Ethical Lies – Westerners value truthfulness in and of itself. We may tell little white lies and we may tell big lies, but we aren’t proud of telling them. Chinese look at truth quite differently. They simply feel that telling the truth for its own sake merits less emphasis than other values, such as saving face. Direct refusals, for example, are impolite in Chinese etiquette. Chinese prefer to create reasons why doing so-and-so is impossible, rather than refuse to help. When they lie to you, look around and see what the reasons might be. Very few Chinese people lie simply for the sake of lying. Have you made a request which the person might be unable or unwilling to carry out? If so, take the lie as a polite refusal or, at worst, laziness.
Zakładki