5 Tips About Chinese Drinking Culture 五点透视中国饮酒文化

王金娜

Perhaps you are a corporate manager who is about to attend a few business dinners in China， or maybe you are meeting your significant other1s family at a dinner in Shanghai. Either way， you have a strong sixth sense2 that lots of drinking is involved during these Chinese social events. And you would be right.

Differences in Chinese drinking culture vs. western drinking culture

There are a few differences that we outlined below， such as the alcohol of choice. However the general difference is this： In Western culture， a large emphasis is put on the beverage itself. Wine-tasting is a huge entertainment component in many Western countries. At more elaborate3 dinners， an extensive wine and liquor list is presented.

In Chinese culture， a heavier emphasis is put on the people. Who you drink the wine or liquor with is more important than the actual drink.

Depending on the type of person you are， Chinese drinking culture might seem fascinating， intimidating， confusing， or any combination of the three. To soothe any worries you might have about drinking in China， we put together this multi-faceted4 guide to demystify Chinese drinking culture.

1. What you will be drinking

Baijiu （bái jiǔ）—Also called sorghum5 wine， baijiu is the drink of choice for business dinners in China. This clear liquor is as intoxicating as tequila， with the added burning stench6 of rubbing alcohol7. The most popular brand of baijiu is Maotai， which can be as strong as 60% alcohol-by-volume8 （compared to an average vodka at 40% ABV.）

Red Wine （hóng jiǔ）—Red wine has increased in popularity at Chinese dinner tables in recent years along with the rising interest in luxury goods. Popular choices include top French wines such as Lafit or Latour.

Beer （pí jiǔ）—Popular Chinese beer brands include Tsingtao and Harbin Beer， which are crisp， refreshing lagers that can cool the burning sensations from drinking baijiu.

Some speciality alcohols may be consumed on certain holidays， such as huangjiu during Duanwu Festival. Chinese minorities also often have their own unique fermentation processes for different wines and spirits.

2. Toasts and cheers

“干杯”（Gɑn bēi）is the drinking toast equivalent of “cheers” in English. However， beware of the fact that “干杯” literally translates to “dry glass.” You may be expected to finish your drink after the toast.

“我敬你一杯”  （Wǒ jìng nǐ yībēi） is used to toast to a specific person. The person being toasted to is generally expected to at least take a sip of his/her drink. A more generous way of making a toast to someone is “我干了，你隨意” （Wǒ gɑnle， nǐ suíyì）， which means “I will finish my glass， but you can drink at your leisure.”

3. Courage， quantity， and quality

Its perfectly all right if you get drunk， even during business dinners. In fact， its kind of expected. If you leave sober， your hosts might think theyve failed to show the proper hospitality.

The bottom line is， its best if you drink whatever they give you. This is called jiudan—“drink courage”—and the more you have of it， the better. Of course having jiudan doesnt automatically mean you have a good jiuliang—“drinking capacity” or the ability to hold your drink. But this really doesnt matter， as long as you have good jiupin—“drink manners” or meaning the way you behave when inebriated9. Ideally youll have all three， but if you dont， the first one is the most important.

4. General etiquette

When clinking glasses， the junior people should always hold their glass lower than those of senior folks. This not only applies to business situations， but also to family dinners （i.e. son-in-law will hold his glass lower than father-in-law）.

If you are late to the party， you are expected to punish yourself by drinking. Most latecomers actually enjoy the “punishment，” as it allows them to catch up to the rest of the people at the party.

Whoever proposes a toast is always expected to finish his or her glass.

Lastly， it is considered extremely rude to refuse a drink after someone toasts you. The amount you drink after someone toasts you is tied to the amount of respect you are showing them. Of course， “drying your glass” is considered the utmost respect at the dinner table.

5. Other survival tips

Take it slow—Chinese dinners and drinking social events tend to go on for hours. It is truly a marathon， and not a sprint. In order to make it through a long night of drinking， make sure to eat and hydrate between drinks.

Substitute—If you are struggling to keep up， try to drink beer instead of baijiu. If you are feeling really drunk already， you can switch to tea and still keep up with the party. You should never toast or clink glasses with water however， as it is considered bad luck.

If you are truly unable to drink， you should bring up the fact at the beginning of the dinner， and request a pot of tea for yourself. You will still be expected to keep pace with the rest of the group as the drinking festivities commence， but luckily， you will only be downing tea instead of booze10. As long as you are able to participate in the toasts， cheers， and drinking games， people shouldnt give you a hard time about not drinking.

