Business Etiquette—Showing Honor through Holding Fist
Key Learning Points (Preview):
拳头 (quántou) n. fist
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祝贺 (zhùhè) n. congratulations
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Holding fist is a form of greeting, usually used by men, with one clenched fist cradled in the other hand and held at chest level. It is a traditional custom in China and is used to express "祝贺 (zhùhè) congratulations" and good "愿望 (yuànwàng) wishes."
In modern China, holding fist is widely used in business situations. So, the way to properly hold fist is just like this: standing upright, hold the right hand (in fist) with the left hand and rock them up and down slightly at roughly chest level. Please see the following picture.
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In China, expressing regards through holding fist is often used in the following three situations.
1. At every major event or holiday, such as "春节 (chūnjié) Spring Festival." We often show regards through holding fist when we meet our "邻居 (línju) neighbors," "朋友 (péngyou) friends" or "同事 (tóngshì) colleagues."
2. On festive occasions, such as "婚礼 (hūnlǐ) weddings" or birthday parties, the "客人 (kèrén) guests" can hold fist to congratulate the "主人 (zhǔrén) hosts."
3. At farewell parties, people often hold fist while saying "Take care!" to each other. Occasionally, we hold fist to request forgiveness.
When we show our regards through holding fist, we also use special words and expressions, such as: "节日快乐 (jiérì kuàilè) Happy holidays," "恭喜 (gōngxǐ) congratulations" or "久仰 (jiǔyǎng) I've heard so much about you."
Key Learning Points:
拳头 (quántou) n. fist
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Tā yòng quántou qīngqing dǎ le yí xià wǒ.
他 用 拳头 轻轻 打 了一下 我。
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He hit me lightly with his fist.
祝贺 (zhùhè) n. congratulations
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Zhùhè nín, jīnglǐ, wǒmen de xīn xiàngmù hěn chénggōng.
A: 祝贺 您，经理，我们 的 新 项目 很 成功!
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Congratulations to our manager, our new project has been very successful!
Xièxiè dàjiā de nǔlì.
B: 谢谢 大家 的努力。
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Thanks everybody for working so hard.
Related posts:
◆ 商务问候礼仪 Business Greeting Etiquette (Intermediate)
◆ 商务电话礼仪 Business Etiquette—Make a phone call (Intermediate)
◆ 商务介绍礼仪 Business Etiquette–Business Card Exchanges and Introduction (Beginner)
