路，而每下一段楼梯我都照理说一遍“不要麻烦送我了”。如果我是想走得快一点以免让他们跟上来，那只会使他们更不舒服：他们得在我后面紧追。最好还是接受着不可避免的礼节。 而且，那也是违背中国习俗的，因为“匆忙”最要不得。你跟别人分手时说什么呢？“慢走”。不说“再见”或“一路顺风”，而是“慢走”。对中国人来讲，她的意思是“小心”或“脚下留神”或是诸如此类关照的话，但其直译是“慢走”。 同一个“慢”字还被用于另一句客套话中，那就是在一顿极其丰盛美味的饭后，主人向客人（说“怠慢了”）表示他是一个不称职，招待不周的主人。