《中國(guó)人的性格》是美國(guó)傳教士阿瑟·史密斯（明恩溥）基于1872年赴華傳教期間的社會(huì)觀察撰寫的著作，首版英文名《Chinese Characteristics》于19世紀(jì)末問(wèn)世，。作者在華生活逾五十年，書中融合人類學(xué)視角與傳教士立場(chǎng)，記錄了晚清民眾的性格特征與文化形態(tài)。

全書以27個(gè)主題章節(jié)剖析中國(guó)人行為模式，包含“保全面子”“省吃儉用”等生活哲學(xué)，以及“漠視精確”“因循守舊”等社會(huì)現(xiàn)象。通過(guò)對(duì)比西方工業(yè)文明，著重探討東方特有的生存韌性，如環(huán)境適應(yīng)力與疼痛耐受性。書中案例多源自山東鄉(xiāng)村生活經(jīng)歷，涉及衣食住行、孝悌觀念等主題，部分結(jié)論因宗教立場(chǎng)存在視角爭(zhēng)議。該著作開創(chuàng)西方研究中國(guó)國(guó)民性先河，被譯成多國(guó)文字，成為近代中西文化互鑒的重要文本。

第一章　“面子”問(wèn)題

第一眼看去，把全人類都有的身體部位“臉面”，來(lái)概括中國(guó)人的性格，可能讓人覺(jué)得十分荒謬。但是在中國(guó)，他們所講的“面子”，可不僅僅指的是腦袋上朝前面的那一部分。它是一個(gè)具有特定的、多種復(fù)雜含義的名詞，其內(nèi)涵之豐富，比我們目前所能描述的或者所能理解的還要多。

為了大致理解“面子”的意思，哪怕是作一個(gè)不全面的理解，我們也必須指出這樣一個(gè)事實(shí)，中國(guó)人是一個(gè)普遍具有愛(ài)演戲本事的民族。戲劇幾乎可以說(shuō)是中國(guó)唯一通行全國(guó)的娛樂(lè)活動(dòng)。中國(guó)人熱衷于看戲劇演出，猶如英國(guó)人愛(ài)好體育、西班牙人愛(ài)好斗牛。只要略略辨析，任何一個(gè)中國(guó)人都會(huì)有模有樣地扮演起某出戲中的某個(gè)角色。他會(huì)擺出各種戲劇化的姿勢(shì)，諸如鞠躬行禮、下跪叩拜、伏地不起、以頭搶地。

對(duì)于一個(gè)西方人來(lái)說(shuō)，這些姿態(tài)如果說(shuō)看起來(lái)不是荒唐可笑的話，至少也是純粹多余的。而中國(guó)人是用戲劇化的方式進(jìn)行日常思維。當(dāng)一個(gè)人要為自己辯解時(shí)，他面對(duì)兩三個(gè)人的講話，就好像是面對(duì)著千萬(wàn)個(gè)人。他大聲地說(shuō)道：“我可是當(dāng)著你們的面說(shuō)的，你，還有你，你們都在場(chǎng)。”如果他的麻煩去盡、心滿意足，他會(huì)說(shuō)自己是體面地“下了臺(tái)”；如果沒(méi)有擺平，心情糟糕，他會(huì)說(shuō)自己沒(méi)有臉面“下臺(tái)去”。顯然，所有這些狀態(tài)，如果弄清楚了，你就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)與實(shí)際毫不相干。關(guān)鍵不在于事實(shí)究竟如何，而完全是個(gè)形式的問(wèn)題。只要把一切看做一場(chǎng)戲，在適當(dāng)?shù)臅r(shí)候，以適當(dāng)?shù)姆绞剑f(shuō)了一句漂亮話，這場(chǎng)戲就會(huì)贏得喝彩。我們并非要偷偷進(jìn)入每一個(gè)幕后查看真相，因?yàn)槟菍?huì)糟蹋世界上的所有好戲。

在中國(guó)一切復(fù)雜的生活關(guān)系中，完全依據(jù)戲劇化的樣式做出行動(dòng)，那就會(huì)有“面子”。如果明知對(duì)方在表演，不理會(huì)他們，小看他們，阻撓對(duì)方的展示，他們就會(huì)很“丟面子”。一旦正確理解了“面子”一詞中所包含的意思，人們就會(huì)發(fā)現(xiàn)，“面子”這個(gè)詞本身正是打開中國(guó)人最重要性格密碼箱的鑰匙。

