Highest compliment is no compliment

[Wippen (inactive)]

When a Chinese person completely forgets he is speaking to you in Mandarin (because you are using his language at a level that is intelligible ) and is solely focused on delivering a message, rather than feeling the need to stop and point out how good your spoken Mandarin is, I  consider to be the highest praise. 

[889]

The highest compliment is no compliment at all.

 

Yet no compliment at all is the highest compliment.

 

 

[happy_hyaena]

What if the compliment literally is "Talking to you feels like talking to any other Chinese person"? Is that an even higher compliment than the highest compliment?

[889]

"That's brilliant Professor Einstein, just brilliant."

 

Only silence can be the highest compliment.

 

Or the lowest.

[imron]

35 minutes ago, happy_hyaena said:

Is that an even higher compliment than the highest compliment?

No, because they are still wrapped up in the fact that "OMG a foreigner is speaking Chinese" (otherwise they wouldn't need to mention that you're not).

[Tomsima]

Isn't the highest compliment surely 'your chopstick skills are so good?

[happy_hyaena]

3 hours ago, imron said:

No, because they are still wrapped up in the fact that "OMG a foreigner is speaking Chinese" (otherwise they wouldn't need to mention that you're not).

You're probably right. To be sure, one could do a Chinese Turing test.

 

1 hour ago, Tomsima said:

Isn't the highest compliment surely 'your chopstick skills are so good?

More like highest unintentional insult. I've had people who I had already spoken Chinese with be shocked that I would go for chopsticks instead of asking for cutlery 

[Lu]

I've had a guy who knew I spoke Chinese and had even received Chinese text messages from me be amazed that I could type my own address. The chopsticks one I've gotten as well. The Chinese Turing test over the phone is easier to pass than you'd think, as many Chinese will assume your accent is from some place in China they haven't been to rather than thinking that a foreigner could speak Chinese to any degree of fluency.

 

Best compliments I've gotten:

- Some years ago I had randomly found some guy in Inner Mongolia on Skype to practice Chinese with (no video, just chat). At some point I told him I was 荷兰人 (or he asked, I forgot). This went back and forth a bit and he actually got angry, calling me a 汉奸 for calling myself Dutch and not Chinese.

- Was sending a parcel at a Taiwanese post office. Next to me was another foreigner on a similar mission. Her Chinese was workable and she was complimented a lot on how great it was. I was not complimented. Highest compliment indeed.

[imron]

13 hours ago, Tomsima said:

Isn't the highest compliment surely 'your chopstick skills are so good?

That's when I switch chopsticks to my left hand and start using them just as easily, to show that my chopstick skills are not just good, they are excellent.

 

Best way to shutdown chopstick discussions ever (and yes I practiced using chopsticks with my left hand solely for this purpose).

[Wippen (inactive)]

Forgot to add the 'written' compliment type. A Chinese person scribbles a handwritten note and hand it to you, fully confident you can read it. 

[889]

Not if he's handing it to you as a test!

 

Indeed, that's rude. Like pointing and asking if you can read an ad poster on the wall.

[陳德聰]

11 hours ago, Lu said:

荷兰人 (or he asked, I forgot). This went back and forth a bit and he actually got angry, calling me a 汉奸 for calling myself Dutch and not Chinese

I was hoping this ended with the person thinking you were 河南人 but this ending was equally amusing.

 

* I’ve decided my favourite least favourite is when people tell me I 長得像外國人

[AdamD]

Best I’ve had with my manky intermediate skills is chatting online (via text) to people who have stopped after an hour to say ‘oh I’m sorry, I forgot you’re not Chinese’. It’s happened a few times and never felt like it was merely an encouraging compliment, but who knows.

 

I’ve had @Lu’s experience with Chinese-speaking people I know reasonably well seeing me write something in Chinese and being floored all over again. This is probably just due to all the 外国人 who don’t ever learn to write because it’s the 21st century now.

[ChTTay]

I’ve even gotten “wow you can use chopsticks?!?” immediately after I’ve said I’ve lived in China for 6 years ...

 

That time I think I lost it and had a go at them a bit 

[somethingfunny]

10 hours ago, imron said:

That's when I switch chopsticks to my left hand and start using them just as easily, to show that my chopstick skills are not just good, they are excellent.

 

This is next level.

 

I think if you have a bit of a beard and the light isn't so good then you can have someone ask you if you're from Xinjiang.  That's pretty good.

[ChTTay]

Oh! I forgot ...

 

I was eating dinner with my girlfriend and her friend. Some drunk guys on the next table thought I was from Xinjiang. I would say I hold no resemblance to someone from there.

 

feels good man 

[889]

"That's when I switch chopsticks to my left hand . . . ."

 

Now if you want to do something really impressive, perform Garfield's Ambidextrous Parlour Trick:

 

"[H]e excelled at Greek and Latin, and, as an ambidextrous linguist he used a unique party trick to entertain friends, simultaneously writing in Greek with one hand and Latin with the other." The Elected and the Chosen (2012).

 

[somethingfunny]

I can use chopsticks to push food onto my spoon before shoveling it into my face.  Does that count?

[imron]

1 hour ago, ChTTay said:

immediately after I’ve said I’ve lived in China for 6 years ...

It was for reasons like this I practiced chopsticks with my left hand. No need to get angry or upset, just cheerfully state you can also use them with your left hand, and then switch over. 

[ChTTay]

I’m left handed so the same people who talk about chopstick skills usually spend 15 minutes asking me why I use my left hand anyway. That’s real nice too. 

 

Something like :

A: Wow, you’re left handed!

B: yeah, that’s right.

A: Using your right hand is easier. Why do you use your left?

B: I’m left handed.

A: You write with your left hand too?

B: yeah, i’m left handed. 

A: What about [insert sport or anything that needs hands]?

B: Pretty much everything. I’m left handed. 

A: I can’t do anything with my left hand. What about your right hand?

B: Yeah, my right hand is like your left hand. 

A: So funny. Why did you decide to use your left hand? 

B: I’m left handed!!!!!! We just decide in school which is more comfortable then use that. 

A: In China, it’s not like this. 

 

Pretty accurate run down of a conversation I’ve had around 3 times to that extent. In Beijing it’s usually just a casual observation.