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Posts: 22

Governor

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Q: Why do Chinese like asking about how much my salary is?

I wonder if other foreigners, especially whites, are asked the same question I am asked about my monthly salary. It puzzles me to the extent that I sometimes feel maybe the Chinese ask the question because I am black. Well, could be an erroneous assumption! Is a salary not a personal issue in China? In my country in Africa, it is. Let me hear from foreigners working in China .... have u been asked this question by Chinese before?

12 years 7 weeks ago in  Business & Jobs - China

 
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They ask each other the same question.  It's all about numbers so they can rank you with everyone else they know.  How much do you make, how much bonus did you get new years, how much can you drink.  Anything that gives them a fixed scale to mentally create the pecking order, and provide a chance to brag (either by he makes more than you or to brag to others that he's connected to you and you make so much).

Chinese friends have confessed to me that they openly lie to even their friends about this, so they won't look bad.

instant_noodles:

Chinese lie about everything

12 years 5 weeks ago
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GuilinRaf:

I do not think Chinese have a monopoly when it comes to the practice of "fibbing".

12 years 5 weeks ago
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12 years 7 weeks ago
 
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The Chinese affinity for curiosity and in a way even gossip is second to no one.  And whenever they see a foreigner, more so.  For them it is natural to ask what your salary is, and many other rude or impertinet questions.
It is not based on the color of your skin, and in a way not even in if you are a foreigner or a local.  For them, information is valuable, it is a way to earn "face" among their piers. and thus do ask a bunch of very private and personal questions.

So you may feel better, I have been asked my age, my income, my savings and investments, if I had a car and a house back home, was my former wife fat or skinny, was she pretty, do I like Chinese girls, which ones are better in bed, and many more to continue listing.  And makes no difference if they are older or young, they all will ask.
Sometimes I offer brief answers out of courtesy.  But when they start getting deeper into what evidently is none of their business, I just reply "sorry, can't answer that".

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12 years 7 weeks ago
 
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they ask very forteigner even each other. it determines the next question. "buy me an ipad3" (not really a question is it)

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12 years 7 weeks ago
 
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They ask each other the same question.  It's all about numbers so they can rank you with everyone else they know.  How much do you make, how much bonus did you get new years, how much can you drink.  Anything that gives them a fixed scale to mentally create the pecking order, and provide a chance to brag (either by he makes more than you or to brag to others that he's connected to you and you make so much).

Chinese friends have confessed to me that they openly lie to even their friends about this, so they won't look bad.

instant_noodles:

Chinese lie about everything

12 years 5 weeks ago
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GuilinRaf:

I do not think Chinese have a monopoly when it comes to the practice of "fibbing".

12 years 5 weeks ago
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12 years 7 weeks ago
 
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In addition to what the above posters said, a lot of Chinese think all foreigners are Bill Gates rich. They want you to say something like a million yuan a day.

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12 years 7 weeks ago
 
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Yep. I've been asked every kind of personal question before, starting with "How much do you make?" I just reply, in a joking manner, "Not enough." That usually disfuses any more questioning along those lines.

If the questions persist, I deflect them all in the same way (with humor). It gets the message across without being rude and does give an answer. I haven't had to tell anyone point blank, "it's none of your business," but I'm not beyond that tactic. Before I said that, however, I would just explain, in my culture, those are questions that people don't ask others unless they know them very, very well, and even then, the questions don't have to be answered.

It also hopefully gets them to understand that just because something is asked, it doesn't necessarily mean I will answer it.

GuilinRaf:

Lol at "not enough"! I do something similar, when they ask me how is it possible that I have been in China for five yaers and havent married. I always answer "I cant. Chinese girls run too fast!" This usually deflects other personal aquestions as well and is better than screaming "None of your Fxxxing business!!!"
I too take the time to explain to students or friends about the sensitivity of certain questions and how some foreigners will get angry at being asked those quesions. I do get angry when foreigners answer rudely on the first question. However, I have had on a couple of occasions, when the joke, and then the warning/explanation did not work been forced to say "Like I said, that is a personal question and I am not going to answer it". That situiaton however is quite rare.

12 years 7 weeks ago
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12 years 7 weeks ago
 
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I never ceases to amaze me that when my wife and I are invited to dinner by some Chinese people, the conversation always, somehow gets to my salary. I never tell but my wife has no qualms about telling them every wu mao I make whether it be my salary or the amount I collect from private students and side jobs. When they get the info they want then the next line of questioning begins; Why haven't you bought a house yet? How much do you have in the bank? How much did you pay for that? Does he have any kids in his home country?  .......endless..... Just once I want her to direct the questions to me, she never does. I guess she knows I would put a stop to the prying and that may cause a loss of "face". 

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12 years 7 weeks ago
 
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Why not use the standard Chinese response - "it's a secret".

You'll find even complete strangers will ask you how much you get - taxi drivers, for example. I suspect it's also just to confirm their ideas about how rich we really are, or how well we have it over them.

