Folklore Form/Genre: Chinese gesture/mannerism       Informant: Jindong Tian

Name: Resting Head on the Palm of the Hand                Place of Origin: China             

Date Collected: 11-02-18

Informant Data:

Jindong Tian was born in Cangzhou, China in 1971. He currently works as a professor of Engineering at Shenzhen University in China and is the CEO of a company he founded that creates smart vision technology. He feels strongly about traditional Chinese culture, which he reads about to educate himself since he thinks that today, in a modernizing, globalizing world, the younger generation is losing touch with a lot of it. Also, because of all the formal meetings and business meetings he finds himself in, manners and etiquette are very important. He said that he learned of this being a negative gesture most likely when he was five and was making this gesture without any negative intent at home. His parents told him that he shouldn’t rest his head on his hand and explained the negative connotation.

Contextual Data:

Social Context:

Jindong Tian is my uncle, and I collected this gesture from him via Skype call. He says that as a CEO and university professor, he really pays attention to how people present themselves in meetings and when making deals and meeting potential partners in business. Most of the gestures and manners he said were taught by his parents growing up, but teachers reinforce them. Then, in the work environment, it becomes clear who has learned them and who hasn’t, and people who have always make better impressions.

Cultural Context:

This gesture is also about respect or the lack thereof in a social setting. It is another subtle gesture that takes on a negative connotation when used.

Item:

Resting your head on the palm of your hand either while talking to someone or looking at them means that you are judging them. This shows a lack of respect and humility.

 

Transcript: 

用手托腮盯着人看表示在评判别人。这是个不礼貎的动作。

English: Using one’s hand to hold one’s chin while looking at people indicates that one is judging them. This is a impolite gesture.

Informant’s Comments:

He said that this negative gesture also looks to people like bad manners and bad posture. This obviously does not give good impressions of you for others. Perhaps the negative connotations or meanings interpreted from the gesture just tries to add an explanation or even more reason to avoid the gesture and posture.

Collector’s Comments: 

This is another gesture that means something else in other cultures. I have always grown up thinking that resting your head in your hand usually means you are deep in thought or considering something. Either that or if you are looking at someone intently, it would imply interest or even fascination in that person. This is true at least in American culture. In Chinese culture, however, it implies negative judgment.

Collector’s Name: Seamore Zhu

Tags/Keywords:

• Gestures
• China
• Insulting
• Judgment
• Hand Gesture