国外热议：你注意到中国人有哪些超赞的特质？

Michael C. Hilliard
I’ll mention four things that have stood out to me the most so far:

我想提四点，到目前为止让我印象最深。

Always looking for things to learn and ways to improve themselves.

总是寻求学习新事物和改进自我的方法。

As with all of these, it doesn’t apply to everyone, of course. There are lazy Chinese, just like there are lazy Americans or lazy Europeans or lazy people anywhere else in the world. I’m not trying to make a comparison here or say everyone is like this. But, I would say that for a lot of Chinese I meet, they seem to have this in common.

当然，上述特点并非适用于所有人。中国也有懒人，就像美国、欧洲或世界任何地方都有懒人一样。我并不是要作比较或说人人如此。但就我遇到的很多中国人而言，他们似乎确实有这一共同点。

For example, if I ask someone if they like their job, after normal things like whether it’s busy or not or if the pay is any good, they usually comment on whether they are able to learn something from the people they work with or improve themselves in some way through their job. I think that’s really cool. Just look at how many Chinese use Quora because they really want a place where they can practice and improve their English.

例如，当我问一个人是否喜欢自己的工作，除了聊工作忙不忙、薪酬如何等正常话题外，他们通常还会评论是否能从同事身上学到东西，或通过工作以某种方式提升自己。我觉得这非常了不起。看看有多少中国人使用 Quora，就因为他们真心想找一个练习和提高英语的地方。

I find a lot of Chinese to be curious and lifelong learners. I think that’s awesome.

我发现许多中国人都很有好奇心且终身学习。我觉得这很棒。

Hospitality and helpfulness.

热情好客与乐于助人。

Sure, sometimes it’s fake or just for show, but a lot of times, it’s really genuine.

当然，有时这只是表面功夫或作秀，但很多时候却是真心实意。

Making a Chinese friend can take time, and you have to learn to tell the difference between who is a real friend and who is just putting on a show for ulterior motives (Chinese learn to do this with each other, too). When you do make a real Chinese friend, they’re worth their weight in gold.

交到一个中国朋友可能需要时间，你得学会分辨谁是真心的朋友，谁只是别有用心地在表现（中国人彼此之间也会如此）。一旦结交到真正的中国朋友，他们的价值就如同黄金。

I can’t tell you how many times people have taken me out for a meal or helped me with something just to be nice. User-11330582254435912640’s answer does a good job describing this. Generosity, helpfulness, and hospitality really are traits that all well-mannered Chinese seem to share, and it’s a cool thing.

我数也数不清有多少次，人们只是出于友好请我吃饭或帮我忙。User-11330582254435912640 的回答对此描述得很贴切。大方、乐于助人和热情好客，似乎是所有有礼貌的中国人都具备的特质，这真的很令人赞赏。

Singing

唱歌

Chinese people like to sing. Even in public. Of all the traits on here, this one may be the most universal.

中国人喜欢唱歌，甚至在公共场合也唱。在所有这些特点中，这一条或许最具普遍性。

One of the most popular things to do with your friends in China is to go do KTV, which is the Chinese version of karaoke. Granted, it differs from Western karaoke in that it’s just in a private room with you and your friends. Still, with a little coaxing (or sometimes even without), it’s not too hard to find someone in a group (or several people in a group) who are willing to sing in front of other people.

在中国，和朋友一起去 KTV 是最受欢迎的活动之一。KTV 是中国式的卡拉 OK，只是在包间里跟朋友一起唱。即便如此，只要稍微鼓励一下（有时根本不需要），在一群人中找到愿意当众献唱的人（或好几个人）并不难。

Singing is usually something you do when you’re happy (and when you’re not, it’s still usually cathartic in some way) so I think this is a positive thing any way you look at it.

唱歌通常是在高兴时才做的事（即使不高兴时，也能起到某种宣泄作用），所以我觉得这一点怎么看都是积极的。

An indomitable spirit.

不屈不挠的精神。

I taught for two years in a Chinese high school (高中) in the Lintong District of xi’an. Of course, anywhere you go, in any country, there will be people who work hard and people who, well, don’t put in as much effort. But middle school in China…man, it’s rough.

