昨天，我的一位学生跟我分享了她在中国的文化冲击：

“我打喷嚏的时候，没人说‘Blessyou’，我感觉大家都忽略了我，好像没人关心我一样。”

为什么美国人会说“Bless you”？

在英语文化中，别人打喷嚏时说“Bless you” 是一种基本的礼貌，它起源于宗教，也传达了关心和祝福的意思。 在日常生活中，即使是陌生人打喷嚏，人们也常常会自动说一句 “Blessyou”。

那中国人为什么不说呢？

因为在中国，打喷嚏并没有被赋予特殊的“仪式感”或社交意义。我们更关注的是卫生和实际反应，

比如： • “你是不是感冒了？” • “快点多喝点水。”

**不说话，并不代表不关心。**只是我们表达关心的方式不一样，更偏向实际和间接。

误解从哪里来？

对于美国人来说，没听到“Bless you” 可能会被理解成“冷漠”或“不礼貌”； 但对于中国人来说，说这句话反而会让人觉得有点奇怪或太“西化”，尤其是陌生人之间。

小贴士 Tips forCross-Cultural Moments: • 如果你在中国，不要因为别人没说 “Bless you” 而难过，观察一下他们是否用其他方式表达了关心。

• 如果你是中国人，想让外国朋友更舒服，也可以试着在他们打喷嚏后说一句 “Bless you” 或 “保重啊”。

文化差异不只是语言的不同，更是表达习惯和心理期待的不同。学会理解彼此的“默契”，才能走得更近。

你有遇到过类似的小误会吗？欢迎留言告诉我，我们一起拆解文化“潜台词”！

English Translation:

Yesterday, one of my students shared her cultural shock experience in China:
“When I sneezed, no one said ‘Bless you.’ I felt like everyone ignored me, as if no one cared.”

Why do Americans say “Bless you”?

In English-speaking cultures, saying “Bless you” when someone sneezes is a basic gesture of politeness. It has religious origins and conveys care and goodwill. In everyday life, even strangers often automatically say “Bless you” when someone nearby sneezes.

So why don’t Chinese people say it?

Because in China, sneezing doesn’t carry any particular ritual or social meaning. Instead, people are more focused on hygiene and practical responses,
such as:
• “Are you catching a cold?”
• “You should drink more water.”

Not saying anything doesn’t mean people don’t care.
It’s just that the way we show care is different — more practical and indirect.

Where does the misunderstanding come from?

To Americans, not hearing “Bless you” might feel cold or impolite.
But to many Chinese people, saying it might actually seem a bit strange or “too Western,” especially between strangers.

Tips for Cross-Cultural Moments:
• If you’re in China, don’t be upset if no one says “Bless you” — observe if they’re showing care in other ways.
• If you’re Chinese and want to make foreign friends feel more comfortable, you can try saying “Bless you” or “Take care” after they sneeze.

Cultural differences aren’t just about language — they’re about how we express care and what we expect from others.
Learning to understand these “unspoken rules” helps bring us closer together.

Have you ever experienced a similar misunderstanding?
Feel free to share in the comments — let’s unpack the hidden messages behind different cultures together!

Chinese don’t like to say “thank you”?

系列：有趣的文化差异

第一集：中美“谢谢”的用法差异

在中国，“谢谢”是礼貌的基本表达。但在日常生活中，亲近的人之间反而不太频繁说“谢谢”。比如你妈妈给你盛了一碗饭，你一般不会抬头说“谢谢妈”，因为这种表达在家庭关系里会显得有点“见外”。

但在美国，“thank you”几乎无处不在。无论是服务员倒水、同事帮个小忙，甚至家人递个东西，他们都会习惯性地说“thanks”或者“thank you”。如果你不说，还会显得不礼貌。

这种差异反映了中美文化中“人情”与“平等”的不同价值观：

• ​ 中国文化中，亲密关系意味着不需要客套，讲的是情分。
• ​ 美国文化则强调个人独立和平等，哪怕是再亲近的人，也需要表达尊重和感激。

这也解释了为什么很多美国人来中国时，会觉得中国人“不太说谢谢”；而中国人去了美国后，则可能被“thank you”“thank you”搞得有点受宠若惊。

我个人的经历 在出国以前，我也不爱说谢谢，除非特别重大的事情。但是，在澳洲待了几年之后，我也常常说谢谢了。

Series: Interesting Cultural Differences

Episode 1: The Different Ways “Thank You” Is Used in China and the U.S.

