Clever, creative, modest:the Chinese language practice

　　The Myth of the Silent, Restrained, and Humble Chinese 1
　　The Exotic Chinese: Stereotype, Misinformation, or Matter of Perspective?
　　Routes Toward the Images and the Framing 4
　　In Search of an Alternative Picture 10
　　What This Book Is About 16
　　Chapters to Follow 17
　　The Manipulative Speaker 20
　　Introduction 20
　　Some Cultural Foundations of Interpersonal Skills 23
　　 The Round and the Smooth 25
　　 Manipulative Talk Devoid of Internal Foundation 29
　　 The Rhetorical Tradition 34
　　 Irony and Criticism 38
　　 A Sense of Ambivalence -- To Be, or Not to Be, Clever 43
　　Interpersonal Connections as Social Resources 45
　　 Orders of Relationships -- A Differentiated World 46
　　 Preference for One's Own People 49
　　 The Emotional as Utilitarian 51
　　Manipulating Interpersonal Ties via Talk 54
　　 Closing Up to Get What One Needs 54
　　 Balancing Debts of Human Feeling 63
　　 Negotiating Interpersonal Positioning 71
　　 Tactics for Going Through Another 79
　　"Outside People," Outside Category 88
　　Further Thoughts 94
　　3 THE Artistic Chinese Speaker I00
　　 The Written and the Oral i O0
　　 Some Notes About the Chinese Language 101
　　 From High Culture to Folk Wisdom 109
　　 Chinese Rhetorical Traditions 116
　　 Words as Art and Signs of Wisdom 119
　　 Philosophy of Language 120
　　 Indirectness as a Sign of Artistry 123
　　 Metaphors and Analogies 128
　　 Summary 131
　　 Artistic Expressions and Manifestations 131
　　 Poems 132
　　 Matched Couplets 139
　　 Chengyu 142
　　 Suyan 144
　　 Verbal Artistry in Action 157
　　 Capturing Interpersonal Boundaries 158
　　 Sentiments and Expressions 164
　　 From Solemnity, to Playfulness, to Humor 173
　　 Words for Social Occasions 180
　　 Concluding Remarks 185
　　4 The Humble Chinese Speaker 187
　　 The Introspective Chinese 187
　　 Words and Life: The Moral Universe and the Need for Self-lnspection 188
　　 Words as a Spiritual and Moral Task 191
　　 Sincerity as the Foundation for Interpersonal Transactions 197
　　 Words as Imperfect Means for Describing the Universe 201
　　 Reasoning with the Universe by Words 206
　　 Summary 215
　　 About Care and Concern -- Yuan and Zhai 216
　　 Yuan, a Buddhist and Folk Concept 220
　　 Yuan and Zhai: Matters of Causality 224
　　 Letting Go 228
　　 The Inter-connected Sentient World 230
　　 Implications 232
　　 Humbleness in Action 235
　　 Halting Speakers -- Their Humility and Modesty 236
　　 Others First, Self Second 241
　　 Indirection as a Sign of Politeness 248
　　 Use of Intermediary 253
　　 Invitation to Participate 257
　　 Afterthoughts 263
　　5 Epilogue: Multldimensionality of Chinese Language Use 267
　　 The Manipulative, the Artistic, and the Humble: A Recollection 268
　　 Challenges of Cultural Change and Development 269
　　 Some Final Words 273
　　References 275