The Myth of the Silent, Restrained, and Humble Chinese 1
The Exotic Chinese: Stereotype, Misinformation, or Matter of Perspective?
Routes Toward the Images and the Framing 4
In Search of an Alternative Picture 10
What This Book Is About 16
Chapters to Follow 17
The Manipulative Speaker 20
Introduction 20
Some Cultural Foundations of Interpersonal Skills 23
The Round and the Smooth 25
Manipulative Talk Devoid of Internal Foundation 29
The Rhetorical Tradition 34
Irony and Criticism 38
A Sense of Ambivalence -- To Be, or Not to Be, Clever 43
Interpersonal Connections as Social Resources 45
Orders of Relationships -- A Differentiated World 46
Preference for One's Own People 49
The Emotional as Utilitarian 51
Manipulating Interpersonal Ties via Talk 54
Closing Up to Get What One Needs 54
Balancing Debts of Human Feeling 63
Negotiating Interpersonal Positioning 71
Tactics for Going Through Another 79
\Outside People,\ Outside Category 88
Further Thoughts 94
3 THE Artistic Chinese Speaker I00
The Written and the Oral i O0
Some Notes About the Chinese Language 101
From High Culture to Folk Wisdom 109
Chinese Rhetorical Traditions 116
Words as Art and Signs of Wisdom 119
Philosophy of Language 120
Indirectness as a Sign of Artistry 123
Metaphors and Analogies 128
Summary 131
Artistic Expressions and Manifestations 131
Poems 132
Matched Couplets 139
Chengyu 142
Suyan 144
Verbal Artistry in Action 157
Capturing Interpersonal Boundaries 158
Sentiments and Expressions 164
From Solemnity, to Playfulness, to Humor 173
Words for Social Occasions 180
Concluding Remarks 185
4 The Humble Chinese Speaker 187
The Introspective Chinese 187
Words and Life: The Moral Universe and the Need for Self-lnspection 188
Words as a Spiritual and Moral Task 191
Sincerity as the Foundation for Interpersonal Transactions 197
Words as Imperfect Means for Describing the Universe 201
Reasoning with the Universe by Words 206
Summary 215
About Care and Concern -- Yuan and Zhai 216
Yuan, a Buddhist and Folk Concept 220
Yuan and Zhai: Matters of Causality 224
Letting Go 228
The Inter-connected Sentient World 230
Implications 232
Humbleness in Action 235
Halting Speakers -- Their Humility and Modesty 236
Others First, Self Second 241
Indirection as a Sign of Politeness 248
Use of Intermediary 253
Invitation to Participate 257
Afterthoughts 263
5 Epilogue: Multldimensionality of Chinese Language Use 267
The Manipulative, the Artistic, and the Humble: A Recollection 268
Challenges of Cultural Change and Development 269
Some Final Words 273
References 275
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