(BTW, in Australia, the question isn't seen as quite so rude, but it seriously must be in context... and I suspect it's just part of a built-in ideal of making sure you're getting enough - we like to look after others, mate ;-D)

I usually get asked where my family is... ah, the looks of bewilderment when I say I don't have one... AND don't want one Smile

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12 years 7 weeks ago
 
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Yes I have been asked several times most are just nosey because they all think we are rich anyway some Chinese earn a dam site more than a lot of teachers.....I usually tell them non of their business and leave it at that

LAR:

Yes, they are very nosey which gets really old. "I................that." Good for you!

10 years 49 weeks ago
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12 years 7 weeks ago
 
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That's one of the questions they will ask you on your job interviews. They will ask what was your salary like? I'm not sure why....That's the experience I had with people asking how much do you make. I don't really care how much you make as more than how much you really have. Some people live paycheck to paycheck and they may be curious to see if you do too. Other than that they might just look for a friend with benefits. Depends on what the situation is. A friend or person you just met or a potential employer.

HugAPanda:

You hurt my brain.

12 years 7 weeks ago
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crimochina:

someone seriously needs to brush up on their reading comprehension or maybe they should limit wu maos to 5 days a week and 40 hours per week to keep their wu mao brains sharp

12 years 7 weeks ago
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12 years 7 weeks ago
 
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Governor

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as higher your salary as high you social rank, that in the mind of the most who ask this question.

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12 years 5 weeks ago
 
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I like to double the number then complain it isn't enough. 

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12 years 5 weeks ago
 
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I'm the exception here, it seems. I haven't been asked at all.

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12 years 5 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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some asked me as well and i would like to ask them how they can afford all these expensive cars with a monthly average income of 2k in my area... really bothers me how they do this ._.

don't say blackmoney, most of the people can't get this due to their jobarea

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10 years 49 weeks ago
 
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Shifu

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some asked me as well and i would like to ask them how they can afford all these expensive cars with a monthly average income of 2k in my area... really bothers me how they do this ._.

don't say blackmoney, most of the people can't get this due to their jobarea

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10 years 49 weeks ago
 
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Drives me crazy how freely my wife tells other people exactly how much I make.  It's usually followed by complaints from her mother asking why don't i make more and why don't i do this or do that.

 

It's enough to drive anyone crazy really. Can't wait for the day that I'm back in my home country where people tend to care a lot less about your personal finances and care more about you as a person.

Scandinavian:

maybe if you asked for less salary, there would be less need to talk about it !

10 years 49 weeks ago
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SoFresh:

@scandinavin

 

If only that was the case :(.  The less salary I make the more they would talk about it and question you.  I'll never understand it really, different cultures that's all it comes down to.  

10 years 49 weeks ago
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WangNan2020:

When in Rome...

 

Maybe you can start talking about how much money your wife earns, or what the food she cooks tastes like, to see her reaction. 

2 years 22 weeks ago
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10 years 49 weeks ago
 
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I was asked an the Chinese teacher looked shocked an then got upset cause she was arguing that they do more than the foreigners. After that she stop talk to me. 

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2 years 30 weeks ago
 
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They are like Filipinos, they scale how much respect they will give to  you base on the leverage you can give them.

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2 years 22 weeks ago
 
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I like the comment "They ask each other that question" because as a local I am asked that question sometimes.

 

Cultural reason aside, I figure people asked me the question mainly out of two reasons.

 

One, they wanted to set me up with a girl friend of theirs. Apparently they wanted to make sure I'm doing well financially.

 

Second reason is that on some jobs I was offered a package not based on the company's pay grade, if you know what I mean. As my colleagues could sense that, they wanted to know how out-of-line their employer could be in attaining certain staff. Or, they tried to gauge the odds for them to acheive the same pay by, say, working hard or getting a certificate.

 

As to "rank above or below each other", well I think it was quite true of the older Chinese folks. From what I observed of younger Chinese, they cannot care less but still like to pop up that question.

 

Just nod at the question and say "Bu Fang Bian Shuo" (Can't answer that) perhaps with a big cheesy smile will dodge the bullet. 

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2 years 22 weeks ago
 
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There are a lot of reasons people ask this question.  Sometimes it is just making conversation, sometimes they are curious.  Other times they might be looking for a reason to hate you or they want to know if they are being underpaid.  It also depends on what industry you are working in.

 

My advice is to lie about your salary because that is generally what people do here.  People with low salaries will lie about making more money than they do and those with high salaries actually claim to make less than their true salary.

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2 years 22 weeks ago
 
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I think they are just curious. Anything that gives them a fixed scale to mentally create the pecking order, and provide a chance to brag.

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2 years 18 weeks ago
 
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Honestly, I don't see anything wrong when someone asks my salary, sometime I even feel proud to say it, lol.

Blondie_:

so how much do you earn then?

2 years 16 weeks ago
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icnif77:

Sorry, butT ... I just signed on for one post ...   

2 years 16 weeks ago
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