An idiom and two poems about hearing what hasn’t been said – 弦外之音 (xián wài zhī yīn)
I heard a speech recently that compared two poems, one in English by Shelley, one in Chinese by Liu Chenweng, to...
I heard a speech recently that compared two poems, one in English by Shelley, one in Chinese by Liu Chenweng, to...
Getting things done in China can be difficult. Someone in China once told me: "If you can get on in China,...
Subtle nuances of language and behaviour are an important part of dealing with China, but often totally missed. Receiving or giving...
The meaning of a simple word, water, in Chinese culture is complicated. Drawing on poems, idioms and China's philosophers, there are...
The word for 'choose' in Chinese is 选择 (xuǎn zé). The traditional character for zé is 擇, and the bits that...
Much coverage of the Boao Forum in April 2018 the international press describes the meeting as "underwhelming", "under-delivering", "heard this all...
I haven’t been to China for eight months. I am getting rusty – in language and dealing with 'Chinese' situations. It...