问答题 Different countries have different cultures. A same gesture may have distinct meanings in different countries. For instance, in Africa, people knock at the table with their fingers to call waiters which is considered as impolite in China. 1 In western countries, if you make a circle with your thumb and the index finger (食指), and then raise the other three fingers, you are suggesting "OK". The same gesture, however, means "money" in Japan while makes Brazilian people feel insulted (受侮辱的). With that in mind, you"d better learn about their custom before travelling to foreign countries.
Greeting is an important part of communication among people. When greeting someone, Americans tend to hold out their hands and look directly into his/her eyes and then smile. However, sometimes such behavior might bring nothing but misunderstanding in other countries. 2 A handshake might not be accepted and looking others right in the eye can have different meanings.
3 Asian people regard physical contact as embarrassing; therefore, they do not shake hands. They have their own ways of greeting people. For Japanese, a slight bow of the head is enough. In Korea, women do not shake hands or hug with people; while men might shake hands accompanied by nodding the head once. In western Asia, Muslims do not make body contacts with women yet hug is generally accepted among men. Same thing happens on eye contact. In many countries, people avoid direct eye contact to show respect. This can cause misunderstanding, too. 4 In fact, some Asian students have been regarded as lacking respect for their American teachers exactly because they failed to make eye contacts with their teachers.
5 Though different cultures seem to have different ways of greeting, smiling is taken as the universal gesture of friendliness. Smiling indicates happiness or agreement (同意) and it can also be used to mean "Excuse me" or "Please". So when you are not sure what to do, just smile.