The Language of Drink.docVIP

The Language of Drink 　　an old Chinese saying goes“A thousand cups of wine is not too much when best friends meet” （酒逢知己千杯少 ji^ f9ng zh～j@ qi`n b8i sh2o）， which indicates the almost essential role alcohol plays in the social life of Chinese people. Drinking in many cultures can serve to develop， one way or another， friendships. In China， however， the amount of alcohol you drink is regarded as a determiner as to how deep your friendship with your host is. The more the guest drinks， the happier the host will be. If a guest refuses to drink however， the host will feel embarrassed or will“lose face” （没面子 m9i mi3nzi） for apparently being disrespected. At a formal banquet， such as a wedding or a company’s annual dinner， the host will usually deliver a brief speech and conclude it with a“ganbei” （干杯， cheers or bottoms up） at which all guests must stand up and drink the entire contents of their glass. To show his respect to the crowd， the host will usually turn his glass upside down after he drinks as a gesture to display that it is empty. He will also usually toast guests at each table， in turn. After the host has made his rounds， guests are obliged to toast the host in return （回敬 hu！ j#ng）. Guests sitting at the same table may also toast each other （互敬 h j#ng）. There are no fixed words for the toast but a simple rule of “serving different guests with different dishes” （看人下菜碟儿 k3n r9n xi3 c3idi9r）， or addressing different blessings to different people. For example， the host may wish an unmarried young woman an ideal husband as soon as possible （早日嫁得金龟婿 z2or# ji3 d% j～n gu`x）； elder people， good health and longevity （长命百岁 ch1ngm3ngb2isu#）； and young people who plan to pursue studies abroad， a glorious future （前途无量 qi1nt% w%li3ng）. as to why they should. Persuading each other to drink （劝酒 qu3nji^） is common practice to show hospitality and to celebrate friendship. An early and even elegant way of quanjiu is to be found in a farewell poem by the poet Wang Wei （王维， 701-761）