留学生在中国 第22期 Impolite Questions 禁忌问题

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　　第22章 老外的 “ 禁区 ”。

　　You ：In China, it's common to ask people their age and salary but when we talk to foreigners, we try not to ask those questions.

　　中国人之间可以打听别人的年龄和收入，但我们和外国人交谈的时候，就要尽量不问这些问题。

　　David ：Why?

　　为什么？

　　You ：When I was young I was told it was impolite to ask westerners about their age and salary. So now I keep that in mind when I first meet foreigners.

　　小时候就有人告诉我向西方人打听他们的年龄和工资是不礼貌的。因此当我和外国人初次见面的时候，我都会牢记这个原则。

　　David ：It's true. Don't talk about age or salary. But in Chinese culture, it's OK to ask. It wouldn't be impolite to ask. People might just think this kind of question is a sign of one's interest in someone else.

　　对，我们不谈年龄和收入。但在中国文化中，是可以问这些问题的。如果你向别人打听这些，不算不礼貌。人们会认为你对别人的事比较感兴趣。

　　You ：You can even ask girls in China about their age. Besides I also heard that in western countries it is impolite to ask someone about his or her marital¹ status. Am I right?

　　正是这样。连女孩子的年龄也能问。在西方，打听有关别人的婚姻状况也是非常不礼貌的。是吗？

　　David ：You're right. In addition, questions about religious beliefs are also considered taboo² for westerners. The taboo is related to our need for privacy³, something that westerners take very seriously.

　　确实是这样的。也有些西方人很忌讳别人打听他们的宗教信仰，这些忌讳都与西方的隐私问题有关，所以他们非常重视。

　　You ：That is one of the biggest differences between Chinese and Western cultures.

　　这可能是东西方文化差异之一吧。

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