Question for people who've been to China

[Hua Dao]

Has anyone ever ran into or heard the saying 大鼻子嘮道 "da bizi lao dao"? (I think I have the characters right.) 'The big nose like to gossip, chat up Daoism'

 

Basically it's somewhat derogatory towards all the foreigners who visit and have a much greater interest than the chinese do in Daoism. I guess it's humorous when we assume every random chinese person has an interest in it.

Edited August 7, 2008 by Hua Dao

[de_paradise]

It might also mean Westerners only like to talk up the Tao, but only talk, not enter it. Or it might mean we like to talk about our own version of the ways of the world, as in we think our laws are correct.

[松永道]

It might also mean Westerners only like to talk up the Tao, but only talk, not enter it. Or it might mean we like to talk about our own version of the ways of the world, as in we think our laws are correct.

 

 

Good theories but you're giving a bit too much credit to the kind of folks who say such things. Although Daoist, especially in it's religious form, is thoroughly Chinese, anyone with even a modicum of understanding would find no conflict with a 老外 laowai/gringo taking interest. Dao is just natural after all. Every country on earth has nature and exists in nature.

 

Your average Chinese person knows nothing about Daoism, really. They know some of the terminology but they don't know what it means. People insult what they don't understand. And that's a facet of nature that's not exclusive to China either.