Chopsticks (筷子 kuàizi) are commonly seen worldwide (全世界 quán shìjiè) today. More and more (越来越多的 yuèlái yuèduōde) people are mastering (掌握 zhǎngwò) this tool (工具 gōngjù) to enjoy the fun of Chinese food and Asian food. The pair of sticks can be made of various materials. Ivory (象牙 xiàngyá) used to be the royal material for chopsticks. Silver (银 yín) chopsticks were used to test (测试 cèshì) poisons, such as mercury (水银 shuǐyín). Bamboo (竹子 zhúzi) is the most favorite (最受欢迎的 zuìshòu huānyíng de) material for making chopsticks because it is natural and durable (耐用 nàiyòng). Besides, wood (木头 mùtou) and plastic (塑料 sùliào) chopsticks are very commonly used in restaurants (餐馆 cānguǎn) because the material is inexpensive.
Here are some Don’t in the Chinese culture of chopsticks:
1. Avoid (避免 bìmiǎn) putting chopsticks vertically (竖直 shùzhí) in a bowl (碗 wǎn) of rice or food. –Standing chopsticks are only used when worshiping (祭拜 jìbài) the dead.
2. Avoid making noise (噪音 zàoyīn) or knocking (敲击 qiāojī) a bowl with chopsticks. – This is how beggars (乞丐 qǐgài) ask for food.
3. Don’t point (指向 zhǐxiàng) someone at the table with your chopsticks. –It is impolite (不礼貌 bùlǐmào), of course.
4. Don’t cross (交叉 jiāochā) the chopsticks when placing them. –Crossing was a symbol of being sued, thus it is not a good signal.
After you learn the etiquette, it is time for you to have fun with chopsticks and welcome to join SpeakMandarin.com if you want to learn some Chinese with chopsticks!