(我们应该学会怎样道歉 Wǒmen yīnggāi xuéhuì zěnyàng dàoqiàn)
Recently the Beijing Morning Post 《北京晨报》ran an article on the quandry Chinese people often face when it is clear an apology is necessary ... A flash point scandal that surfaced a few weeks ago involving the use of "recycled cooking oil" by an upscale restaurant prompted the piece, titled "We need to learn how to apologize" (我们应该学会怎样道歉 Wǒmen yīnggāi xuéhuì zěnyàng dàoqiàn) ...
[Note: Since the article is about Chinese attitudes, it's not clear why the cartoon printed with it represents a person with caucasian features holding signs in Chinese that read "Admit to no error" (不认账 Bù rènzhàng), "Don't apologize"
(不道歉 Bù dàoqiàn), and "Don't accept responsibility" (不负责 Bù fùzé)] ...
South Beauty (俏江南 Qiào Jiāng Nán), a Beijing-based restaurant chain catering to wealthy customers, was visited by an undercover journalist who got employees to admit that the restaurant was using recycled cooking oil, mainly for use in preparing meals for the staff [Note: we wrote about a related incident in September's blog entry "Can't have that to go!"] ...
South Beauty restaurants have enjoyed a growing reputation since opening in 2000 (a few years ago, a reviewer on VirtualTourist.com wrote that "South Beauty has become a bit of an institution in Beijing in the last few years. For many, it is THE restaurant for taking business clients or for important celebrations") ... Following the revelation of wrongdoing, however, the company's reputation was on the line, and some sort of public acknowledgement of the problem, and an apology, was expected ...
But instead of apologizing, Qiao Jiang Nan's management issued a statement saying only that they'd "terminated agreements" (“解约说" jiěyuē shuō) with a supplier they claim was responsible for the mistake ... This "apology" received a great deal of attention in the press, mostly negative ...
The reporter for the Beijing Morning Post calls Qiao Jiang Nan's statement "perfunctory" ("敷衍塞责” "fūyansèzé"), and notes that not only businesses, but scholars and writers (when plagiarism is alleged), and local governments, are unable to offer sincere apologies...
实际上，当今社会中，面对许许多多的危机事件，不论是企业负责人、学者、作家，还是地方政府，真正愿意为错误道歉的极少，相反更多的是推卸责任，以至于成为一种现象。Shíjìshang，dāngjīn shèhuì zhōng，miànduì xǔxǔduōduō de wēijī shìjiàn，bùlùn shì qǐyè fùzérén, xuézhě, zuòjiā，háishi dìfāng zhèngfǔ，zhēnzhèng yuànyi wèi cuòwù dàoqiàn de jí shǎo，xiāngfǎn gèngduō de shì tuīxiè zérèn，yǐzhìyú chéngwéi yī zhǒng xiànxiàng.
Note: In 2009, "Meng Er-dong" 《孟二冬》, a film based on the real-life career of a highly-respected professor of classical Chinese literature at Beijing University, was released to national acclaim, and Meng Er-dong, who died at the age of 40, was elevated in status to "National Model Teacher" ... In that movie, a student who apparently had plagiarized much of his dissertation defends himself by saying that everyone copies, and Meng Er-dong forcefully replies, "I don't!" ...
There also was a scandal last year (2010), when someone challenged the crendentials of Jun Tang (唐骏 Táng Jùn, president of the New Huadu Industrial Group and former president of Microsoft China), accusing him of misrepresenting academic degrees on his resume [it seems Jun Tang held only a degree from Pacific Western University -- an American online university]; Jun Tang at first refused to respond to the allegations, then seemed unable to admit to wrongdoing, or to apologize...
The reporter captures the public mood: "So, people have been asking, why is it that in today's society, we cannot admit mistakes or offer apologies?"
于是，有人为此发出疑问：为什么现如今我们不肯认错、不会道歉？Yúshì，yǒurén wèicǐ fāchū yíwèn：wèishénme xiàn rújīn wǒmen bù kěn rèncuò, bù huì dàoqiàn？
Several experts are asked about the phenomenon and why it exists:
Xia Xueluan 夏学銮, professor of sociology at Beijing University, says: "Today, the way many businesses and individuals handle avoiding having to admit a mistake or apologizing, is to keep quiet and hope the matter will disappear..."
