Comment by stcredzero | Hacker News Reader

Comment by stcredzero | Hacker News Reader

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The legend "Chang'e flies to the moon" (嫦娥奔月) lies behind the Mid-Autumn Festival (featuring mooncakes, as it were). Point is, the names of Chinese space missions are every bit as carefully steeped in tradition as, say, Mercury/Gemini/Apollo.

The People's Republic of China doesn't think of itself as a "Nation State." Instead, it thinks of itself as a "civilization state." A part of PRC's self appointed charge is to prevent the marginalization of Chinese civilization.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imhUmLtlZpw

When I was working in Houston, it was a regular occurrence for me to meet yet another Chinese born employee of whatever corporation I was in, who would soon after ask me if I could read Chinese characters, then say it was a "shame" I couldn't. I'm not even Chinese, so I find this a bit parochial. I'm aware of the importance of Chinese characters in the culture of East Asia, but still, there's something a bit too self important about it.

Now, many years later, I'm married to a Chinese woman. Even she gives me this guff! It's like they're trying to match the attitude level of the French.

(EDIT: If you know of something wonderful more people should know about, most of the time, you should try to share it as a direct experience. That way, you're more likely to get across the magic and you're less likely to come across as a lecture.)

That's very interesting to hear. I wonder if it is something specific to that corporation, or perhaps your role at the corporation, though? All the Chinese-born people I know would be pretty surprised if any non-Chinese person could read Chinese.

All the Chinese-born people I know would be pretty surprised if any non-Chinese person could read Chinese.

My experience is that attitudes are often quite different if you look like a Chinese person.

I don't think that attitude is unique to Chinese people. My experience is based on my name rather than looks. Whenever people from my father's country ask me my name, they suddenly expect me to speak their language - and then to tell me what a shame it is when I don't. I've seen the same for British Germans, Polish and Vietnamese too!

One of my computer science professors who defected from Cold War Hungary was very anxious to meet me. It turns out that my Korean Catholic name is also a perfectly cromulent Hungarian name!

Well, that makes sense. If they thought you were a Chinese person, I could see why they would have asked you if you could read Chinese.

By that point in the conversation, however, I had already conveyed that my parents were from Korea, and I was born and had grown up here.

As someone who is learning Chinese (and VERY bad at it), (almost) every Chinese person I've met has been super encouraging and helpful. Most of them are surprised I'm learning it at all. But they also express encouragement differently, so I'm wondering if it is a misunderstanding.

That could well be. Some aspects of culture are quite subtle. There was this thing where, whenever some driver in traffic made me brake hard, my Chinese born wife would shout, "BE CAREFUL!" Well, here's the thing: I am very careful. I couldn't be blamed for any of those incidents. It's precisely that I'm careful that I was able to avoid a collision. It seemed very unfair that I should be blamed for any of these incidents. (Example, the car ahead of me spots a parking space at the last minute, then slams on his brakes to get the parking spot.)

So after about the 5th time like that, we had the argument. It turns out that she was just being scared and telling me to be careful, not knowing how an English speaker would take that contextually.

Well, it is actually a shame. And by that I mean why wouldn't it benefit anyone to gain access to what is probably as much writing about philosophy, history, etc. as what one is currently exposed to?

You should also keep in mind that the people that are saying this to you have already learned a complete another language and alphabet (since they are presumably communicating with you in English).

Well, it is actually a shame.

Asking someone to be ashamed of not having entirely elective knowledge isn't "live and let live." Nor would that strike me as being likely to be productive. Instead, you should describe how desirable and rewarding that knowledge is.

In my understanding saying "that's a shame" is equivalent to "that's really too bad," and not, "you should be ashamed of your self."

Maybe my interpretation isn't that common? (pause to google)

Apparently it is the common accepted meaning:

https://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/it-s-a-shame-what-a-s...

that being said, in Chinese culture and education...lecturing is more of a thing. All these new agey experiential education has yet to sink in the mainland yet..

And yet we tolerate the french...

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