I’m going to answer in Chinese:
熱鬧
This compound word doesn’t actually have a equivalent. The closest is “bustling, lively, noisy.” It’s used to describe the excitement of being around people; and I think, fundamentally, the Chinese like being around other people. Lots of people.
Let me give an example. I was travelling in mainland China and I noticed as people got on the bus, they filled out the seats from the front. I mean, in the West we tend to space ourselves out on the bus, to give ourselves privacy. But here, another type of logic seemed to be at work… I mean, why would you want to isolate yourself?
交代
I’m also having trouble translating this one. Perhaps the essence of a culture lies in things that are not really translatable.
In a sentence you’d use it in reference to “being held responsible”, as in you have to give an accounting of (whatever responsibility you were holding) to someone. In English, the way it is phrased implies bondage, “being held” responsible; but the Chinese character is a two way flow. The first character, “jiao” you use in compounds such as “exchange”, or “traffic”.
Unlike America, which prides itself on independence, the Chinese define themselves in terms of responsibility. Students feel responsible for studying because they owe it to their teacher, who is putting in all this work. Teachers, in turn, feel responsible for teaching their students to the best of their ability. So there is this immense sense of responsibility.
There’s this really interesting line in the movie, “The Last Emperor” where the emperor, after being reformed and ‘re-educated’ in labour camp, is rather bitter. [I might be misquoting, this is how I remember it!]
“All my life,” he says, “I have been used.”
His friend looks at him. “Is it really so terrible to be useful?”
土
Soil. The earth. The basics.
The truth is, the primary concern for the masses of China have always been getting enough to eat. In this sense the Chinese are pretty practical, and pretty materialistic.
Look at our funeral rites—people burn paper money, paper cars, and even paper mansions so that their family members can enjoy those in heaven.
I once had a conversation with a member of hte Yao tribe, in a poor village in China. They had the custom of putting rice out on the graves of their ancestors.
“What happens, ” I asked, “If you have a bad year and you’re having trouble feeding your own family?”
“Oh,” they replied, “We don’t put out rice then. We’re pissed off at our ancestors for not looking out for us.”
=)
See, wonderfully practical!
Composing members:
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Composing members:
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