Everything about Guanxi totally explained
Guānxi describes the basic dynamic in personalized networks of influence, and is a central concept in
Chinese society. In Western media, the
pīnyīn romanization of this Chinese word is becoming more widely used instead of the two common translations—"connections" and "relationships"—as neither of those terms sufficiently reflect the wide cultural implications that
guānxi describes.
Closely related concepts include that of
gǎnqíng, a measure which reflects the depth of feeling within an interpersonal relationship,
rénqíng, the moral obligation to maintain the relationship, and
liǎn, the idea of "
face", meaning social status, propriety, prestige, or more realistically a combination of all three.
Description
At its most basic,
guānxi describes a personal connection between two people in which one is able to prevail upon another to perform a favor or service, or be prevailed upon. The two people need not to be of equal social status.
Guānxi can also be used to describe a network of contacts, which an individual can call upon when something needs to be done, and through which he or she can exert influence on behalf of another. In addition,
guānxi can describe a state of general understanding between two people: "he/she is aware of my wants/needs and will take them into account when deciding her/his course of future actions which concern or could concern me without any specific discussion or request".
The term isn't generally used to describe relationships within a family, although
guānxi obligations can sometimes be described in terms of an extended family. The term is also not generally used to describe relationships that fall within other well-defined societal norms (for example boss-worker, teacher-student, friendship). The relationships formed by
guānxi are personal and not transferable.
When a
guānxi network violates
bureaucratic norms, it can lead to corruption, and
guānxi can also form the basis of
patron-client relations.
Usage examples
Someone is described as having
good guānxi if their particular network of influence could assist in the resolution of the problem currently being spoken about.
The most common response to indicate acceptance of an apology in
Standard Mandarin is
méi(yǒu) guānxi (沒(有)關係/没(有)关系) which literally translated means "doesn't have
guānxi [implications]".
Guānxi is most often used in the press when
guānxi obligations take precedence over civic duties, leading to
nepotism and
cronyism
.
Similar concepts in other cultures
Sociologists have linked
guanxi with the concept of
social capital (it has been described as a
Gemeinschaft value structure), and it has been exhaustively described in studies of Chinese economic and political behavior, including those listed below.
In Middle Eastern culture, wasta is a similar concept.
Further Information
Get more info on 'Guanxi'.
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