Chinese Dining Etiquette Guide

1. Don’t tap your foot. Tapping your foot is not only considered rude, but also indicates poverty in Chinese Feng Shui. One who taps his foot suggests he’s constantly in a non-steady state, which is thought to be bad for collecting wealth in Feng Shui.

There’s even a folk saying: “A man tapping his foot is poor, and a woman tapping her foot is indecent.” And tapping one’s foot at the table is impolite.

2. Don’t stick chopsticks straight up in the rice at meal. Sticking chopsticks upright in a bowl of rice is a traditional way used by Chinese people to venerate their ancestors. It symbolizes death, and is considered bad luck.

3. Don’t tap your bowl with chopsticks. Beggars at one time tapped their bowls to attract attention, and sometimes in a restaurant, customers do the same thing if they think the service is slow. So tapping the bowl at meal can insult the host.

4. Be careful when asking for seconds. If you are learning Chinese, it can be fun to practice it while enjoying delicious food. But be careful when you ask for second helpings in Chinese, because “need rice/want rice” is usually translated to “yào fàn,” which also refers to “begging for food.”

5. Eat with your mouth closed. Not just in China, people in other countries get annoyed by the sound of someone eating with his mouth open. In dining etiquette, this is not only unbecoming, but also bothers people nearby. The same rule applies to drinking tea, soup, and various beverages. Slurping is considered rude.

6. Don’t start eating before your host does. In China, guests usually wait until their hosts take the first bite, or invite everyone to start eating. Sometimes the hosts will begin banquets by first serving the guests of honor, and asking everyone else to help themselves. Children need to wait until adults begin to eat.

7. Serve someone else first before you serve yourself. If one serves himself first, he will be considered very rude, and doesn’t have manners. So when wanting another helping or to refill a drink, one offers it to other guests first. If the other person is in a conversation, he shall not be interrupted, but the drink may just be poured into his cup.

8. Don’t leave your hand under the table. Don’t rest your hand under the table, or out of sight. The same etiquette rule is followed in Russia and Spain.

Chinese table manners are more than just learning how to use chopsticks. There are also things like where to sit to show one’s respect to the host or guest of honor, how to order, how to pour tea and show gratitude, and how to eat fish, which is a must dish at a Chinese New Year dinner. By properly observing Chinese table manners, one is sure to impress his Chinese friends at Lunar New Year’s dinner.