HSK 4 · Article · 639 characters · Listen: mandarinthewild.com/library/read/what-does-guanxi-mean

“关系”是什么意思?

What does guanxi mean?

Name: ________________ Date: ________

小王xiǎowáng的de孩子háizi生病shēngbìng了le,想xiǎng找zhǎo一yí位wèi很hěn有名yǒumíng的de医生yīshēng看病kànbìng,可是kěshì网上wǎngshàng早就zǎojiù约不到yuēbudào了le。他tā正zhèng着急zháojí,同事tóngshì安慰ānwèi他tā说shuō:“别bié急jí,我wǒ朋友péngyǒu的de表哥biǎogē就jiù在zài那nà家jiā医院yīyuàn工作gōngzuò,我wǒ帮bāng你nǐ问问wènwen。”第二天dì’èrtiān,问题wèntí竟然jìngrán解决jiějué了le。

这zhè就是jiùshì中国zhōngguó人rén常cháng说shuō的de“关系guānxì”。无论wúlùn是shì看病kànbìng、上学shàngxué还是háishì找zhǎo工作gōngzuò,很hěn多duō人rén第一dìyī个gè想到xiǎngdào的de就是jiùshì它tā。

“关系guānxì”这zhè个gè词cí,你nǐ或许huòxǔ早就zǎojiù学xué过guò。“没关系méiguānxi”的de意思yìsi是shì“没事儿méishìr”,字面zìmiàn上shàng的de意思yìsi就是jiùshì“没有méiyǒu联系liánxì”。可是kěshì,当dāng中国zhōngguó人rén说shuō“他tā有yǒu关系guānxì”的de时候shíhou,意思yìsi就jiù不bù一样yíyàng了le。这时候zhèshíhou的de“关系guānxì”,指zhǐ的de是shì一yí个gè人rén认识rènshi的de人rén,以及yǐjí这些zhèxiē人rén愿不愿意yuànbu-yuànyì帮bāng他tā的de忙máng。

关系guānxì这么zhème重要zhòngyào,连lián英语yīngyǔ都dōu直接zhíjiē借用jièyòng了le这zhè个gè词cí,写成xiěchéng“guanxi”。牛津niújīn的de英语yīngyǔ词典cídiǎn里也yě有yǒu这zhè个gè词cí,意思yìsi是shì:在zài中国zhōngguó,对duì做生意zuòshēngyi有yǒu帮助bāngzhù的de关系guānxì网络wǎngluò。

那么nàme,关系guānxì是shì怎么zěnme来lái的de?最zuì常见chángjiàn的de,是shì家人jiārén、老lǎo同学tóngxué、老乡lǎoxiāng和hé同事tóngshì。你nǐ帮bāng过guò我wǒ,我wǒ就jiù欠qiàn你nǐ一个yígè“人情rénqíng”;下次xiàcì你nǐ有yǒu困难kùnnan,我wǒ也yě会huì想xiǎng办法bànfǎ帮bāng你nǐ。这种zhèzhǒng人情rénqíng没有méiyǒu写xiě下来xiàlai的de规则guīzé,也yě没有méiyǒu说好shuōhǎo什么shénme时候shíhou还huán,可是kěshì大家dàjiā心里xīnli都dōu记得jìde。如果rúguǒ只zhǐ拿ná不bù还huán,以后yǐhòu就jiù很hěn难nán获得huòdé别人biéren的de帮助bāngzhù了le。

很hěn多duō关系guānxì,是shì在zài饭桌fànzhuō上shàng建立jiànlì的de。一起yìqǐ吃饭chīfàn、喝茶hēchá、聊天liáotiān,逐渐zhújiàn地de,陌生人mòshēngrén变成biànchéng了le熟人shúrén,熟人shúrén变成biànchéng了le朋友péngyǒu。关系guānxì建立jiànlì以后yǐhòu,还hái需要xūyào维持wéichí,所以suóyǐ每měi到dào节日jiérì,很hěn多duō人rén会huì给gěi老朋友lǎopéngyou打电话dǎdiànhuà问候wènhòu一下yíxià,或者huòzhě送sòng些xiē小xiǎo礼物lǐwù。

