In Chinese class we were talking about the idea of 含蓄. Or rather the teacher gave a few examples of the “reserved” nature of Chinese people. Her first example was the typical 四合院， the courtyard of the olden days in which grandparents lived in the house directly facing the entrance with the most respected people always lived there. People would place a wall right when you enter because they don’t want people looking directly into the courtyard and at the grandparent’s house. That way you’d have to kind of walk to the side before really seeing the courtyard. The houses on the right and left were where the aunts and uncles lived. The idea of indirect/direct is so prevalent in this culture, one can even see it written in the language. In literature they never write sex, have sex, it’s always implied as “that thing” or if written with a more loving feeling, 鴛鴦， meaning two birds but with the connotation that they’re in love. Nothing’s ever said. You can even see it Chinese food. Our teacher said, we’re more about covering up, keeping the goods hidden- dumplings therefore “cover” the meat. And went onto say, “Not like pizza, where everything’s spread out in the open - [攤出來］”.  If you think about it, these are pretty different fundamental values of openness and reservation, loudness and quietness, direct and indirect. Lots of room for miscommunication.