Analysis of Differences between Russian and Chinese Speech Etiquette in a Business Banquet

Tszyan Shan' PhD in Philology Postgraduate student, Department of General and Russian Linguistics, Peoples' Friendship University of Russia 117198, Russia, Moscow, Miklukho-Maklaya str., 3, sq. 462 699shan@gmail.com Other publications by this author

Seating at a banquet is the most important part of the etiquette culture and an important form of using spatial position to express personal status and interpersonal relationships. People's perception of space is formed under the influence of various factors, among which cultural factors occupy a special place. Different cultures have different needs for space, rules of communication related to space, and values related to space. There are obvious differences in the seating arrangements of the Russian and Chinese peoples at the banquet, which we cannot ignore.

The basic principles of seating at Chinese banquets influenced by Confucianism are “the south is respected, the north is inferior” and “the elderly and wise are respected”. The Chinese have always been very picky about "seating arrangements." In the ancient book "The Book of Rites" (, Li Ji) it is written: ",, tian di wei Yan", which means that everything in this world has its place to take. In China, there is a traditional thought called "the south is respected, but the north is inferior," and this thought had an important influence on the principle of seating at the banquet. The south-facing seats at the banquet are usually reserved for high-ranking guests or superiors, while the north-facing seats are usually reserved for those serving at the banquet, and his rank should also be the lowest. Such traditional ideas are naturally connected with the centuries-old history and unique culture of China. As we all know, Chinese history has gone through many dynasties, but no matter which dynasty, the emperor always sits facing south when he ascends the throne and discusses state affairs, and when officials met the emperor, they had to look to the north. The "South" gradually turned into a symbol of the highest status in the minds of the Chinese, personifying power, status and identity, while the status of the "North" is naturally much lower. [Lu Jianwen, 2007] However, in a business banquet having the nature of intercultural communication, it is obviously inappropriate to always use the north-south direction as a criterion for assessing superiority and inferiority. Then, if it is impossible to distinguish the north-south direction, we need to use the "entrance door" of the banquet hall as a benchmark, and the place facing the "door" is the "place of honor". Then, in addition to the orientation of seats, at a business banquet, we also need to determine the "distinguished guests" at this banquet. In China, the traditional virtue of respect for the elderly and the wise has a very significant impact on the seating of banquets. When elderly people, leaders, teachers, elders, etc. are present at the Chinese table, or guests who are older than the host or are considered noble or important, the oldest, most noble and most important guests should be invited to the place of honor, and the host should sit on the seat to the right of the place of honor. The Chinese believe that "the left is honorable, the right is secondary." [Wang Wenhui, 2010]

In Russia, the seating arrangement is directly opposite to the traditional Chinese method. The place of the most honored guest is the right for the honorable and the left for the second.

The basic principles of seating at Russian banquets, guided by religious thought - Respect for a woman. The influence of religion on Russia has penetrated into many aspects of the life of Russian people. Under the influence of religion, Russians treat the Virgin Mary with great reverence. Merezhkovsky at one time clearly defended the idea of "The Mother of God saves Russia", believing that it is not beauty that can save the world, but eternal women. Basic rules of behavior at the table in Russia: "Respect women, ladies first." An excellent place of honor at the table in Russia is to the right of the hostess or the host. Next comes the place to the left of the hostess/host. And a place with a large distance from the hostess and the owner is less honorable. At the same time, in addition to the above basic rule, it should be borne in mind that at receptions with the participation of women, it is necessary to avoid such situations that a woman is sitting next to a woman, and it is better to alternate: man — woman; spouses sit separately; a woman should not sit at the end of the table.

In addition to the significant difference in the principles of seating, the Chinese and Russians have very big differences in the use of table appliances. The main devices of eating for the Chinese are chopsticks, and for the Russians – knives, forks and spoons.

Professor Yu Xiulin from Zhejiang University believes that the appearance of chopsticks in China is closely related to the geographical environment. There are many trees in the north of China, and bamboo in the south. In ancient times, people used local materials according to their needs, so bamboo and wood became materials for making chopsticks. And this point of view is confirmed in the entries in "·, Han Feizi Yu Zhi", in which the hieroglyph "?" appeared, and the abbreviation of this hieroglyph "?, zhu" — "?, zhu". Judging by the keys ("?, mu, wood; ?,zhu, bamboo) of the hieroglyph "?, zhu", it can be proved that the earliest chopsticks in China were mainly wooden and bamboo chopsticks. The Chinese have been eating with chopsticks for more than 3,000 years. Chopsticks were called "?, zhu" in pre-Qin literature and "?, zhu" in the Sui and Tang dynasties, which means "a tool to help people eat". Since "?, zhu", "?, zhu" and the word "?, zhu, termination" are homophones, which does not correspond to the national psychology of people praying for well-being, striving for a better life, therefore it is replaced by the word "?, kuai, quickly", in which people's desire for a better life was placed. Since the chopsticks are made of bamboo, after the Song Dynasty the key "?, zhu, bamboo" was added to it, hence the name "?, chopsticks". [Dong Yizhan, 2004]

Proper use of chopsticks in China is a basic requirement of the rules of behavior at the table. First, the requirements for the placement of chopsticks. Before eating, chopsticks should be carefully placed on the right side of the dishes, and after eating, they should be carefully placed vertically in the middle of the dishes. On one dining table, sticks of the same length, color and texture should be used, and they should be placed carefully, not one long, but the other short. A square head is a head, and a round one is a foot, and chopsticks cannot be placed one horizontally and the other vertically or crosswise. Chopsticks should be placed with the rounded end inside, on a stick stand or on your own dishes, with the square end at the same level with the edge of the table. When chopsticks need to be put down temporarily during a meal, they should be put in the same way as they were originally. Common chopsticks are best placed on a special stand.

