America and China are talking. But much gets lost in translation
Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. EVEN AS AMERICA’S relationship with China enters a new, less predictable era, Donald Trump and Xi Jinping see the value in talking. On January 17th the leaders had a “very good" phone call, wrote Mr Trump on social media.
Chinese diplomats said the two agreed to “keep in regular touch on major issues" and committed to work together for “world peace". The language used during that exchange was simple enough. But communication between the powers isn’t always so straightforward.
Words often mean one thing in English—and something quite different in Chinese. Ambiguous phrases can be used to send distinct messages to audiences in each country. Sometimes this leads to misunderstandings.
Other times it may grease the wheels of diplomacy. At a time of rising tensions, linguistic sleight of hand is becoming more common and consequential in the Sino-American relationship. Take the phone call on January 24th between Wang Yi and Marco Rubio, the top diplomats of China and America.
Mr Wang used the phrase hao zi wei zhi, according to a summary of the event in Chinese from his government. The idiom might be used by a superior telling their subordinate to behave and consider the consequences of their actions. But it is vague.
China’s foreign ministry has in the past translated it as “make the right choice" and “be very prudent about what they say or do", according to the Associated Press, a news agency. The English summary of the account published by Xinhua, China’s official news service, does not include the phrase. Joe Biden liked to call China a “competitor", which seemed less harsh than “opponent", a term he used to describe Russia.
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