應(yīng)該一提的是，中國(guó)人如何做到向?qū)Ψ浇o足“面子”，其技巧和造詣遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超過(guò)了西方人的理解力。與中國(guó)人相處，西方人經(jīng)常是忘記了其中戲劇的因素，而徑直進(jìn)入與之無(wú)關(guān)的事實(shí)領(lǐng)域。在西方人看來(lái)，中國(guó)人的“面子”就像是南太平洋諸島的圖騰禁忌，是一種潛在的、不可否認(rèn)的力量。只是“面子”問(wèn)題更加令人捉摸不透，不可簡(jiǎn)化為具體的規(guī)則，并且只是按照大家一致的感受而廢止或變更。在這一點(diǎn)上，中國(guó)人與西方人必須承認(rèn)彼此存在著巨大差異，因?yàn)樗麄兘^不可能用同樣的眼光看待同樣的事情。

在調(diào)解各個(gè)村莊之間常見的那些紛爭(zhēng)之時(shí)，“和事佬們”必須認(rèn)真斟酌、推敲各方面的“面子”的平衡，這就像過(guò)去歐洲政治家考慮權(quán)力平衡一樣。這樣做的目的不在于貫徹客觀公正的原則，而是按照適當(dāng)?shù)谋壤瑢?duì)所有有關(guān)人等的“面子”進(jìn)行分配。絕對(duì)的客觀公正，對(duì)一個(gè)東方人來(lái)說(shuō)，即使他們能從道理上認(rèn)同這點(diǎn)，但實(shí)際操作起來(lái)還是認(rèn)為不可能實(shí)現(xiàn)。同樣，即使在法律的訴訟裁決中，按比例分配“面子”的事也常有發(fā)生。這使得相當(dāng)大比例的法律裁決，在所謂各打五十大板的平衡中不了了之。

送人一份豐厚的禮物，算是“給面子”。但是，如果禮物純粹是個(gè)人所送，受禮人千萬(wàn)不能照單全收，統(tǒng)統(tǒng)拒絕自然是很少見或者根本不可能的。一些渴望保住“面子”的事例，很能說(shuō)明問(wèn)題。犯了錯(cuò)誤被揭發(fā)出來(lái)是“大失面子”的事情，所以，無(wú)論你掌握多么確鑿的證據(jù)，也要為對(duì)方保住“面子”，委婉加以處置。一個(gè)網(wǎng)球不見了，被一位苦力揀了去，即使明證當(dāng)前，他也會(huì)不客氣地?cái)嗳挥枰苑裾J(rèn)，然后，走到丟失球的地方，宣稱找到了球（而球其實(shí)是從他的長(zhǎng)袖里掉出來(lái)的），并且還說(shuō)：“這是你‘丟’的球！”一位侍女把客人的小刀藏在她主人的房里，后來(lái)，她又在臺(tái)布下把刀子找了出來(lái)，并且還煞有介事地宣稱是她找到的。如是這般，他們的“面子”就被保住了。

一位仆人不小心丟失了主人的一件東西，他知道必須賠償，或者被扣掉相當(dāng)數(shù)目的工錢。于是，他會(huì)向主人提出辭職，并且傲氣凌人地說(shuō)：“用來(lái)賠償那支銀匙子的錢，我就不要了。”這樣，他占得了上風(fēng)，自己的“面子”便得以保全了。一個(gè)人放了一筆債，他知道他已不可能收回了，于是他便找到欠債人，當(dāng)眾發(fā)狠，威脅對(duì)方，以表明他知道該怎么對(duì)付你。雖然，他最終還是沒(méi)有收回債款，但他保住了“面子”，并以此來(lái)保證將來(lái)不會(huì)有人再賴他的賬了。一位仆人疏忽大意，或拒絕做某些分內(nèi)之事，在他得知主人打算解雇他之前，他會(huì)故意再度犯錯(cuò)，并自己提出辭呈，以保住他的“面子”。

就算是死，也要保住“面子”，這對(duì)我們來(lái)說(shuō)，似乎并沒(méi)有任何吸引力。但我們聽說(shuō)這樣一件事情，一位中國(guó)的地方官，在犯罪被朝廷斬首之前，可以享有一種特殊的恩惠，就是準(zhǔn)許穿戴官袍用刑。其目的，也就是為了保住他的那個(gè)“面子”！

英文原版：

CHAPTER I. FACE.