Dont stress over it too much if all this seems strange and intimidating. As a foreigner， you have more leeway with your hosts in following these rules. Your hosts will be glad as long as you are having a good time and the party is a success， so try to relax and enjoy！      ■

也许你是公司经理，将在中国参加几场商务晚宴，或者马上要去上海“见家长”，与恋人的家人共进晚餐。不管怎样，你都会有种强烈的第六感——在上述的中国社交场合，要喝很多酒。你没猜错。

中西饮酒文化的差异

我们在下文列出了中西饮酒文化的几点不同，如酒类选择等。不过，总体区别在于西方饮酒文化更关注酒本身。品酒是许多西方国家重要的娱乐消遣活动。较为隆重的晚宴还会提供品目繁多的红酒和烈酒清单。

而中国饮酒文化则重在人，也就是说，你和谁喝酒比喝什么酒更重要。

不同类型的人对中国饮酒文化的看法也不尽相同，或心驰神往，或望而生畏，或迷惑不解，或三者皆有。你可能会有点害怕在中国喝酒，为了消除你的忧虑，我们总结了这份全面指南来揭开中国饮酒文化的神秘面纱。

1.酒的种类

白酒——即高粱酒，是中国商务晚宴中的常备酒。这种酒质地清澈，和龙舌兰酒一样醉人，又有医用酒精的灼热刺鼻感。最受青睐的中国白酒品牌茅台酒度数最高可达60度，而伏特加通常只有40度。

红酒——近年来，中国人对奢侈品的兴趣与日俱增，红酒也逐渐在中国的餐桌上流行起来。法国的拉菲和拉图等顶级葡萄酒备受欢迎。

啤酒——深受中国人喜爱的啤酒品牌有青岛啤酒和哈尔滨啤酒等，清爽沁脾，能有效缓解饮用白酒产生的灼烧感。

某些节日里，中国人可能还会喝上一些特制酒，比如端午节要喝黄酒（雄黄酒）。此外，中国的少数民族也常常有独特的发酵工艺，来酿制各种葡萄酒和烈酒。

2.祝酒和干杯

“干杯”是一句祝酒词，相当于英语里的cheers。但值得注意的是，“干杯”的字面意义是“清空杯子”，也就是说，你应在祝酒之后一饮而尽。

“我敬你一杯”用于向某人敬酒。通常，对方至少要抿一小口来回敬。另一种更加大气的祝酒词是“我干了，你随意”，即“我会喝完这杯酒，你想喝多少都可以”。

3.酒胆、酒量和酒品

即便是商务晚宴，你喝醉了也完全没问题。其实这多少是大家期望之中的。如果你告辞时还很清醒，主人可能会觉得没有尽好地主之谊。

基本准则就是主人提供什么酒就喝什么。这叫作酒胆——“饮酒的胆量”，而且酒胆越大越好。当然，有酒胆并不意味着你酒量好。“酒量”即“饮酒的限度”或喝酒的能力。不過只要你酒品好，酒量大小也不重要。“酒品”指的是“饮酒仪态”，或者说喝醉后的行为举止。若三者兼具，那是最好不过了; 倘若不能同时满足，至少得有酒胆。

4.一般礼节

碰杯时，晚辈或下级的杯口应始终低于对方的杯口。这不仅适用于商务场合，家庭聚餐也是如此（比如，女婿向岳父敬酒时，杯口要低一些）。

如果聚会时迟到了，可能得“自罚三杯”。其实大部分迟到的人都挺享受这种“惩罚”，因为这样可以赶上其他人的“进度”。

祝酒的人通常应该一饮而尽。

最后一点，拒绝别人敬酒是极其无礼的。别人向你敬酒，你喝多少意味着有多尊重对方。当然，“干了”是酒桌上对对方最大的尊重。

5.其他酒桌生存秘诀

慢慢喝——在中国，晚餐和酒局往往要持续好几个小时。这不是短跑，而是一场真正的马拉松。要想熬过漫漫长夜的酒局，一定要抽空吃点菜，喝点水。

寻找替代品——如果你实在不胜酒力，可以不喝白酒，改喝啤酒。如果已经醉得厉害，可以换成喝茶，这样也不至于被排除在外。不过，切忌以水来敬酒或碰杯，这样不吉利。

如果你确实不能喝酒，应在饭前告知，并点一壶茶。酒局开始后，你仍旧需要参与其中，不过幸运的是，你可以只喝茶，不喝酒。只要你也跟着祝酒、干杯、划拳，大家就不会怪你不喝酒。

以上所述你可能闻所未闻，甚至有些胆战心惊，其实完全不必紧张。要是外国朋友没能遵守这些规则，主人也不会苛责。只要你玩得开心，聚会气氛和谐，主人就很高兴了，所以只管放松心情，尽情地享受吧！                                      □

（译者单位：中南大学外国语学院）

1 significant other另一半;配偶或恋人。  2 sixth sense第六感，即“超感官直觉”（ESP）的俗称。  3 elaborate精心制作的，即隆重的。

4 multi-faceted多方面的;包罗万象的。  5 sorghum高粱。  6 stench臭味。  7 rub-bing alcohol医用酒精;消毒用酒精。  8 alcohol-by-volume （ABV） 酒精含量的体积百分比，即酒精度。

9 inebriated 酒醉的。

10 booze酒。