我曾在西安临潼区的一所中国高中教书两年。当然，无论去到哪个国家的任何地方，都有努力的人，也有不那么用功的人。但在中国的中学……哇，那真是煎熬。

Most students live at the school and spend almost the entire day in class. A typical day’s classes might start at about 8 a.m. and keep going until a lunch break for about two hours from noon to 2 p.m., but sometimes it’s not even that long, especially for 高三 students (seniors)—they might take a full half hour for lunch, but more often they bring their food back to their classroom so they can keep working. After lunch, regular classes resume until dinner, which is usually either 5:30 or 6 p.m., and again only lasts for about an hour (unless you’re a senior). After dinner, you have to go back to your classroom, where you either work on homework or sometimes have extra lessons or makeup lessons if anything happened to disrupt the normal class schedule that week. That goes at least until 9–9:30 p.m., or at least that’s usually how long the students are required to stay before they can go back to their dorms. After that, sometimes there are clubs and activities or free time, but as often as not, there’s more studying to do, because the amount of homework is usually pretty tremendous.

大多数学生住校，几乎整天都在上课。典型的一天大约早上8点开始上课，中午12点到2点左右有两小时午休，但有时休息时间甚至更短，尤其是高三学生——他们有时会完整休息半小时，但更常见的是把饭带回教室继续学习。午休后继续上课，直到晚饭，通常是5:30或6点，吃饭也只有一小时左右（除非你是高三）。晚饭后必须回到教室，要么做作业，要么补课或因这一周课程被打乱而进行的回补课。这样的状态至少要持续到晚上9点–9:30，这通常是学生能回宿舍前必须待在课堂上的时间。此后，有时会有社团或活动，或自由时间，但往往要继续学习，因为家庭作业量通常非常大。

As for teaching styles and class discipline, it can vary a little from teacher to teacher, but I think it’s fair to say that many teachers (particularly the class teachers, who are responsible for supervising and disciplining a given group of students) can be very, very strict. Once, at my school, one of my students told me that after some boys in the class had been playing around with a basketball at the back of the classroom between classes, their class teacher made them line up outside and spent a half an hour yelling at them and smacking them across the face for goofing off, even though it was not during class time and they were in one of the highest ranked classes at the school. Another common form of punishment: taking away the chairs of students caught sleeping in class, so they have to stand the rest of the day for all of their classes. (I stopped punishing sleeping students in my class once I found out about that).

至于教学风格和课堂纪律，各教师略有不同，但可以说很多老师（尤其是班主任，负责监督和管理一班学生）都非常非常严厉。曾有一次，我的一个学生告诉我，课间有几个男生在教室后面玩篮球，班主任让他们排队到外面，大声训斥并扇他们脸，持续了半小时，尽管这根本不是上课时间，而且他们还是学校最好的班级之一。另一种常见惩罚是：没收在课堂上被抓到睡觉学生的座椅，让他们在余下的所有课上都站着听课。（知道之后，我就不再用这种方式惩罚我的学生了）。

And then there’s the pressure. Pressure from parents, pressure from teachers, pressure from your peers. Competition is extremely fierce to get into good universities, and the only way to get into a better university is to get a high enough score on the dreaded 高考 (gaokao, the university entrance exam). Every single point counts, and every moment of your life is leading up to the fateful day when you take that test. Everyone tells you that the entire rest of your life hangs in the balance of your performance on this test.

然后是各种压力——来自父母的、老师的、同学的。要考上好大学，竞争极其激烈，而进入更好大学的唯一途径就是在令人生畏的高考中取得足够高的分数。每一分都至关重要，你生活的每一刻似乎都在为高考做准备。人人都告诉你，你余生的命运都取决于这次考试的表现。

So. Like I said—it’s rough.

所以，正如我所说——那段经历非常艰难。

But despite all that, I taught a lot of really incredible kids. I was amazed at how hard some of these students would work. And not only that, but how they would still keep their spirits up as much as they did. How they would still be really kind, genuine, funny, interesting people, despite being in such a tough situation with so much pressure day in and day out. It would be easy to give up, get frustrated, or be depressed—and, of course, for some that does happen. Probably many. But I was impressed by how many didn’t let it get to them—how many chose to do their best, and still keep up a good attitude and a positive, hopeful outlook. There were a lot of smart, talented, warm, and passionate students that I had the privilege to teach at that school. Maybe I was just lucky; I know different schools can have different characteristics, but I still think those qualities are something a lot of Chinese share.

