The system of Chinese dining etiquettes is well-known to be an indispensible part of the Chinese culture, there are proverbs describing the importance of Chinese dining as well its etiquettes, such as, China is a nation of etiquettes; China is a nation of food ceremonies; Food is the paramount necessity of the Chinese people; etc, the intimate relationship can be seen by friends who’d like to learn Chinese in China.
It was recorded in the Book of Rites that the origin of etiquettes was from dining etiquettes, to study Chinese in China, the Chinese dining etiquettes are indispensible, which had incorporated the five thousand years of rituals and dining etiquettes of the Chinese people, from the imperial families to the small families, are going to shape the thoughts of Chinese people continuously. Then, friends who’d like to study Mandarin in China would wonder, why did the Chinese ancestors pay so much attention to the dining etiquettes? It has had been taken down in the Rites of Chou that People should observe the etiquettes of diets while treating his fellow countrymen.
Readers who’d like to learn Chinese in China may be wondering about the functions of the etiquettes, well, as it had been quoted in the Book of Rites; the etiquette is a set of principles to be used in judging the personal relationship, addressing misunderstandings, distinguishing the uniformity and difference and differentiating virtues from evils.
It had also been further explained in the Book of Rites that the impatient people tend to be irritable and talkative, while a man of noble character would stop his talk as soon as his idea is expressed, since the tedious talk would detest the auditors, the Chinese etiquettes can be a quite useful subject for language learners who’d like to study Chinese in China.
A noble man should be reserved in idle talks and it can be considered to be a benefaction for one to constantly cultivate his behaviors and try to put his words into action; and the essence of etiquettes is to be well-behaved and talk sense. To study Mandarin in China well, the etiquettes should be followed by individuals, but rather to be imposed on others.
The etiquettes could help in defining interpersonal relationships, telling the virtues from the evils, nurturing people’s moral characters and helping people cultivate good behaviors. And it can be seen by readers who’d like to learn Chinese in China that the dieting is of paramount necessity to the human beings, which occurs on a daily basis, the carrying out of etiquettes and rituals is of crucial importance.
It would not be difficult for people who’d like to study Chinese in China and have had got a brief understanding of the classic three etiquettes of the Confucianism to see that the dining etiquettes can be considered to be the basis of all the ritualistic institutions, which were carried out through the whole process of ceremonial activities. The system of Chinese dining etiquettes is quite complete and developed, which enjoys the characteristic of systematical and blending harmoniously from top to bottom, it would not be difficult for foreign friends who’d like to study Mandarin in China to acquire.
Readers who’d like to learn Chinese in China can get more information about it through watching documentaries, for example, it was taken down in document literature that there was already quite a complete system of etiquettes even before the Zhou Dynasty, which was under further development and perfection of the social practices of other dynasties.
It is comprehensible for readers who’d like to study Chinese in China to see that the traditional Chinese dining etiquettes has played a very constructive role in the ancient Chinese feudal societies, which is also quite useful and influential in the modern Chinese society, the Chinese dining etiquettes can be regarded as an important means of providing codes of conducts for the civilizations.
The system of Chinese dining etiquettes is comprehensive, which comprises of numerous subtypes which were further divided according to different categories, there are mainly three types of etiquettes which bears a close relationship with people’s daily lives to be introduced to readers who’d like to study Mandarin in China, namely, the conviviality etiquettes, the etiquettes for entertaining guests and the etiquettes for taking foods.