北京大学社会学教授夏学銮说：“现在很多企业、个人，把不认错、不道歉当作一种处理公共事件的方式，似乎觉得闭口不言，事件就不存在了 Běijīng Dàxué shèhuìxué jiàoshòu Xià Xuéluán shuō：“Xiànzài hěn duō qǐyè, gèrén，bǎ bù rèncuò, bùdào qiàn dàngzuò yī zhǒng chǔlǐ gōnggòng shìjiàn de fāngshì，sìhū juéde bìkǒubùyán，shìjiàn jiù bù cúnzài le..."
And he concludes, "Doesn't matter whether we're talking about a business or a person, not having a sense of responsibility, and not actually taking responsibility, does not help your image, and in fact can do great harm to it"....:
不管是企业也好，还是个人也好，缺乏责任感，缺乏担当，并不能维护自身的形象，反而会破坏它。”"Bùguǎn shì qǐyè yě hǎo，háishi gèrén yě hǎo，quēfá zérèngǎn，quēfá dāndāng，bìngbù néng wéihù zìshēn de xíngxiàng，fǎn'ér huì pòhuài tā"...
Fang Zhouzi (方舟子, a Chinese national who did post-doc research in biology at University of Michigan -- and the person who exposed Jun Tang's resume as fabricated), believes the inability of some Chinese to accept responsibility or to apologize for mistakes is, "in the first place, a direct effect of the Chinese tradition of "saving face" -- many people think admitting to mistakes results in loss of face, so they find all kinds of convenient excuses" to preserve their dignity in public ...
方舟子说：“第一可能是因为面子问题，中国人有好面子的传统，很多人觉得认错很丢脸，于是找各种借口。" Fāng Zhōuzǐ shuō：“Dì-yī kěnéng shì yīnwèi miànzi wèntí，zhōngguórén yǒu hǎo miànzi de chuántǒng，hěn duō rén juéde rèncuò hěn diūliǎn，yúshì zhǎo gèzhǒng jièkǒu."
Other reasons, according to Fang Zhuozi, are the desire to protect one's superiors, and tortuous logic that argues against being identified as the person responsible (apologies imply you admit to a mistake, admitting to a mistake means you're responsible, nobody wants to be responsible, therefore no-one admits to mistakes):
"第二是‘为贤者讳’，为领导、上司、权威等等掩饰。第三，道歉意味着认错，认错就可能被追究责任，有人不愿意承担责任，于是不肯认错。” "Dì-èr shì‘wèi xiánzhě huì’，wèi lǐngdǎo, shàngsi, quánwēi děngdeng yǎnshì. Dì-sān，dàoqiàn yìwèizhe rèncuò，rèncuò jiù kěnéng bèi zhuījiū zérèn，yǒurén bù yuàn yì chéngdān zérèn，yúshì bù kěn rèncuò."
Zhang Yiwu ( 张颐武, professor of Literary Theory and Culture at Beijing University, and creator of the "It's China Time" lecture series), chimes in: "In the Chinese tradition, there are phrases for self-restraint, tolerance and empathy, but these aren't shaping today's society."
张颐武则说：“中国传统中有律己以严，待人以宽的理论，也有推己及人的说法，但是今天社会中并没有形成这样的环境。" “Zhōngguó chuántǒng zhōng yǒu lǜjǐ yǐ yán，dàirényǐkuān de lǐlùn，yě yǒu tuījǐjírén de shuōfa，dànshì jīntiān shèhuì zhōng bìng méiyǒu xíngchéng zhèyàng de huánjìng."
Zhang Yiwu then appeals to the classical tradition to bolster his argument: "No one can avoid making mistakes, [but] it's just as the ancients said, 'If you correct a mistake, everyone admires you'" ...
其实每个人都不可能不犯错误，正如圣人说的，更也，人皆仰之。Qíshí měi gèrén dōu bù kěnéng bù fàn cuòwu，zhèngrú shèngrén shuō de，gèng yě，rén jiē yǎng zhī...
[Note: The full phrase, taken from the Confucian canon, is "If you make a mistake, everyone sees it, if you correct a mistake, everyone admires you" ...
