十大令人困惑的奇葩禮儀(上)

Manners and etiquette are tricky to say the least. Figuring out which fork is the salad fork is one thing, but knowing when using a fork at all will offend your host is another. Etiquette varies from culture to culture. Something that sounds rude in one country may be the most polite thing to do in another.

禮儀和規矩至少可以說是讓人難以捉摸透徹的。知道哪把叉子是用來吃沙拉的是一回事，但是知道用叉子根本就是對主人的一種冒犯又是另外一回事了。禮儀因文化不同而不同。在一個國家聽上去粗魯的某些行爲放到另一個國家可能偏偏正是最禮貌的。

ting

10.吐口水、吐痰

There is a good chance our parents scolded us as teens when we spit on the sidewalk. In general, spitting is usually frowned upon. Spitting on or at someone is seen as one of the greatest insults one can give. It's even considered assault by the police. Members of the Maasai tribe in eastern central Africa, however, have a completely different way of seeing things. They spit at each other the same way we shake hands. As a matter of fact, they spit on their hands before shaking just in case they forget to spit on each other later.

我們十幾歲的時候隨地吐痰的話，父母很有可能會責罵我們。一般來說，吐痰通常確實是人們所不贊同的行爲。向其他人吐口水被認爲是人們做出的最侮辱他人的行爲之一。某些情況下甚至可以被警方認爲是人身攻擊。然而，非洲中心東部的馬薩伊部落的成員們卻有着一個完全不同的看待吐口水這一行爲的視角。他們互相吐口水的意義就像我們互相握手一樣。實際上，他們在握手之前互相吐口水僅僅是爲了防止他們握手之後會忘記。

Most of us have been forced to endure conversations with elderly relatives who don't adhere to the phrase "Say it, don't spray it," but Maasai children have it worse. Polite children who salute when they walk by their elders can expect a big, wet glob of saliva flying their way in response. Of course, it is done with the best of intentions, and accompanied by the elder wishing a long life upon the child. Friends and family come from miles around to spit on newborn babies for the same reason.

我們大多數人都有那麼幾個說話時口水四濺的長輩，與這些長輩交談時我們通常都要忍受滿臉的唾沫，然而馬賽的孩子們比我們更加不幸。當有禮貌的孩子們路過長輩時，通常會收到長輩們一大坨飛揚的唾沫作爲迴應。當然，馬賽的長輩們這麼做是帶着最好的祝願的，並且希望孩子們能夠長壽。朋友和家人遠從千里而來給新生兒吐口水也是出於同樣的原因。

The tribespeople spit for just about every occasion. They spit on any gift they are about to give. When they move into a new home, one of the first things they do is go outside and spit in the four directions. They spit at anything they've never seen before because they believe doing so protects their eyesight.

幾乎每一個場合上，他們都會吐口水。他們會在他們要送出的禮物上吐口水。當他們搬進了新家，他們做的第一件事就是去外面朝四個方向吐口水。他們向任何從來沒見過的東西吐口水是因爲他們相信這樣做可以保護視力。

ping

9.飲啜

In most countries, slurping soup in public may cause our mothers to yell at us or our dates to disown us. However, in many Asian countries, such as China and Japan, slurping soup or noodles is seen as high praise. It implies that the food is so good that the diner couldn't even wait for it to cool off to eat it. Anyone who has scorched their mouth on a slice of deep-dish pizza with everything on it will probably agree that there may be some truth to this.

在大多數國家，在公共場合啜湯可能會導致我們挨媽媽的一頓罵甚至約會對象會和我們不再往來。然而，在許多亞洲國家，如中國和日本，啜湯或吸麪條被視爲高度讚譽。這表明，食物非常的好吃以至於吃飯的客人迫不及待想吃也就顧不上等食物冷了再吃。喜歡一口吃掉一片滿是餡料的深盤披薩的人大概會深有感觸，認爲這話有點道理吧。

To eat without slurping may lead those nearby to assume the diner is unhappy with the food. In Japan, the same is true for tea. Slurping the last mouthful of tea loudly lets the host know the guest has finished and is satisfied. This cultural difference has led many Japanese visitors to feel restricted in other countries where they are expected to dine quietly.

光吃不啜可能會使我們身邊的服務員擔心食客不滿意店裏的食物。在日本喝茶也是同樣的道理。茶的最後一口要啜得大聲讓主人知道你已經喝完了並且得到了滿足。這種文化上的差異使得許多日本遊客在需要悄然用餐的國家倍感約束。

king Out Your Tongue

8.吐舌頭

In many countries, sticking out your tongue is usually accompanied by the phrase "Na, na, na-na-na!" At the very least, it is typically seen as a rebellious or teasing gesture. At most, it is an insult. This is why, in Italy, you can be fined for insulting behavior for doing it. While not illegal in India, sticking out one's tongue is negative and regarded as a sign of unbelievable anger.

