“A Chinese dinner host will sociated with a Chinese will gain‘face’and give‘face 'to his host.
“举办中餐宴会的主人不会指望客人了解与一道中国菜相关的所有传统。但是客人如果了解这样一些传统的话就会有‘面子’，同时也给了主人‘面子’。”
Investigating those traditions is business associates will happily tell not expect a visitor to know all the traditions asmeal. But the visitor who knows some of them his host!”part of the fun of a China visit, where friends or you the whys and wherefores of seemingly orcane rituals. You may even hear different versions of how a particular dining tradition originated!
调查这些传统是在中国游览过程中一个充满乐趣的部分，中国的朋友或商业合作人会很高兴告诉你看似不可思议的礼仪的由来与原因。你甚至可能听到有关一个就餐传统由来的不同版本!
Foreign visitors will be forgiven for not knowing dining etiquette. For example，they will be good-naturedly offered a knife and fork if their chopstick prowess is not up to par. Just as Chinese food，however，seems to taste better when it is eaten with chopsticks，so the whole meal will be more enjoyable if one knows a little of the ancient traditions and beliefs of a 5 000-year-old culinary heritage.
外国游客如果不知道就餐礼仪的话会得到谅解;例如倘若他们用筷子的能力还没有达标的话，人们就会和善地给他们提供刀叉。但是，正因为中国食品似乎用筷子食用味道更好，因此如果知道拥有5 000年历史的饮食传统中的一些古老传统和信仰的话，整个进餐就会变得更加富有乐趣了。
Why is a fish never turned over? Why do tea-drinkers surreptitiously tap tables Why will there be a place laid for a guest wha will never come Why is it not improper to slurp you soup but improper to eat a fish heady Why are Chinese dinner tables round and how will you know who is the guest of honors How and why will you say“Cheers!”?
为什么鱼从不翻过来呢?为什么喝茶的人要悄悄敲下桌子呢?为什么要为一位不来的客人留下位置呢?为什么喝汤时顺嘴是可以的，但是吃鱼头却是不合适的呢?为什么中国的餐桌是圆的?而你怎样知道哪位客人是贵客呢?你怎样“干杯”?为什么要“干杯”?
The guest of honor will usually be seated facing the door of entry, directly opposite the host. The next most honored guest will be seated to the left of the guest of honor. If the host is not certain about the correct order of precedence for his guests，he will seat them on the basis of age.
贵客通常要面向进门的地方就座并直接面对主人。其次尊贵的客人要坐在贵客的左边。如果主人对客人正确的优光顺序有怀疑的话，他就会按照年龄的顺序安排他们就座。
The host sits near the door, as in Western practice，so that he is nearest to the kitchen. If the meal is held in the host's home，he can then bring each dish to the table more quickly. He will himself serve his guests portions of food，on the tacit understanding that they are far too polite to help themselves.
主人坐在门的附近，这与西方的做法一样，这样他就离厨房最近。如果是在主人的家中吃饭的话，他就可以更加迅速地将菜送到桌上。他本人也便于给客人添菜，因为他知道客人过于礼貌而不会自己动手夹菜吃。
But for some dishes，especially fish，the host would never do so-for the good reason that the dish would be inedibly cool by the end of the service. In this case,each guest is expected to help himself.
但是有些菜主人是不会这样做的，尤其是鱼，因为这道菜烧好之后凉了就不好吃了。这时每位客人就要自己动手夹菜吃。
As for meal-time noises, they are considered sounds of culinary appreciation，the slurping of soup also being an acceptable way of cooling it down before it burns the tongue.
至于吃饭时的响声，这被认为是在享用美食的声音。喝汤时的顺嘴也是可以接受的，因为这样便可以在舌头被汤烫到之前将汤冷却。
Seating&Dining Customs
就座与就餐的习俗
If a Chinese dinner has been arranged in a restaurant, the host will usually sit nearest the kitchen or service door. Then he will be in the least-favored position sitting where the waiter will stand while serving individual portions of food.Some hosts，however, seat their most junior guests or family members at this slightly awkward spot so that the host can talk more easily to guests on either side of him. It is also becoming more common for hosts to sit next to foreign guests of honor.