In China, saying “thank you” is a basic expression of politeness. However, in daily life, people don’t often say it to those they are close to. For example, if your mom serves you a bowl of rice, you wouldn’t usually look up and say, “Thanks, Mom.” In fact, doing so might feel a bit too formal or distant within a family setting.

In contrast, in the U.S., “thank you” is used almost everywhere. Whether it’s a waiter pouring water, a colleague offering help, or a family member handing you something, people naturally say “thanks” or “thank you.” If you don’t, it might even come across as impolite.

This difference reflects the distinct values behind “relationships” in Chinese culture versus “equality” in American culture:

In Chinese culture, closeness often means you don’t need to be overly polite—what matters is emotional connection.

In American culture, individualism and equality are emphasized, so even the closest relationships require verbal expressions of respect and appreciation.

This also explains why many Americans visiting China might feel that Chinese people “don’t say thank you very often,” while Chinese people going to the U.S. might be surprised or even overwhelmed by all the “thank yous” they hear.

My personal experience:

Before going abroad, I didn’t say “thank you” much either—unless it was for something really significant. But after living in Australia for a few years, I find myself saying it all the time now!

我能爱你四天。

春天， 夏天， 秋天， 冬天。

哦， 不， 也许是三天。

昨天， 今天， 明天。

两天怎么样？

白天与黑夜。

其实一天也够，

每天。

English Version:

I can love you for four days.

Spring, summer, autumn and winter.

Oh, no! Maybe three days!

Yesterday, today and tommorrow.

How about two day?

Day and night.

Maybe one day is enough.

everyday.

你会爱上机器人吗？

假如有一个机器人完全是按照你的喜好制造的，他/她会为你做饭，帮你做家务，每天逗你开心，他/她了解你所有的需求，能满足你的所有要求，而且长得还很帅或者很漂亮，完全就是你的梦中情人，你会爱上他吗？

但是他/她可能没有心跳，没有人类的正常需求，不用吃饭，不用上厕所，也不需要睡觉。但是他会唱歌，也可能会跳舞，甚至上知天文，下知地理，你不会的事情问一下他就可以了。

但是他/她可能没有荷尔蒙，不知道他/她会不会让你心动呢？或者他/她可以成为很好的朋友？也可能是一个很危险的人物，如果他被病毒入侵了。你期待拥有一个机器人吗？Follow me on YouTube:nihaochinesenet

I wrote this article after watching a German film “Ich bin dein Mensch”, Chinese name"我是你的人”. It's a very fascinating movie, I recommend you to watch it!

English Translation:

Will you fall in love with robots?

If there was a robot that was built exactly according to your preferences, he/she would cook for you, help you do the housework, make you happy every day, he/she knew all your needs, could meet all your needs, and he/she was handsome or beautiful, and he/she would be your dream lover, would you fall in love with him/her?

But he or she may have no heartbeat, no normal human needs, no need to eat, go to the bathroom, and no need to sleep. But he can sing, maybe he can dance, even know astronomy, know geography. If you don't know something, just ask him. But he/she may not have hormones, I wonder if he/she will make you feel?

Or he/she could be a great friend? He could be a very dangerous person, if he's infected by a virus. Are you looking forward to owning a robot?

Hello大家好，今天给大家读一首古诗。This is a really famous poetry in China. When we just started our school, this was the first poetry we need to learn.

小明的一天

English Version:

Transcript at: https://nihaochinese.net/hsk1-level1-reading-and-listening-practice_stories-of-xiaotao/