社会学家shèhuìxuéjiā费孝通fèixiàotōng有yǒu一个yígè很hěn有名yǒumíng的de比喻bǐyù。他tā说shuō,中国zhōngguó人rén的de关系guānxì,就jiù像xiàng把bǎ一yí块kuài石头shítou扔rēng到dào水shuǐ里:水面shuǐmiàn上shàng出现chūxiàn一yì圈quān一yì圈quān的de波纹bōwén,自己zìjǐ在zài中间zhōngjiān,离lí自己zìjǐ越yuè近jìn的de人rén,关系guānxì越yuè好hǎo;越yuè远yuǎn的de人rén,关系guānxì就jiù越yuè淡dàn。

当然dāngrán,关系guānxì也yě有yǒu不好bùhǎo的de一面yímiàn。有的yǒude人rén用yòng关系排pái到dào前面qiánmiàn、找zhǎo工作gōngzuò,甚至shènzhì为了wèile自己zìjǐ的de利益lìyì做zuò违反wéifǎn法律fǎlǜ的de事shì,这zhè叫jiào“走后门zǒuhòumén”。没有méiyǒu关系guānxì的de人rén,难免nánmiǎn会huì觉得juéde很hěn不bù公平gōngpíng。不过búguò,很hěn多duō中国zhōngguó人rén也yě承认chéngrèn,在zài某些mǒuxiē时候shíhou,没有méiyǒu关系guānxì,办事bànshì似乎sìhū就jiù很hěn难nán。

所以suóyǐ,关系guānxì就jiù像xiàng一yì把bǎ钥匙yàoshi。它tā能néng帮bāng你nǐ打开dǎkāi很hěn多duō门mén,然而rán’ér如果rúguǒ用yòng错cuò了le地方dìfang,也yě会huì引起yínqǐ麻烦máfan。下次xiàcì有yǒu中国zhōngguó朋友péngyǒu说shuō“我wǒ帮bāng你nǐ问问wènwen”,你nǐ就jiù知道zhīdào,他tā正在zhèngzài为wèi你nǐ打开dǎkāi他tā的de关系网guānxìwǎng。

Key words

WordPinyinMeaning
无论wúlùnno matter (what, how); regardless of
联系liánxìto contact; to get in touch with
当dāngwhen; at the time of
指zhǐto mean; to refer to
直接zhíjiēdirect; immediate; directly; straight
困难kùnnandifficult; hard; difficulty; problem
获得huòdéto obtain; to gain; to win
扔rēngto throw; to toss
出现chūxiànto appear; to emerge; to arise
排páito arrange; to line up
法律fǎlǜlaw
办事bànshìto handle affairs; to work; to get things done

English (for the teacher)

Xiao Wang’s child was ill and he wanted a very famous doctor to see her, but the appointments online had long since gone. Just as he was getting anxious, a colleague reassured him: “Don’t worry, my friend’s cousin works at that hospital. I’ll ask for you.” The next day, amazingly, the problem was solved.

This is what Chinese people call guanxi, “connections”. Whether it’s seeing a doctor, getting into a school or finding a job, it’s the first thing many people think of.

You have probably learned the word 关系 already. 没关系 means “it doesn’t matter”; literally it is “no connection”. But when Chinese people say 他有关系, “he has guanxi”, the meaning is different. Here 关系 means the people someone knows, and whether those people are willing to help him.

Guanxi matters so much that English has simply borrowed the word, written “guanxi”. Oxford’s English dictionary has the word too, meaning the network of relationships in China that helps people do business.

So where does guanxi come from? Most often from family, old classmates, people from your hometown and colleagues. If you have helped me, I owe you a favour, a 人情; next time you are in trouble, I will find a way to help you too. There are no written rules for this kind of favour, and no one says when it must be repaid, but everyone remembers. If you only take and never give back, it will soon be hard to get anyone’s help.

A lot of guanxi is built at the dinner table. Eating, drinking tea and chatting together, strangers slowly become acquaintances, and acquaintances become friends. Once guanxi is built, it has to be kept up, so at every festival many people call old friends to say hello or send them small gifts.

The sociologist Fei Xiaotong had a famous image for this. He said Chinese relationships are like throwing a stone into water: rings of ripples spread across the surface with you at the centre, and the closer people are to you, the better the relationship; the farther away, the fainter it becomes.

Of course, guanxi has a bad side too. Some people use connections to get to the front of the queue, get jobs or even break the law for their own gain, and this is called “going through the back door”. People without connections can’t help feeling it is very unfair. Still, many Chinese people admit that at certain times, without guanxi it seems hard to get things done.

So guanxi is like a key. It can open many doors for you, but used in the wrong place it can also cause trouble. Next time a Chinese friend says “I’ll ask around for you”, you’ll know he is opening up his network of guanxi for you.