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Chinese culture & everyday etiquette

Six situations you will actually meet on a trip, plus a Chinese naming tool. Learn what happens, where it comes up, and how practice differs by region, family and generation.

筷Friends sharing dishes with chopsticks in a contemporary Chinese restaurant

Chopsticks and shared dishes

Most meals are ordered to the middle of the table and shared. Chopsticks are how you take your portion — and a few small habits make the whole thing feel easy.

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茶Tea being poured in a contemporary Chinese teahouse

Tea, teahouses and receiving a cup

Tea is the default drink of a meeting, a meal and a slow afternoon. Knowing how a cup is poured and refilled removes most of the awkwardness.

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影A traveler asking a market vendor before taking a photograph

Photography and respecting people

Nobody minds a photograph of a street or a temple facade. The line is people: ask first, and take a no gracefully.

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寺Present-day visitors behaving respectfully in an active temple courtyard

Temples and religious sites

Most temples you will visit are working places of worship, not museums with a ticket window. A few quiet conventions cover almost every situation.

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节Travelers moving through a contemporary city festival crowd

Festivals, crowds and closures

Chinese public holidays move with the lunar calendar, and the whole country travels at once. Knowing the three big windows changes what you book and when.

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礼Neighbors exchanging a polite greeting in a modern Beijing residential community

Everyday courtesy and forms of address

You do not need much language to be polite. A handful of phrases and one habit — using a title instead of a name — covers most of it.

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名Two friends discussing the sound and meaning of Chinese name options

Find your Chinese name

Open Jieyi to explore five names shaped around your sound, meaning and real-life use.

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