但尽管如此，我教过许多非常了不起的孩子。令我惊叹的是他们的努力程度。更难得的是，无论压力多大，他们依旧保持昂扬的斗志，依旧是善良、真诚、有趣、富有个性的人。很容易就会想放弃、沮丧或抑郁——当然，这确实会发生在一些人身上，或许还有不少，但让我佩服的是有多少学生没有被压垮——他们选择尽最大努力，依然保持良好心态和积极、充满希望的展望。我有幸教过很多聪明、才华横溢、热情友善的学生。也许我很幸运，不同学校的情况各有不同，但我仍然认为这些品质是许多中国人共有的。

In my last weeks of teaching at that school, I let my students use the entire class time to ask me any questions they wanted. I got a lot of questions about sports, or food, or my plans for the future and if I have a girlfriend or not, but there were some really interesting questions, too. One student asked me, “Are you worried about the future and what will happen?” If memory serves me, there had recently been a terrorist attack in the news, and I think that may have been what prompted the question. My answer might sound cheesy, but it was sincere. I told him that students like him and others at that school are what give me hope for the future. I genuinely think that, as depressing as problems in the world can be, people like him and his classmates are going to be the ones that make the world a better place.

在我任教的最后几周，我让学生们用整节课时间向我提任何问题。我收到很多关于体育、食物、我未来规划、甚至有没有女朋友之类的问题，但也有一些非常有趣的提问。一个学生问我：“你担心未来会怎样吗？”如果我没记错，新闻上刚发生了一起恐怖袭击，我想这可能促成了这个问题。我的回答听起来或许有些老套，但那是真心话——我告诉他，他和学校里的那些学生才是让我对未来充满希望的原因。我真心认为，尽管世界问题让人沮丧，但像他和同学们这样的人，将是让世界变得更美好的关键。







Kate Alwyn
Dedication.

奉献精神。

This is definitely the most admirable character of the Chinese people! I think dedication is a great thing, it represents a person's selfless, kind character, which is very rare and precious. Many Chinese I know value devotion and reject self-interest and individualism. From giving up seats on buses to doctors from all over the country voluntarily applying to help Wuhan, the dedication of the Chinese people can be seen from small things to big things.

这无疑是中国人最令人钦佩的品质！我认为奉献精神非常宝贵，它展现了一个人无私和善良的品格，而这种品格既罕见又珍贵。我认识的许多中国人都重视“奉献”，摒弃私利和个人主义。从公交车上让座的小善行，到全国各地医生自愿支援武汉的大举行动，中国人的奉献精神无处不在。


Different cultures have different moral codes. In Chinese culture, there are many examples of sacrificing oneself for the masses. In ancient Chinese myths and legends, Nu Wa stepped forward to repair the sky and save the world; Da Yu passed through his home three times but did not enter. He gave up his small home for everyone and spent several years taming floods in China. There are also many modern examples of dedication that children are taught to learn from starting in elementary school. It can be said that dedication is a required course for every Chinese. Sometimes I wonder, is a society that promotes dedication better? As it turns out, it can. Because any one of us could be the one to be helped.

不同文化有不同的道德准则。在中国文化中，不乏为大众牺牲自我的例子。在古代神话传说里，女娲挺身修补天空救苍生；大禹三过家门而不入，将自己的小家让给众人，花费数年时间治水。现代社会也有许多奉献的榜样，从小学起孩子们就被教育要学习他们。可以说，奉献精神是每个中国人的必修课。有时我会想，一个提倡奉献的社会是否更美好？事实证明，答案是肯定的，因为我们任何人都有可能成为被帮助的那一个。


Besides, Diligence is also a well-known characteristics of Chinese people. This is a photo I took of Chinese workers. Under the scorching sun, they were wearing safety cords and rubbing against the Windows of buildings dozens of meters high. It was hard work, but they were patient enough to polish every piece of glass until it reflected the blue sky. I often see this kind of Chinese, they do very hard work, but they take pride in their work and do it very well. And that's a great thing, because a lot of people give up hope because their lives are so hard. So whenever I see these people who are trying to live their lives, I am inspired by them.