在許多國家，通常伸出你的舌頭並伴隨着那句"吶，吶，吶，吶，吶！"輕則通常被視爲典型的叛逆或戲弄的姿態。重則被認爲是一種侮辱。在意大利這樣做，你會因侮辱行爲而被罰款。然而在印度這並不違法，伸出自己的舌頭是消極的情緒，並且是憤怒至極的標誌。

However, the world is a large place, and in New Caledonia, the same gesture indicates a wish for wisdom and energy. In Tibet, however, sticking out one's tongue is seen as the respectful thing to do when greeting someone. It is said that this custom comes from the belief that an evil king had a black tongue, and it shows goodwill to prove that we are not an incarnation him. This may explain why, in the Caroline Islands, sticking out tongues is believed to be a way to banish demons. Although, to be fair, if the person sticking out their tongue hasn't brushed their teeth, then they would probably be able to banish anyone.

然而，世界很大，無奇不有。在新喀里多尼亞，同樣的手勢卻表示希望獲得智慧和能量。在西藏，伸出自己的舌頭，又被視爲問候別人時的表示尊重的方式。據說這一習俗源於一種信仰，從前一個邪惡的國王有一個黑色的舌頭，黑色的舌頭顯示了善意來證明我們不是他的一個化身。這也許可以解釋爲什麼在加羅林羣島，伸出舌頭被認爲可以驅逐惡魔。雖然，說實話，如果你沒刷牙也伸出舌頭的話，別提惡魔了，任何人你都可以嚇跑。

ers

7.鮮花

Flowers are often seen as an all-purpose gift. They are given for first dates, graduations, weddings, funerals, "get well soon" gifts, and apologies. It is actually for this reason that giving flowers can sometimes be viewed as rude if one is not careful. Chrysanthemums, lilies, gladioli, and other white flowers are symbolic of mourning, and they are used in funerals in many countries. Carnations are common cemetery decorations in Germany and France. To give someone a bouquet of white flowers in China, or a carnation in France, may be interpreted as saying "Drop dead."

鮮花往往被認爲是一種全能的禮物。第一次約會，畢業典禮，婚禮，葬禮，探病，和道歉時都可以送花。正是如此，稍不留神送花就會被認爲是粗魯的。菊花，百合，劍蘭以及其他白色的花朵是哀悼的象徵，許多國家都把它們用在葬禮上。德國和法國的墓地都會用康乃馨來裝飾。在中國送別人一朵白花，或者在法國送別人康乃馨，都可以解釋爲對別人說："去死吧。"

Yellow flowers represent hate in Russia and Iran, and purple flowers are bad luck in Italy and Brazil. Red flowers, roses especially, are intended only to express romantic interest in Germany and Italy. In the Czech Republic, flowers in general are seen as romantic gifts. So, giving one's teacher or boss flowers could result in a great deal of trouble. Even the number of flowers can be rude. In some countries, like France and Armenia, an even number of flowers is for joyous occasions, and odd numbers are for grieving, while in countries like Thailand and China, odd numbers tend to be lucky and even numbers tend to be ominous.

黃色的花在俄羅斯和伊朗代表着仇恨，而紫色的花在意大利和巴西則是壞運氣的象徵。紅色的花，特別是玫瑰，在德國和意大利就只能用來表達愛意。在捷克共和國，花一般被認爲是示愛的禮物。所以送花給自己的老師或老闆可能會引來很大的麻煩。花的數量不對也會被認爲粗魯。在一些國家，比如法國和亞美尼亞，偶數的花是在喜慶的場合，而奇數則是悲傷，然而在像泰國和中國這樣的國家，奇數往往是幸運的，偶數往往則凶多吉少。

ning Your Plate

6.吃光盤子

Yes, we are all used to our parents telling us to clean our plate and not to waste food. In some countries, however, a clean plate may confuse the host, and possibly insult them. In the Philippines, North Africa, and some regions of China, the host will put more food on a plate once it is clean. Even this requires a little game in North Africa: The host offers more, the guest says no, the host offers again, the guest says no again, the host offers one more time, and the guest finally agrees. It is only when the guest leaves a little bit of food on their plate that the host will assume they are full. Failure to do so in some situations can offend the host. They will see a guest's clean plate as a signal that they were not served enough, and the host may feel that they are being called cheap.

是的，我們都習慣了父母從小就告訴我們要吃光盤子，不能浪費食物。然而在一些國家，吃光你的盤子可能會給主人造成困擾，並可能無意中羞辱了他們。在菲律賓，北非和中國的一些地區，一旦你的盤子空了，主人就會把更多的食物添到你的盤子裏。即使在北非這需要繞一點小小的彎子：主人提供更多的食物，客人拒絕，主人再提供，客人再拒絕，主人再次提供，最後客人終於同意。只有客人的盤子裏留下一點食物的時候，主人才會覺得客人都吃飽了。如果不這樣做，在某些情況下會冒犯到主人。他們會把客人的空盤子看作是客人沒有得到很好的招待的信號，並且他們可能會覺得自己在被說小氣。

翻譯:瓜瓜 來源：前十網