What do you think?
Rate this book
On Saving Face: A Brief History of Western Appropriation
An examination of the Western colloquial appropriation of the Chinese concept of “face.”
The colloquial concept of “losing face” and “saving face” has become so normalized in modern Western speech that most speakers are unaware that these sayings originate from Chinese. In East Asian cultures, “face” is a complex and varied concept that involves proper behavior and the avoidance of conflict, encompassing every aspect of one’s place in society as well as one’s relationships with other people. One can “give face,” “get face,” “fight for face,” and “tear up face;” a multitude of meanings that were foreshortened to the dualistic “lose face” and “save face” when appropriated into the Western framework of humiliation and reputation. On Saving Face traces the Western reception and distortion of this Sino-originated concept of “face,” arguing that its appropriation amidst nineteenth-century colonialism deviated the colloquialism into culturally separate meanings.
The colloquial concept of “losing face” and “saving face” has become so normalized in modern Western speech that most speakers are unaware that these sayings originate from Chinese. In East Asian cultures, “face” is a complex and varied concept that involves proper behavior and the avoidance of conflict, encompassing every aspect of one’s place in society as well as one’s relationships with other people. One can “give face,” “get face,” “fight for face,” and “tear up face;” a multitude of meanings that were foreshortened to the dualistic “lose face” and “save face” when appropriated into the Western framework of humiliation and reputation. On Saving Face traces the Western reception and distortion of this Sino-originated concept of “face,” arguing that its appropriation amidst nineteenth-century colonialism deviated the colloquialism into culturally separate meanings.
- GenresChina
136 pages, Hardcover
Published January 4, 2023
11 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
No one has reviewed this book yet.