此外，勤勉也是中国人的显著特点。这是一张我拍的中国工人的照片。在炙热的阳光下，他们系着安全带，在十几米高的建筑窗户上擦拭玻璃。那是一份辛苦的工作，可他们却耐心地将每一块玻璃擦拭得能映出蓝天。我经常见到这样的中国人，他们做着非常艰辛的工作，却为自己的劳动成果感到自豪并且干得很出色。这真的很棒，因为很多人在艰苦的生活中会失去希望。所以，每当我看到这些努力生活的人时，都会被他们所激励。


Melanie Cooks
I have to answer this question, my answer may sound trivial but it's something that strikes me as honourable every time I see or meet a Chinese person. I live in Canada, Calgary to be more percise, I live in a community that has a relatively large Chinese population, not Asian but China specifically. I am second generation Canadian and I am a believer of immigration to build Canada into a stronger and better nation! So…. to answer the question…… Chinese people are hard workers, never complain, never asking for free hand outs, firm with their children and they don't have children unless they can take care of them both emotionally and financially. They never ever cry racism, they never complain about the past and how unfair they were treated, they don't use the past, future or present to act like victims. They are intelligent, hard working, proud, independent people!! And more countries should learn from their example!

我必须回答这个问题，或许我的回答听起来很琐碎，但每当我见到中国人时，总觉得他们很值得尊敬。我住在加拿大卡尔加里，所在社区有相当多的中国人（不是泛亚洲人，而是特指中国人）。我是第二代加拿大人，坚信移民能让加拿大变得更强更好！所以……回答问题：中国人勤劳，永不抱怨，不会乞讨，严于管教子女，只有在能同时提供情感和经济保障时才会要孩子。他们从不以种族主义自怜，也不抱怨过去或被不公平对待，不会把过去、现在或未来拿来当作受害者的借口。他们聪明、勤奋、自豪且独立！更多国家应该向他们学习！

Rene Le'Tellier
SO many things! I think most have been covered already. For me they include hospitality, kindness, friendliness, pragmatism, filial piety, as just some of the awesome qualities that immediately come to mind.

太多了！我想大多数都被前面提过了。对我而言，还包括热情好客、善良友好、务实、孝顺，这些只是我立刻想到的一些精彩品质。

One of my best friends from China is someone I truly admire, he is more intelligent than most, yet wants for nothing, his family comes first, and he thinks nothing of what he sacrifices for them. His calmness, and his kindness is something to be admired. To me he is a holder of very traditional Chinese values, yet comfortable and capable in a modern world. I’m blessed to know that guy.

我一位最好的中国朋友令我由衷钦佩，他比大多数人更聪慧，却从不贪图物质，把家人置于首位，为他们付出一切毫无怨言。他的沉稳与善良令人敬佩。在我看来，他既坚守传统中国价值观，又能在现代社会自如应对。我很幸运能认识他。

Karpagavalli Krishnan
Family business

家族企业

Imagine having your spouse as your boss. Imagine going back home with your boss. You may have get scolded in front of few clients in the morning and right now, you are sleeping next to your boss. You sweat and toil while your brother laze around, but you all share the same profit. There’s a lot of tough love.

想象一下，你的配偶就是你的老板；下班后，你也回家和老板一起生活。早上可能在客户面前被配偶责备，晚上却要和配偶同床共枕。你辛苦劳作，兄弟却闲散，但你们分享同样的利润。这其中充满了“又爱又恨”的相处。

Family businesses aren’t easy, anyone who’s been in a family business for more than two generations knows how hard it is. It brings a family together, it also tears the family apart. It’s sheer hard work, from dawn to dusk and because it’s your family business, it becomes a part of you. You need to put behind all your petty arguments behind and be a professional.

家族企业并不容易，任何经营家族企业超过两代的人都知道其中的艰辛。它能让家庭凝聚，也可能让家庭破碎。这是从黎明到黄昏的艰苦工作，而且因为它是你的家族事业，它会成为你人生的一部分。你必须摒弃所有琐碎争执，保持专业态度。

These are just the small challenges of family businesses.

这些只是家族企业中一些小挑战。

It’s for the fearless. For people who doesn’t get intimidated by sweat, blood and long working hours.

它适合无所畏惧之人，不惧汗水、血泪与长时间工作。

I remember, when I was small, my father used to bring me to markets and night streets. And he used to point out the chicken butcher and the mee stalls. He’d made a point for me to note how the son/daughter are helping their father/mother after school hour. I’d wonder how hard it must be for them. Then on the way back, he’d point out their house. Big mansions. Those houses rarely looked like it belonged to a stall hawker or meat butcher.

我记得小时候，父亲常带我去集市和夜市，他会指给我看卖鸡肉的屠户和面馆。他要我留意摊主的儿子或女儿放学后如何帮父母干活。我会想，他们一定非常辛苦。回程路上，他又会指给我看他们的房子——大宅院。那些屋子根本不像摆摊的或卖肉的能住得起的。

That’s what I admire most about Malaysian Chinese I guess. They all sailed in the boat across the sea from China mainland. They strive for a better life and they aren’t afraid of hard work.

