5 Tips About Chinese Drinking Culture 五點透視中國飲酒文化

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！? ? ? ■

也許你是公司經理，將在中國參加幾場商務晚宴，或者馬上要去上海“見家長”，與戀人的家人共進晚餐。不管怎樣，你都會有種強烈的第六感——在上述的中國社交場合，要喝很多酒。你沒猜錯。

中西飲酒文化的差異

我們在下文列出了中西飲酒文化的幾點不同，如酒類選擇等。不過，總體區別在于西方飲酒文化更關注酒本身。品酒是許多西方國家重要的娛樂消遣活動。較為隆重的晚宴還會提供品目繁多的紅酒和烈酒清單。

而中國飲酒文化則重在人，也就是說，你和誰喝酒比喝什么酒更重要。

不同類型的人對中國飲酒文化的看法也不盡相同，或心馳神往，或望而生畏，或迷惑不解，或三者皆有。你可能會有點害怕在中國喝酒，為了消除你的憂慮，我們總結了這份全面指南來揭開中國飲酒文化的神秘面紗。

1.酒的種類

白酒——即高粱酒，是中國商務晚宴中的常備酒。這種酒質地清澈，和龍舌蘭酒一樣醉人，又有醫用酒精的灼熱刺鼻感。最受青睞的中國白酒品牌茅臺酒度數最高可達60度，而伏特加通常只有40度。

紅酒——近年來，中國人對奢侈品的興趣與日俱增，紅酒也逐漸在中國的餐桌上流行起來。法國的拉菲和拉圖等頂級葡萄酒備受歡迎。

啤酒——深受中國人喜愛的啤酒品牌有青島啤酒和哈爾濱啤酒等，清爽沁脾，能有效緩解飲用白酒產生的灼燒感。

某些節日里，中國人可能還會喝上一些特制酒，比如端午節要喝黃酒（雄黃酒）。此外，中國的少數民族也常常有獨特的發酵工藝，來釀制各種葡萄酒和烈酒。

2.祝酒和干杯

“干杯”是一句祝酒詞，相當于英語里的cheers。但值得注意的是，“干杯”的字面意義是“清空杯子”，也就是說，你應在祝酒之后一飲而盡。

“我敬你一杯”用于向某人敬酒。通常，對方至少要抿一小口來回敬。另一種更加大氣的祝酒詞是“我干了，你隨意”，即“我會喝完這杯酒，你想喝多少都可以”。

3.酒膽、酒量和酒品

即便是商務晚宴，你喝醉了也完全沒問題。其實這多少是大家期望之中的。如果你告辭時還很清醒，主人可能會覺得沒有盡好地主之誼。

基本準則就是主人提供什么酒就喝什么。這叫作酒膽——“飲酒的膽量”，而且酒膽越大越好。當然，有酒膽并不意味著你酒量好。“酒量”即“飲酒的限度”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“飲酒儀態”，或者說喝醉后的行為舉止。若三者兼具，那是最好不過了; 倘若不能同時滿足，至少得有酒膽。

4.一般禮節

碰杯時，晚輩或下級的杯口應始終低于對方的杯口。這不僅適用于商務場合，家庭聚餐也是如此（比如，女婿向岳父敬酒時，杯口要低一些）。

如果聚會時遲到了，可能得“自罰三杯”。其實大部分遲到的人都挺享受這種“懲罰”，因為這樣可以趕上其他人的“進度”。

祝酒的人通常應該一飲而盡。

最后一點，拒絕別人敬酒是極其無禮的。別人向你敬酒，你喝多少意味著有多尊重對方。當然，“干了”是酒桌上對對方最大的尊重。

5.其他酒桌生存秘訣

慢慢喝——在中國，晚餐和酒局往往要持續好幾個小時。這不是短跑，而是一場真正的馬拉松。要想熬過漫漫長夜的酒局，一定要抽空吃點菜，喝點水。

尋找替代品——如果你實在不勝酒力，可以不喝白酒，改喝啤酒。如果已經醉得厲害，可以換成喝茶，這樣也不至于被排除在外。不過，切忌以水來敬酒或碰杯，這樣不吉利。

如果你確實不能喝酒，應在飯前告知，并點一壺茶。酒局開始后，你仍舊需要參與其中，不過幸運的是，你可以只喝茶，不喝酒。只要你也跟著祝酒、干杯、劃拳，大家就不會怪你不喝酒。

以上所述你可能聞所未聞，甚至有些膽戰心驚，其實完全不必緊張。要是外國朋友沒能遵守這些規則，主人也不會苛責。只要你玩得開心，聚會氣氛和諧，主人就很高興了，所以只管放松心情，盡情地享受吧！? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? □

（譯者單位：中南大學外國語學院）

1 significant other另一半;配偶或戀人。? 2 sixth sense第六感，即“超感官直覺”（ESP）的俗稱。? 3 elaborate精心制作的，即隆重的。

4 multi-faceted多方面的;包羅萬象的。? 5 sorghum高粱。? 6 stench臭味。? 7 rub-bing alcohol醫用酒精;消毒用酒精。? 8 alcohol-by-volume （ABV） 酒精含量的體積百分比，即酒精度。

9 inebriated 酒醉的。

10 booze酒。