Lesson21 Body Language

Americans feel that physical contact can be important in breaking down barriers between people. Such physical acts as hugging, shaking hands and kissing in public are seen as displays of affection. In China, on the other hand, this is not common because physical contact is not the custom. Interestingly enough, most Chinese who spend some time in America come to like hugging; they learn that Americans use body language to express feelings. It is a way of saying “I like you and I care about you.”
Shaking hands is another traditional way of greeting someone in America. Shaking hands is a more formal way of greeting than hugging. Whereas hugging shows closeness, shaking hands means that there is a little more formality in the relationship. Western people usually shake hands when meeting someone for the first time, or when they see someone again after a certain amount of time has passed. In Japan, people traditionally bow as a form of greeting. Other countries have different customs, like patting someone on the back or kissing.

barrier 障碍
affection 情感
formal 正式的
formality ? 拘谨，礼节
bow ? 鞠躬
pat 拍打

肢体语言

美国人认为身体接触对于打破人与人之间的障碍很重要。这些诸如拥抱、握手及在公众场合亲吻等身体接触都被看作是友好的表现。然而，在中国，身体接触就不那么普遍了，因为没有这样的习俗。有趣的是，大多数在美国度过了一段时间的中国人开始喜欢拥抱，他们知道美国人通过肢体语言来表达感情。这是一种表达“我喜欢你，我在意你”的方法。
在美国，握手是另一种传统的问候方式。握手比拥抱更加正式。拥抱表示亲密，而握手意味着两人关系中更多了一些拘谨与礼节。当第一次见面或隔了一段时间未见后再次见面时，西方人通常都是握手。在日本，人们通常以鞠躬表示问候。其他国家也有不同的习俗，比如拍某人的背或亲吻。