The importance of the Mianzi or “Face” in Chinese society, for example when negotiating, is often mentioned. It is not surprising that so much hype is given to it since for the Chinese culture it is something present in everyday life and on which social relations depend to a great extent.
The Mianzi or Face could be defined as the prestige that a person has from the point of view of society. We can consider it as a metric of respect for a person and of course it can be gained or lost. This is fundamental in China because a person who is not respected is someone without power, or in the extreme case, without dignity.
Some examples of how Face can be lost:
– Receiving a public reprimand
– Being overruled or contradicted by an employee at a meeting
– Being seated at a business table with people of lower rank
– Receive public criticism
– Speaking presumptuously or without humility
– Being ridiculed in front of family members or co-workers
– Any other act involving public humiliation of any kind
Normally we will see how the Chinese people we interact with try to “give us Face” as soon as they have the opportunity, since it is an act that strengthens relationships (they also expect the same from us).
If you go to China you will see how someone will praise your pronunciation of the language even though you only know how to say four words. In these cases the best way to receive the compliment is with humility, something like “oh, thank you very much but actually my Chinese is still very bad”. Then, if you want, you can send it back saying “however your English is great, I understand you better than many Spaniards”.
My advice is to be careful when conversing whenever there are other people in front of you. Screwing up with the Mianzi can ruin a negotiation.
Have you ever visited China, what are your experiences with the Mianzi?
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