The Influence of the “Face” tradition on the Chinese Education system

Abstract

The paper covers linguistic and cultural aspects of the concept of "face" and established combinations with the synonyms 面 and 脸. It compares some of the distinctive characteristics of the Chinese education system throughout history and assesses the influence of the "face saving" tradition on the Chinese education system. The paper studies linguistic and cultural aspects of the concept of "face", which refers to cultural understanding of respect, honour and social standing. The authors established combinations with the synonyms 面 and 脸, such as, “having face” (有面子), “not having face” (没面子), “losing face” (丢 脸/丢面子) ,“giving face” (给面子/给脸) etc. The essay compares some of the distinctive characteristics of the Chinese education system throughout history and assesses positive and negative influence of the "face saving" tradition on the Chinese education system.