如果是在餐馆中安排中餐宴会的话，主人通常就会坐在距离厨房或上菜的门最近的地方。这样他就会坐在最不好的座位上—服务员在上每道菜时都会站在这个座位旁边。但是有些主人会安排地位最低的客人或家庭成员坐在这个有点尴尬的地方，这样主人就可以更方便与他旁边的客人交谈了。对于主人来说，坐在外国贵客旁边也越来越常见了。
Should you find yourself in one of the“junior" seats on either side of the server's position，don't worry. Consider the fact that your fellow diners are either even more“important" or older than you and you are honored to be sitting with them，or perhaps your host has flattered you by deciding you are one of the least statusconscious guests!
如果你发现自己坐在服务员位置旁边的“下”座上的话，要知道和你一起就餐的人要不就是比你更“重要”，要不就是比你年龄更大，而且你和他们坐在一起是很荣幸的。或者你的主人会恭维你是最不在乎身份的客人。
At the beginning of the banquet, the host will make a brief speech to welcome the guest. As the guest of honor, you are expected to make a reciprocal speech expressing appreciation and wishes for friendship，cooperation and prosperity.
在宴会开始的时候，主人会进行简短的讲话来欢迎客人。作为贵宾，你要相应做一番讲话以表明你的感谢以及希望达成友谊、合作以及繁荣。
Chinese table manners include:
中国的餐桌礼仪包括:
1. Don't“jump the gun"-always eat after your host.
1.不要“抢先行动”—总是得在主人吃过之后再开始吃。
2. When the host proposes a“gan bei”，or“bottoms up" be careful if you are not a good drinker. Extra care should be taken when liquor is served. One way of getting away from such a situation is to tell your host“sui yi"，which means " Cheers一but I will drink only a little.”
2.当主人提议“干杯”时，要注意你是否是一个酒量很好的人。如果上的是烧酒的话就要格外注意了。避开这种情况的一种方法就是告诉你的主人“随意”，这意味着“干杯……但我只能喝一点”。
3. Don't forget to toast your host, wishing him or her good health，friendship ,appreciation and the like
3.不要忘记给主人敬酒并祝愿他(她)身体健康，表示友谊万岁、感谢等等。
At the end of the banquet, your host may utter typical Chinese modesties such as“Please forgive us for the inconsiderate entertainment" or，"Sorry for the mediocre food.”Don't take it seriously. Go ahead and express your appreciation.
在宴会结束的时候，主人可能会说一些中国人典型的谦虚之词，例如“招待不周，敬请原谅”或“粗茶淡饭，还请包涵”等。不要把这话当真，继续表达你的感谢之情。

The Guest Gets the Best
给客人吃最好的
The guest of honor naturally receives the choicest morsels，and is expected to lead the way when necessary. With a fish course，the fish head would be left for the guest of honor-and it is the most nutritious part the eyes and lips are the valued delicacies offered to the senior lady present.The platter holding the fish will always be laid on the table in such a way that the fish head points towards the guest of honor at family meals，the head faces the head of the family .If visitors find that they are the guest of honor and are unwilling to accept the duties invo Ived，they should always delegate the honor to the person on their left, or politely turn the platter so that the fish head faces the host.
很自然，贵客要吃最上等的菜肴并且在必要时要首先吃菜。对于一道鱼来说，鱼头要留给贵客吃—而巨这是最有营养的部分(鱼眼睛和嘴唇都是给在场的老年妇女吃的珍贵美食)。装鱼的盘子放在桌子上的方式总是把鱼头指向贵客(在家庭就餐中，鱼头要向着一家之主)，如果客人发现自己是贵客并且不愿接受这种招待的话，他们就总会将贵客的头衔转给坐在左边的人，或者礼貌地转动盘子以便使鱼头朝向主人。
In a restaurant，the signs that a meal is ending are quite obvious. A bowl of fruit will be presented，fresh towels will be provided for deaning mouths and hands，and the final pot of tea-a ceremonial farewell greeting-will not be refilled.
