Chinese way of drinking

The pinyin pronunciation for 酒(liquor) is Jiu3. China has a very long history of producing wines. Its production process is much more complex than some other distilled wines in the world, including a variety of raw materials and incorporation of diverse characteristics. In China, the most famous liquor is white wine. Chinese white liquor (such as maotai, guojiao, erguotou) is one of the six world famous wines.

However what impresses people most is not the wine itself, but the way Chinese people drink it. As for the Chinese wine-drinking tradition, not only do Chinese drink themselves, but also frequently they “urge” others to drink, as much as possible. This is difficult for some foreigners who are learning Chinese. In a Chinese banquet, the host often keeps on telling someone to eat or drink. It is not only recognized as a courtesy, but also an act of respecting other people.

Chinese people are very hospitable, especially when they are at the dinner table. Chinese people believe the relationship between each other is best promoted when they are toasting. When Chinese people are toasting, they want their guests or friends to drink more, so as to express their hospitality and friendship. The more the guests drink, the happier they will be, because it shows that the gusts like their food and regard them. If the guests didn’t get drunk, the hosts will think the guests didn’t enjoy the dinner and will feel sorry and low in spirit.

At a Chinese banquet, no matter whether others can drink or not, or whether it is proper to urge others to drink or not, if the host does not encourage people to drink several cups of wine, it would seem like people would think that the host is not hospitable and considerate. In reality, the Chinese think urging people to drink can not only deepen feelings between each other, but also make the banquet more joyful and harmonious.

In order to urge the guests to drink more, there are many interesting sayings that have been carried from generation to generation, such as “deep feeling, bottom up”, “shallow feeling, take a sip”, “Do not leave until drunk”. If you do not have a ready tongue or a good eloquence and failed to come up with a reason to refuse, then be ready to get drunk! There are many ways of urging others to drink more which can be concluded as follows: “a polite urge”, “a forceful urge” and “a punishing urge”.