过也，人皆见之；更也，人皆仰之。Guò yě，rén jiē jiàn zhī；gèng yě，rén jiē yǎng zhī...
Zhang Yiwu also emphasizes that those who commit mistakes ought to admit them and should bear the burden of punishment, but insists the public also must give people an opportunity to correct their mistakes; this in turn will bring about a more positive culture ...
犯错误的人固然要因此承担责任，甚至接受惩罚，但是公众也应该在他们接受惩罚之后，给他们改正错误的机会。这样，才能形成一个良性的社会环境。Fàn cuòwu de rén gùrán yàoyīn cǐ chéngdān zérèn，shènzhì jiēshòu chéngfá，dànshì gōngzhòng yě yīnggāi zài tāmen jiēshòu chéngfá zhīhòu，gěi tāmen gǎizhèng cuòwù de jīhuì. Zhèyàng，cáinéng xíngchéng yī gè liángxìng de shèhuì huánjìng...
At this point, the reporter notes that there are public places where apologies are not accepted, for example, the Internet, which is described as fostering a "ruthless atmosphere" (暴戾之气 bàolì zhī qì)...
As if to underscore the critical importance of a change in attitude at all levels of society, the article ends with the following remarks by the sociologist Xia Xueluan: "Doesn't matter whether it's businesses, local government staff, or individuals, everyone must raise this sense of social responsibility, and the public must allow others to correct their mistakes" ...
"不管是企业，还是地方政府的官员，还是个人，都应该树立起社会责任感，要有担当。而公众也应该允许别人改正错误。” "Bùguǎn shì qǐyè，háishi dìfāng zhèngfǔ de guānyuán，háishi gèrén，dōu yīnggāi shùlì qǐ shèhuì zérèngǎn，yàoyǒu dāndāng. Ér gōngzhòng yě yīnggāi yǔnxǔ biéren gǎizhèng cuòwù. ”
Sources《北京晨报》2011-09/20 第C03版 ： ”我们应该学会怎样道歉“
http://www.morningpost.com.cn/bjcb/html/2011-09/20/node_64.htm
Recently the Beijing Morning Post 《北京晨报》ran an article on the quandry Chinese people often face when it is clear an apology is necessary ... A flash point scandal that surfaced a few weeks ago involving the use of "recycled cooking oil" by an upscale restaurant prompted the piece, titled "We need to learn how to apologize" (我们应该学会怎样道歉 Wǒmen yīnggāi xuéhuì zěnyàng dàoqiàn) ...
[Note: Since the article is about Chinese attitudes, it's not clear why the cartoon printed with it represents a person with caucasian features holding signs in Chinese that read "Admit to no error" (不认账 Bù rènzhàng), "Don't apologize"
(不道歉 Bù dàoqiàn), and "Don't accept responsibility" (不负责 Bù fùzé)] ...
South Beauty (俏江南 Qiào Jiāng Nán), a Beijing-based restaurant chain catering to wealthy customers, was visited by an undercover journalist who got employees to admit that the restaurant was using recycled cooking oil, mainly for use in preparing meals for the staff [Note: we wrote about a related incident in September's blog entry "Can't have that to go!"] ...
South Beauty restaurants have enjoyed a growing reputation since opening in 2000 (a few years ago, a reviewer on VirtualTourist.com wrote that "South Beauty has become a bit of an institution in Beijing in the last few years. For many, it is THE restaurant for taking business clients or for important celebrations") ... Following the revelation of wrongdoing, however, the company's reputation was on the line, and some sort of public acknowledgement of the problem, and an apology, was expected ...
But instead of apologizing, Qiao Jiang Nan's management issued a statement saying only that they'd "terminated agreements" (“解约说" jiěyuē shuō) with a supplier they claim was responsible for the mistake ... This "apology" received a great deal of attention in the press, mostly negative ...
The reporter for the Beijing Morning Post calls Qiao Jiang Nan's statement "perfunctory" ("敷衍塞责” "fūyansèzé"), and notes that not only businesses, but scholars and writers (when plagiarism is alleged), and local governments, are unable to offer sincere apologies...