在饭店就餐时，就餐结束的表示是十分明显的。端上来一盆水果，送上新毛巾来擦拭嘴和手，以及不再(这是送别的仪式)添加茶水。
Toothpicks
牙签
The use of toothpicks at a table is another standard practice. As in most Asian countries，the polite way to deal with lodged fragments of food is to cover one's mouth with one hand while the toothpick is being used with the other.Toothpicks are frequently used between courses as it is believed that the tastes of one course should not be allowed to mar one's enjoyment of the next course.
在饭桌上使用牙签是另一种标准的做法。与大多数亚洲国家一样，礼貌地剔除食物残渣的方法就是用一只手掩住嘴，同时用另一只手使用牙签。牙签经常在各道菜之间的间隙使用，因为人们认为一道菜的口味不能影响对下一道菜的享用。
What is the proper way to use chopsticks
使用筷子的恰当方式
The Chopstick is a miracle among the creations of Chinese food culture. The Chinese nation invented chopsticks in the Spring and Autumn Period(770一476BC).They can perform whatever the fingers perform，and they are exempt from either heat or cold. Furthermore，when using chopsticks，one actually uses more than 30 joints，including the shoulders，arms and fingers .and 50 muscles.
筷子是中国饮食文化发明中的一个奇迹。中华民族是在春秋时代(公元前770一公元前476年)发明筷子的。筷子可以起到手指的所有功能，而且还不会被烫到或冻到。此外，当使用筷子的时候，人们实际上使用到30多个关节，这其中包括肩膀、胳膊以及手指，还有50块肌肉。
This utensil helps the dinner to really relish his or her food. Eating in China is always associated with chopsticks，acclaimed by many Western scholars as a hallmark of Oriental civilization. The use of chopsticks with ease will add to the enjoyment of the delicacies.How to use them maybe a problem and here are our methods and suggestions that may be helpful.
这种器具有助于就餐者真正喜爱自己的食物。在中国，吃饭总是要使用筷子的，西方学者称筷子是东方文明的里程碑。轻松地使用筷子将增加享用美食时的乐趣。如何使用筷子可能是个难题，我们在这里介绍的方法和建议可能十分有益:
It is difficult to describe how to use chopsticks. First，place one chopstick on the third finger and clip it with the thumb;then clip the other between the index finger and the middle finger. When picking up food，use the upper chopstick and keep it flexible like a clipper. But，as the saying goes，it is easier said than done,and practice makes perfect. You may wonder if there is any yardstick by which to measure your proficiency of using chopsticks. Well，try peanuts. If you can pick up a peanut，then you are fine; If you can pick up two，then，congratulations!
很难说明如何来使用筷子。首先要将一只筷子放在第三根手指上，然后用大拇指夹住它;然后将另一根筷子夹在食指与中指之间。当夹起食物的时候，要使用筷子的上端并且要保持它的灵活性，就像一只夹子一样。但是有一句老话说得好，说起来容易做起来难;还有一句老话叫熟能生巧。你可能想知道有没有什么标准能够衡量使用筷子的熟练程度。那么就试一试花生米吧。如果你能夹起一粒花生米，那么就很好了。如果能夹起两粒花生米，那么就值得恭喜了!
It is considerately convenient to have noodles with chopsticks. Then you can wind noodle threads lightly but firmly，to avoid splattering soup or sauces in the bowl. For the first time，some may slide off the sticks，but the slight lapses are inevitable and practice makes perfect. After practice you will become adept at picking up all sorts of morsels from plates.
用筷子吃面条是相当方便的。这样你就可以将面条轻轻地、稳稳地绕起来避免碗里的汤或调料溅出来。第一次用筷子的时候，有些人的筷子可能会滑掉，但是小小的失误是不可避免的，而且熟能生巧。经过一番练习之后，你就会十分擅长从盘子里面将各种食物夹起来了。
When the dishes are positioned on the table，usually the first to help themselves should be the hosts or the elderly. Do not take too much once，or return your food to the plate. Try to avoid the collision of chopsticks with those of your neighbors since they are longer than forks or knives.