我想，这就是我最钦佩马来西亚华人的地方。他们祖辈乘船从中国大陆远渡重洋，努力追求更美好生活，从不惧怕辛勤劳动。

Peter Stevens
Generalising here. Most Chinese I know are absolutey devoted to loved ones and will do whatever is necessary to make them feel happy and secure.

我在此泛泛而谈。我认识的大多数中国人对至亲至爱的人无比忠诚，会不遗余力地让他们感到幸福和安全。

Chinese men for example tend to be selfless with respect to their family and will work tirelessly every day, without complaining, to give them the best chance in life.

例如，中国男性往往对家庭无私奉献，每天不知疲倦地工作，从不抱怨，只为给家人最好的生活机会。

Chinese parents are willing to sacrifice everything they have for their children's and granchildren’s benefit. And I mean everything. Of course, there is an implicit expectation that they will be taken care of in old age.

中国父母愿意为子女和孙辈付出一切，真的是“付出所有”。当然，这背后也有一种隐含期待：子女会在他们老年时照顾他们。

Chinese treat their parents with utmost reverence and it is rare for them to say or do anything that may upset them, which can be problematic at times. I do wonder if this is why older Chinese have an (unfair) reputation for having poor manners outside of China - maybe the kids just never said anything to correct them?

中国人对父母极为尊敬，很少有顶撞或让父母不悦的言行，这有时也会带来问题。我不禁想，这是否导致中国老年人在国外常被（不公平地）认为没礼貌——也许是因为孩子们从没敢纠正他们？

Chinese look after their friends. If you are the obvious junior in the relationship, expect to be well taken care of (just try paying the bill for a meal - your Chinese friend will tackle you before you get to the cashier). It's a matter of pride.

中国人也会照顾朋友。如果你在关系中明显处于下位，就别想请客（想付账时，你的中国朋友会在你到收银台前就拦住你）。这是他们的自豪所在。

Emily Petit
Chinese people like it loud! They like their music loud, their conversation loud, their games loud, their cities loud. I’ve never once heard a Chinese person complain about a situation or person being too loud (whereas for me, it’s a constant background annoyance - I happen to prefer the quiet ^ ^;).

中国人喜欢热闹！他们喜欢大声的音乐、大声的谈话、大声的游戏、大声的城市。我从未听过中国人抱怨环境或他人太吵（而我对此常心生烦躁——我偏爱安静^ ^;）。

The Chinese have a word for the sort of loud, rambunctious cacophony that one hears at a market or fair - 热闹。It’s a good thing. I’ve frequently had people recommend I visit some place or other on the auspices of its 热闹ness. (And I appreciate these recommendations heartily - they warn me that I probably ought to stay away ^ ^;;) Conversely, we don’t even really have a word for this in English.

中国人用“热闹”一词来形容集市或庙会上的嘈杂喧哗，这是一种正面评价。我常有人因为“很热闹”推荐我去某处旅游（我对此很感激——他们至少提醒我要做好心理准备^ ^;;）。而在英语里，我们甚至没有一个能完全对应这个词的表达。

When speaking to Chinese people who have spent time in Western countries, one of the most consistent complaints I’ve heard from them is that it’s too quiet. Nobody is 热闹! A friend once told me that her mother was downright creeped out on a visit to her daughter’s adopted hometown in England because when she went for a walk in the morning she neither saw nor heard anyone, like the place had turned into a ghost town. Contrast this to morning in a Chinese city, which wakes up with market hawkers, honking buses, and storefronts blaring high tempo music, making it 100% impossible to sleep in. It drives me crazy (^ ^;;;) but the Chinese seem to enjoy it.

与在西方国家呆过的中国人交谈时，他们最常抱怨的就是“太安静了，根本不热闹！”有一次，一个朋友说她母亲去女儿定居的英国小镇时，早晨出来散步，既看不到人，也听不到声音，就像鬼城一样，让她颇感毛骨悚然。与此形成鲜明对比的是，中国城市的清晨早市摊贩叫卖、公交车鸣笛、店铺播放快节奏音乐，完全不可能再睡回笼觉。这让我抓狂(^ ^;;;)，但中国人似乎乐在其中。

This would be the single most ubiquitous trait I have encountered in my six years in China: they like it loud.

在我六年中国经历中，这一条是我遇到的最普遍的特质：他们喜欢热闹。