实际上，当今社会中，面对许许多多的危机事件，不论是企业负责人、学者、作家，还是地方政府，真正愿意为错误道歉的极少，相反更多的是推卸责任，以至于成为一种现象。Shíjìshang，dāngjīn shèhuì zhōng，miànduì xǔxǔduōduō de wēijī shìjiàn，bùlùn shì qǐyè fùzérén, xuézhě, zuòjiā，háishi dìfāng zhèngfǔ，zhēnzhèng yuànyi wèi cuòwù dàoqiàn de jí shǎo，xiāngfǎn gèngduō de shì tuīxiè zérèn，yǐzhìyú chéngwéi yī zhǒng xiànxiàng.
Note: In 2009, "Meng Er-dong" 《孟二冬》, a film based on the real-life career of a highly-respected professor of classical Chinese literature at Beijing University, was released to national acclaim, and Meng Er-dong, who died at the age of 40, was elevated in status to "National Model Teacher" ... In that movie, a student who apparently had plagiarized much of his dissertation defends himself by saying that everyone copies, and Meng Er-dong forcefully replies, "I don't!" ...
There also was a scandal last year (2010), when someone challenged the crendentials of Jun Tang (唐骏 Táng Jùn, president of the New Huadu Industrial Group and former president of Microsoft China), accusing him of misrepresenting academic degrees on his resume [it seems Jun Tang held only a degree from Pacific Western University -- an American online university]; Jun Tang at first refused to respond to the allegations, then seemed unable to admit to wrongdoing, or to apologize...
The reporter captures the public mood: "So, people have been asking, why is it that in today's society, we cannot admit mistakes or offer apologies?"
于是，有人为此发出疑问：为什么现如今我们不肯认错、不会道歉？Yúshì，yǒurén wèicǐ fāchū yíwèn：wèishénme xiàn rújīn wǒmen bù kěn rèncuò, bù huì dàoqiàn？
Several experts are asked about the phenomenon and why it exists:
Xia Xueluan 夏学銮, professor of sociology at Beijing University, says: "Today, the way many businesses and individuals handle avoiding having to admit a mistake or apologizing, is to keep quiet and hope the matter will disappear..."
北京大学社会学教授夏学銮说：“现在很多企业、个人，把不认错、不道歉当作一种处理公共事件的方式，似乎觉得闭口不言，事件就不存在了 Běijīng Dàxué shèhuìxué jiàoshòu Xià Xuéluán shuō：“Xiànzài hěn duō qǐyè, gèrén，bǎ bù rèncuò, bùdào qiàn dàngzuò yī zhǒng chǔlǐ gōnggòng shìjiàn de fāngshì，sìhū juéde bìkǒubùyán，shìjiàn jiù bù cúnzài le..."
And he concludes, "Doesn't matter whether we're talking about a business or a person, not having a sense of responsibility, and not actually taking responsibility, does not help your image, and in fact can do great harm to it"....:
不管是企业也好，还是个人也好，缺乏责任感，缺乏担当，并不能维护自身的形象，反而会破坏它。”"Bùguǎn shì qǐyè yě hǎo，háishi gèrén yě hǎo，quēfá zérèngǎn，quēfá dāndāng，bìngbù néng wéihù zìshēn de xíngxiàng，fǎn'ér huì pòhuài tā"...
Fang Zhouzi (方舟子, a Chinese national who did post-doc research in biology at University of Michigan -- and the person who exposed Jun Tang's resume as fabricated), believes the inability of some Chinese to accept responsibility or to apologize for mistakes is, "in the first place, a direct effect of the Chinese tradition of "saving face" -- many people think admitting to mistakes results in loss of face, so they find all kinds of convenient excuses" to preserve their dignity in public ...
方舟子说：“第一可能是因为面子问题，中国人有好面子的传统，很多人觉得认错很丢脸，于是找各种借口。" Fāng Zhōuzǐ shuō：“Dì-yī kěnéng shì yīnwèi miànzi wèntí，zhōngguórén yǒu hǎo miànzi de chuántǒng，hěn duō rén juéde rèncuò hěn diūliǎn，yúshì zhǎo gèzhǒng jièkǒu."
