H
hkrabbit
11 November 2011
Gossip
Why is Ni Hao insulting to some people?
Sometimes I say "Ni Hao" to people I'm meeting for the first time, and they act like I insulted them.
For example, some respond by saying, "I'm not Chinese", or "No", or just look like they tasted something bitter.
I am a foreigner living in China and HK. The only people who respond this way are other foreigners, in both China and HK. Some are of Asian origin, some Western. The local Chinese and HK people, on the other hand, have no problem with it. It should be obvious that I'm just trying to be friendly, not force anyone to speak Chinese.
The same problem does not seem to exist in other countries. For example, in the U.S., it's fairly ordinary that foreigners (say, Latin Americans) will greet each other with "Hello" (as is customary in the host country) even though they might speak with each other entirely in some other language (say, Spanish). Nobody thinks it's strange.
Or, take Italy, it's fairly ordinary that foreigners (say, other Europeans) will greet each other with "Ciao" (as is customary in the host country) even though they might speak with each other entirely in some other language (say, English, or German). Nobody thinks it's strange.
So what's going on here in HK and China that's different from, say, the U.S. or Italy? What causes foreigners here to dislike using a local form of greeting that they all know (whether they speak the language or not)? Is it that they think Chinese language is inferior and using even one word of it makes them unclean?
Or maybe they're terribly uptight, and just need to lighten up a little?
Anyway, not a serious problem by any means, but just something that I've been curious about for some time, as I've noticed this pattern repeatedly over several years. Any insights would be appreciated.
Oh, by the way, in case anyone wants to know, the customary response to "Ni Hao" is "Ni Hao" (i.e., the response is the same as the greeting, as it is with, for example, "Ciao" or "Namaste"). There are some foreigners who seem OK with the greeting but respond in odd ways (e.g., by saying "Hen Hao"; I don't recall any local person ever responding that way to "Ni Hao", but your mileage may vary).
For example, some respond by saying, "I'm not Chinese", or "No", or just look like they tasted something bitter.
I am a foreigner living in China and HK. The only people who respond this way are other foreigners, in both China and HK. Some are of Asian origin, some Western. The local Chinese and HK people, on the other hand, have no problem with it. It should be obvious that I'm just trying to be friendly, not force anyone to speak Chinese.
The same problem does not seem to exist in other countries. For example, in the U.S., it's fairly ordinary that foreigners (say, Latin Americans) will greet each other with "Hello" (as is customary in the host country) even though they might speak with each other entirely in some other language (say, Spanish). Nobody thinks it's strange.
Or, take Italy, it's fairly ordinary that foreigners (say, other Europeans) will greet each other with "Ciao" (as is customary in the host country) even though they might speak with each other entirely in some other language (say, English, or German). Nobody thinks it's strange.
So what's going on here in HK and China that's different from, say, the U.S. or Italy? What causes foreigners here to dislike using a local form of greeting that they all know (whether they speak the language or not)? Is it that they think Chinese language is inferior and using even one word of it makes them unclean?
Or maybe they're terribly uptight, and just need to lighten up a little?
Anyway, not a serious problem by any means, but just something that I've been curious about for some time, as I've noticed this pattern repeatedly over several years. Any insights would be appreciated.
Oh, by the way, in case anyone wants to know, the customary response to "Ni Hao" is "Ni Hao" (i.e., the response is the same as the greeting, as it is with, for example, "Ciao" or "Namaste"). There are some foreigners who seem OK with the greeting but respond in odd ways (e.g., by saying "Hen Hao"; I don't recall any local person ever responding that way to "Ni Hao", but your mileage may vary).