Secondly, the rules for using chopsticks. Don't knock with chopsticks. While waiting for food, you can not sit at the table with chopsticks in one hand and, if desired, hit a bowl or cup with chopsticks, which is disrespectful to the owner; Do not point at people with chopsticks during a conversation, it is necessary to place chopsticks on a stand; Do not lick the tips on the chopsticks with your tongue, it is indecent; You can not dig with chopsticks in a bowl in search of the best piece, and you can't "wander" with chopsticks around the bowl; You can't stick chopsticks into rice or bread with a pillar. In China, it is forbidden - it is served only to the dead. In order for the vegetable juice not to pollute the mat, you should keep a small plate a little closer to the bowl, first put the dish in your own small plate, and then bring it to yourself. [Zhao Lihua, Mi Jinxin, Zhou Jia, 2012]

There is a big difference between Russians and Chinese in the use of cutlery. To date, the main cutlery includes knives, forks and spoons. The origin of the cutlery set has a relatively long history. According to the research of F. The use of knives and spoons dates back more than 4 centuries, but the modern form of table knives appeared relatively late, in 1637, on the instructions of Cardinal Richelieu, the round-blade knife was included in the list of cutlery. [Braudel F., 1986] The history of the fork is more complicated than the history of the knife and spoon.The prototype fork appeared in the 14th century as a tool with which Italian citizens ate pasta. But two-pronged forks were once considered a useless luxury, a two-pronged fork was once considered a worthless luxury, and the people who used it were even the subject of ridicule, because, according to the etiquette of that time, it was right to take food by hand. It was only in the last quarter of the eighteenth century that the fork acquired the modern look that we see, and began to be used along with knives and spoons as cutlery.

Each knife has a corresponding fork. With the help of a snack knife and fork, they eat various snacks - meat, fish, vegetables, etc. Knives are placed to the right of the plates (in snack bars or small canteens) in the following order: closer to the plate - a table knife, next to it - a fish knife and last - a snack knife. The blade of the knife should be facing the plate. This is due to historical traditions. In the era of feudalism, weapons were used easily and often. Therefore, in order not to overshadow the atmosphere of the feast and as a reminder of the need to restrain emotions, the blades of the knives were turned to the plate, not to the neighbor. If soup is served at lunch, then the spoon is placed with a convex surface down between the snack bar and the fish knives. To the left of the plates, forks corresponding to knives are placed, teeth up, - canteens, fish and snack bars.

Dessert devices are placed behind a plate parallel to the edge of the table in the following order from the plate to the center of the table: knife, fork, spoon. At the same time, the knife and spoon are placed with the handles to the right, and the fork to the left. Never put more than three pairs of knives and forks on the table. If necessary, knives, forks and other serving items are additionally served with some dishes.

From a value point of view, Chinese culture takes the "whole" as a value basis, has pronounced features of collectivism, focuses on the harmony of group relations, the management of group goals and the maintenance of group interests. [Xie Yaqin, Zhou Kezhong, Li Yaping, 2011] The consciousness of "harmony" in traditional Chinese philosophy, as well as the developed agricultural civilization since ancient times laid the foundation of the "group consciousness" of the Chinese people. [Wang Jia, 2011] This idea is reflected in the reception of Chinese writing. Chinese people like to sit at a round table full of dishes and enjoy delicious food on the table with chopsticks. The Chinese exchange feelings through the system of eating at the same table with common dishes, develop good interpersonal relationships and create a lively and cohesive dining atmosphere. Russians use a system of portioned meals from separate dishes, which emphasizes separation and individuality, which can show that they are influenced by Western individualism and reflect the sense of independence of Russians. [Wolf. I, 1996] Russians usually order different dishes before a meal, which is the respect of Russians for individuality and individuality. After serving, people take their plates, eat themselves and add seasonings as desired. Eat the second course after the first and never mix the two dishes before and after. Who is more advanced between chopsticks and knife and fork? They represent the cultural tradition and way of life of the nation, respectively, and there are no differences between them. Chopsticks, knives and forks, as the two most characteristic items of tableware of the Russian and Chinese peoples, influenced the different way of life of the two peoples and embody different wisdom.

ConclusionSpeech etiquette at the table plays a very important role at business banquets.

Due to the different geography, national values, culture and ethnic habits, China and Russia have created completely different rules and speech etiquette at the table. In Chinese-Russian intercultural communication, we must not only follow international etiquette, but also understand and respect the etiquette and customs of each other's countries so that we can communicate better.