Other reasons, according to Fang Zhuozi, are the desire to protect one's superiors, and tortuous logic that argues against being identified as the person responsible (apologies imply you admit to a mistake, admitting to a mistake means you're responsible, nobody wants to be responsible, therefore no-one admits to mistakes):
"第二是‘为贤者讳’，为领导、上司、权威等等掩饰。第三，道歉意味着认错，认错就可能被追究责任，有人不愿意承担责任，于是不肯认错。” "Dì-èr shì‘wèi xiánzhě huì’，wèi lǐngdǎo, shàngsi, quánwēi děngdeng yǎnshì. Dì-sān，dàoqiàn yìwèizhe rèncuò，rèncuò jiù kěnéng bèi zhuījiū zérèn，yǒurén bù yuàn yì chéngdān zérèn，yúshì bù kěn rèncuò."
Zhang Yiwu ( 张颐武, professor of Literary Theory and Culture at Beijing University, and creator of the "It's China Time" lecture series), chimes in: "In the Chinese tradition, there are phrases for self-restraint, tolerance and empathy, but these aren't shaping today's society."
张颐武则说：“中国传统中有律己以严，待人以宽的理论，也有推己及人的说法，但是今天社会中并没有形成这样的环境。" “Zhōngguó chuántǒng zhōng yǒu lǜjǐ yǐ yán，dàirényǐkuān de lǐlùn，yě yǒu tuījǐjírén de shuōfa，dànshì jīntiān shèhuì zhōng bìng méiyǒu xíngchéng zhèyàng de huánjìng."
Zhang Yiwu then appeals to the classical tradition to bolster his argument: "No one can avoid making mistakes, [but] it's just as the ancients said, 'If you correct a mistake, everyone admires you'" ...
其实每个人都不可能不犯错误，正如圣人说的，更也，人皆仰之。Qíshí měi gèrén dōu bù kěnéng bù fàn cuòwu，zhèngrú shèngrén shuō de，gèng yě，rén jiē yǎng zhī...
[Note: The full phrase, taken from the Confucian canon, is "If you make a mistake, everyone sees it, if you correct a mistake, everyone admires you" ...
过也，人皆见之；更也，人皆仰之。Guò yě，rén jiē jiàn zhī；gèng yě，rén jiē yǎng zhī...
Zhang Yiwu also emphasizes that those who commit mistakes ought to admit them and should bear the burden of punishment, but insists the public also must give people an opportunity to correct their mistakes; this in turn will bring about a more positive culture ...
犯错误的人固然要因此承担责任，甚至接受惩罚，但是公众也应该在他们接受惩罚之后，给他们改正错误的机会。这样，才能形成一个良性的社会环境。Fàn cuòwu de rén gùrán yàoyīn cǐ chéngdān zérèn，shènzhì jiēshòu chéngfá，dànshì gōngzhòng yě yīnggāi zài tāmen jiēshòu chéngfá zhīhòu，gěi tāmen gǎizhèng cuòwù de jīhuì. Zhèyàng，cáinéng xíngchéng yī gè liángxìng de shèhuì huánjìng...
At this point, the reporter notes that there are public places where apologies are not accepted, for example, the Internet, which is described as fostering a "ruthless atmosphere" (暴戾之气 bàolì zhī qì)...
As if to underscore the critical importance of a change in attitude at all levels of society, the article ends with the following remarks by the sociologist Xia Xueluan: "Doesn't matter whether it's businesses, local government staff, or individuals, everyone must raise this sense of social responsibility, and the public must allow others to correct their mistakes" ...
"不管是企业，还是地方政府的官员，还是个人，都应该树立起社会责任感，要有担当。而公众也应该允许别人改正错误。” "Bùguǎn shì qǐyè，háishi dìfāng zhèngfǔ de guānyuán，háishi gèrén，dōu yīnggāi shùlì qǐ shèhuì zérèngǎn，yàoyǒu dāndāng. Ér gōngzhòng yě yīnggāi yǔnxǔ biéren gǎizhèng cuòwù. ”
Sources《北京晨报》2011-09/20 第C03版 ： ”我们应该学会怎样道歉“
http://www.morningpost.com.cn/bjcb/html/2011-09/20/node_64.htm
RSS Feed