当盘子放在桌子上的时候，通常最先夹菜的人应当是主人或长者。一次不要夹得太多，否则就将你的食物放回到盘子里:由于筷子要比叉子或刀子更长，因此尽量避免让你的筷子与坐你旁边人的筷子相碰。
Do not drum or tap bowls and plates with chopsticks especially when you are a guest, because people believe that is the humble behavior of beggars when they beg for food
不要用筷子敲碗和盘子，尤其是当你是客人时，因为人们认为这是乞丐在要饭时的下贱行为。
Never insert chopsticks upright onto the vessels for food，as this will be viewed as an evil presage and will sustain the disapproval of the seniors. The reason is that, it is the unique way to show the esteem and care for the dead. long ago it was a tradition in China to worship their ancestors with offerings of food. However, in consideration that the dead could not use chopsticks smoothly, the living had to insert them at an upright angle.
决不要将筷子垂直地插在乘放食物的器皿上，因为这会被认为是一种邪恶的预兆，而且将会引起老人的不满。其原因在于这是一种表达对亡灵的尊敬和关照的特殊方式。很久以前，中国拜祭祖先的传统就是献祭食物。但是考虑到亡灵可能不会灵巧地使用筷子，活人必须将筷子笔直地插着。
Avoid sucking the end of a chopstick or keeping it in mouth for a long time. Never point at someone with a chopstick and do not use it to prick food in order to pick it up. These are also regarded as impolite.
要避免吮吸筷子的末端，还不能将筷子放在嘴里时间过长。不要用筷子去指着别人，也不要通过用筷子戳在食物上面把食物夹起来。这些也被认为是不礼貌的行为:
The handling of rice with chopsticks is also known to present problems, unless the rice has been dampened by juices from main dishes and is therefore more manageable. The socially-acceptable method for eating rice is to bring one's bowl close to one's mouth and quickly scoop the rice into it with one's chopsticks.
用筷子来吃米饭也会带来难题，除非用主菜的汤汁将米饭濡湿，因而使米饭更容易用筷子夹起。社会所认可的吃米饭的方法就是将自己的碗凑到嘴边上，然后迅速地用筷子将米饭拨到嘴里。
One chopstick craft which a visitor is not advised to try is the deboning of a fish when its top half has been eaten，without turning it over. The careful separation of the fish skeleton from the lower half of the flesh will usually be performed by the host or a waiter.
有一种使用筷子的技艺，不过我们不建议游客使用。这就是当一条鱼的上半部分被吃掉时，用筷子去掉鱼的骨头同时不把鱼翻身。通常是由主人或服务员来小心地将鱼的骨架与下半部分的肉分开。
The reason why a fish will never be turned over is a traditional superstition of South China's fishing families-bad luck would ensue and a fishing boat would capsize if the fish were up-ended.
为什么不能把鱼翻身呢?这是华南渔民家庭的一个传统的习俗—如果把鱼翻身的话坏运气就会接踵而至，而且渔船就会翻掉。
There are superstitions associated with chopsticks too. If you find an uneven pair at your table setting，it means you are going to miss a boat，plane or train. Dropping chopsticks will inevitably bring bad luck, os will laying them across each other.Crossed chopsticks are，however, permissible in a“dim sum" restaurant.Your waiter will cross them to show that your bill has been settled，or you can dog the same to show the waiter that you have finished and are ready to pay the bill.
还有许多与筷子有关的习俗。如果你发现桌子上摆的餐具中筷子不成对的话，这就意味着你赶不上船、飞机、或是火车。如果筷子掉下来的话，就会不可避免地遇上坏运气，而且筷子交叉着放也会带来厄运、。但是在点心店里却允许将筷子交叉。服务员会将筷子交叉起来，这样就表示你的账单已经结过了;你也可以这样做，这样就告诉服务员你已经吃完了并且准备埋单。