AT first sight nothing can be more irrational than to callJTx. that which is shared with the whole human race a " characteristic " of the Chinese. But the word " face " does not inChina signify simply the front part of the head, but is Uterallya compound novm of multitude, with more meanings than weshall be able to describe, or perhaps to comprehend.

In order to understand, however imperfectly, what is meantby "face," we must take account of the fact that as a race theChinese have a strongly dramatic instinct. The theatre mayalmost be said to be the only national amusement, and theChinese have for theatricals a passion like that of the Englishman for athletics, or the Spaniard for bull-fights. Upon veryslight provocation, any Chinese regards himself in the light ofan actor in a drama. He throws himself into theatrical attitudes, performs the salaam, falls upon his knees, prostrates himself and strikes his head upon the earth, under circumstanceswhich to an Occidental seem to make such actions superfluous, not to say ridiculous. A Chinese thinks in theatrical terms.When roused in self-defence he addresses two orthree persons as if they were a multitude. He exclaims : " Isay this in the presence of You, and You, and You, who are allhere present." If his troubles are adjusted he speaks of himself as having " got off the stage " with credit, and if they arenot adjusted he finds no way to "retire from the stage." Allthis, be it clearly understood, has nothing to do with realities.

The question is never of facts, but always of form. If a finespeech has been dehvered at the proper time and in the properway, the requirement of the play is met. We are not to gobehind the scenes, for that would spoil all the plays in theworld. Properly to execute acts like these in all the complex Irelations of life, is to have " face." To fail of them, to ignore !them, to be thwarted in the performance of them, this is to \" lose face." Once rightly apprehended, " face " will be found_|to be in itself a key to the combination lock of many of themost important characteristics of the Chinese.

It should be added that the principles which regulate "face"and its attainment are often wholly beyond the intellectualapprehension of the Occidental, who is constantly forgettingthe theatrical element, and wandering off into the irrelevantregions of fact. To him it often seems that Chinese " face "is not unlike the South Sea Island taboo, a force of undeniablepotency, but capricious, and not reducible to rule, deserving only to be abohshed and replaced by common sense. At thispoint Chinese and Occidentals must agree to disagree, for theycan never be brought to view the same things in the same light.In the adjustment of the incessant quarrels whichdistract every hamlet, it is necessary for the "peace-talkers"to take as careful account of the balance of " face " as European statesmen once did of the balance of power. The objectin such cases is not the execution of even-handed justice,which, even if theoretically desirable, seldom occurs to anOriental as a possibility, but such an arrangement as will distribute to all concerned " face '' in due proportions. Thesame principle often obtains in the settlement of lawsuits, a \very large percentage of which end in what may be called adrawn game.

To offer a person a handsome present is to " give him face."But if the gift be from an individual it should be accepted onlyin part, but should seldom or never be altogether refused. A few examples of the thirst for keeping face will suffice for illusiration.To be accused of a fault is to " lose face," and thefact must be denied, no matter what the evidence, in orderto save face. A tennis-ball is missed, and it is more than suspected that a coolie picked it up. He indignantly denies it,but goes to the spot where the ball disappeared, and soonfinds it lying there (dropped out of his sleeve), remarking," Here is your ' lost ' ball." The waiting-woman who secretedthe penknife of a guest in her master's house afterwards discovers it under the table-cloth, and ostentatiously produces it.In each case " face " is saved. The servant who has carelessly lost an article which he knows he must replace or forfeitan equivalent from his wages, remarks loftily, as he takes hisdismissal, " The money for that silver spoon I do not want,"and thus his " face " is intact. A man has a debt owing tohim which he knows that he shall not collect ; but going tothe debtor, he raises a terrible disturbance, by which meanshe shows that he knows what ought to be done. He doesnot get the money, but he saves his " face," and thus secureshimself from imposition in the future. A servant neglects orrefuses to perform some duty. Ascertaining that his masterintends to tiun him off, he repeats his former offence, dismisseshimself, and saves his " face."

To save one's face and lose one's life would not seem tous very attractive, but we have heard of a Chinese DistrictMagistrate who, as a special favour, was allowed to be beheaded in his robes of office in order to save his face!