The Female Triad

开篇：润墨网以专业的文秘视角，为您筛选了一篇The Female Triad范文，如需获取更多写作素材，在线客服老师一对一协助。欢迎您的阅读与分享！

One of the greatest writers of the 20th century， from China or anywhere else， was Lin Yutang. He was born in 1895 and died in 1976， and his English was better than mine by a long stretch. His grasp of Chinese language， culture and psychology was second to none. He wrote a book published in both English and Chinese in 1935 called My Country and My People， which was an international best-seller in English and of course a big seller in Chinese. He wrote both of them. The book， an attempt to psychoanalyse and explain“Chinese-ness”， is ultimately proof of the continuity of Chinese life.

I constantly hear Chinese and foreigners saying that China is changing so fast， the pace of change is increasing， everything is different. Superficially， that is true， of course， and in many fundamental areas as well. But not all. It is worth focusing once in a while on what has NOT changed， and in this regard， Lin Yutang’s review of Chinese culture and psychology is highly instructive.

He was writing at a time， the 1930s， when China was in the midst of massive changes but still had clear and unbroken continuity with the past. That continuity has been severely tested over the decades since. But nevertheless there are many points where there has been little or no change， many of them fundamental to “Chinese-ness”.

One of the many good points Mr Lin makes that is still highly relevant to China today is that he says the country is ruled by what he calls “The female triad”， something that has nothing to do with members of the politburo. They are Face， Fate and Favor.

“These three sisters have always ruled China， and are ruling China still，”he wrote. “The only revolution that is real and that is worthwhile is a revolution against this female triad. The trouble is that these three women are so human and so charming. They corrupt our priests， flatter our rulers， protect the powerful， seduce the rich， hypnotize the poor， bribe the ambitious and demoralize the revolutionary camp.”

Face remains a key issue in China， and one that is of relevance to anyone trying to achieve anything here.

“It is not a face that can be washed or shaved， but a face that can be“granted” and “lost” and “fought for”and “presented as a gift，” says Mr Lin.“Here we arrive at the most curious point of Chinese social psychology. Abstract and intangible， it is yet the most delicate standard by which Chinese social intercourse is regulated.”

But how to define “face”？

“Face cannot be translated or defined，”Mr Lin concludes. “It is like honor and is not honor. It cannot be purchased with money， and gives a man or a woman a material pride. It is hollow and is what men fight for and what many women die for. It is invisible and yet by definition exists by being shown to the public. It exists in the ether and yet can be heard， and sounds eminently respectable and solid. It is amenable， not to reason but to social convention. It protracts lawsuits， breaks up family fortunes， causes murders and suicides， and yet it often makes a man out of a renegade who has been insulted by his fellow- townsmen， and it is prized above all earthly possessions. It is more powerful than fate and favor， and more respected than the constitution. It often decides a military victory or defeat， and can demolish a whole government ministry. It is that hollow thing which men in China live by.”

Face in these terms exists elsewhere， of course， but is not treated with such seriousness. A loss of face today， just as in the 1930s， can end a deal， just as attention to face can allow for a satisfactory conclusion even in the face of significant differences.

“Not to give a man face is the utmost height of rudeness and is like throwing down a gauntlet to him in the West，” says Mr Lin. “Many officials attend between three and four dinners in a night and injure all their chances of a normal digestive system rather than make one of their intended hosts lose face.”

That last line is so true of China today. I have known many Chinese businessmen and officials who live that way.