Unit 4: Indirect Thanking Strategies 2
Unit 4 explicitly teaches students three other types of indirect thanking strategies that are common in Chinese and American English: expressing gratitude by way of promising to reciprocate, supposing, and blaming, and also provides students with a variety of exercises and activities to practice.
4.1 Goal of Unit 4
The goal of Unit 4 is to familiarize students with three other indirect thanking strategies in Chinese: by way of promising to reciprocate, supposing, and blaming, and to provide them with the opportunities for practice.
4.2 Promising to Reciprocate
A third indirect thanking strategy in Chinese is by way of promising to reciprocate (or promise of reward). Chinese speakers like to express their gratitude by promising of reward in the future. There is an old saying in Chinese which goes “even small gratefulness deserves hearty returns” (Wang, 2007). For example, when someone is kind enough to lend you a book that you need badly, you may choose to use this strategy such as 我看完就还给你 wǒ kàn wán jiù huán gěi nǐ to express gratitude. The following expressions can also be categorized under this category:
下次我请你吃饭！Xiàcì wǒ qǐng nǐ chī fàn.
多少钱？我马上给你！Duōshǎo qián? Wǒ mǎshang gěi nǐ.
也祝你旅行愉快！Yě zhù nǐ lǚxíng yúkuài.
以后你需要我帮忙，就告诉我。Yǐhòu nǐ xūyào wǒ bāngmáng, jiù gàosù wǒ.
In American English, speakers also use this strategy to express their gratitude. For instance, "Next time I will treat you" and "I will pay you back as soon as I can" (Eisenstein & Bodman,
1986).
Thinking: Are there other expressions in American English and Chinese that belong to this thanking strategy?
To learn more about the Chinese thanking expressions in this section, please refer to the Glossary below.
| Word | Pinyin | Part of speech | English translations |
| 看 | kàn | verb | To read |
| 还 | huán | verb | To give back; to return |
| 给 | gěi | verb | To give |
| 我看完就还给你 | Wǒ kàn wán jiù huán gěi nǐ | N/A | I will return it to you as soon as I finish reading |
| 下次 | xià cì | N/A | Next time |
| 请你吃饭 | Qǐng nǐ chī fàn | N/A | Treat you for meal |
| 多少钱 | duō shǎo qián | N/A | How much (is it) |
| 马上 | mǎ shàng | adv. | Right away; at once |
| 也 | yě | adv. | Also |
| 祝 | zhù | verb | To express good wishes |
| 旅行 | lǚ xíng | verb | To travel; to tour |
| 以后 | yǐ hòu | adv. | Later on; afterwards |
| 需要 | xū yào | verb | To need; want |
| 帮忙 | bāng máng | verb | To help; do a favor |
| 就 | jiù | adv. | As soon as; right after |
| 告诉 | gào su | verb | To tell |
4.3 Supposing
A fourth type of indirect thanking strategy in Chinese is by way of supposing (or making supposition). Speakers express gratitude by supposing the possible results without the person or his/her help under the same circumstance. This strategy claims the indispensability of the person or his/her help. For example, after a person helps you out of a difficult situation, you may use this strategy to express your appreciation in Chinese. Such expressions often contain grammatical structures like 要不是 (yàobúshì), 多亏 (duōkuī) /幸亏 (xìngkuī), 还好 (hái hǎo) and 要不然 (yàobùrán).For example, 还好有你在 (háihǎo yǒu nǐ zài) ！多亏有你帮我 (duōkuī yǒu nǐ bang wǒ) ！
A thanking strategy similar to supposing is also used in American English. But compared to Chinese, the strategy in American English seems highly formulaic. The most commonly used expression is perhaps "What would I do without you/your help?"
Thinking: Are there other expressions in American English and Chinese that belong to this thanking strategy?
To learn more about the Chinese thanking expressions in this section, please refer to the Glossary below.
| Word | Pinyin | Part of speech | English translations |
| 要不是 | yào bú shì | conj. | But for; if it were not for |
| 多亏 | duō kuī | prep. | Thanks to; luckily |
| 多亏有你帮我 | duō kuī yǒu nǐ bang wǒ | N/A | Thanks to your help |
| 幸亏 | xìng kuī | conj. | Thanks to; luckily |
| 还好 | hái hǎo | conj. | Luckily |
| 还好有你在 | háihǎo yǒu nǐ zài | N/A | Luckily you are here |
| 要不然 | yào bù rán | conj. | Otherwise |
4.4 Blaming
A fifth type of indirect thanking strategy in Chinese is by way of blaming. We use the word “blaming” here but it does not bring any derogatory meaning with it. There are two sub-strategies under this category: blaming oneself and blaming others.
Blaming oneself in this unit means that speakers criticize themselves for having done something unsatisfactory or complain about their own carelessness. For example, if you accidentally drop something and your friend helps you pick it up and gives it to you, you may use this strategy in Chinese such as 我太粗心了(wǒ tài cūxīn le) or 我怎么又忘了(wǒ zěnme yòu wàng le). In American English, speakers also use similar expressions like "I am so clumsy! I am always dropping things."
The sub-strategy of blaming others is usually used between people with close relationships. For example, when a close friend visits you with some gifts, you may express your appreciation by using this kind of strategy in Chinese, such as
你太客气了！下次再带东西，就别来了！
Nǐ tài kèqi le! Xiàcì zài dài dōngxi, jiù bié lái le!
我们是老朋友了，你怎么还这么客气啊?
Wǒmen shì lǎo péngyou, nǐ zěnme hái zhème kèqi a?
Because of the close relationship between you and your friend, you show care and consideration to your friend, and don't want him/her to waste his/her money, and thus you criticize him/her for having brought you gifts. This is highly restrained by politeness in Chinese. However, this strategy seems less used between young people in recent days.
In American English, the thanking expressions such as "You didn't have to do that," which express a lack of necessity, are similar to those under the sub-strategy of blaming others in Chinese, but they do not have a sense of blaming with them.
Thinking: Are there other situations in which you will express gratitude by way of blaming in addition to above examples?
To learn more about the Chinese thanking expressions in this section, please refer to the Glossary below.
| Word | Pinyin | Part of speech | English translations |
| 粗心 | cūxīn | adj | Careless, thoughtless |
| 我太粗心了 | Wǒ tài cūxīn le | N/A | I am too careless |
| 忘 | wàng | verb | To forget |
| 我怎么又忘了 | Wǒ zěn me yòu wàng le | N/A | How could I forget it again |
| 你太客气了 | Nǐ tài kè qi le | N/A | You are too courteous/polite |
| 再 | zài | adv. | Again |
| 带 | dài | verb | To bring; take |
| 东西 | dōngxi | noun | Things; an object |
| 别 | bié | adv. | Don’t |
| 我们 | wǒmen | pronoun | We |
| 是 | shì | verb | To be |
| 老朋友 | lǎopéngyou | N/A | Old friends |
| 你怎么还这么客气啊 | Nǐ zěnme hái zhème kèqi a | N/A | Why are you so courteous/ polite? |
4.5 Combinations of Strategies
We learned three new types of indirect thanking strategies (promising to reciprocate. supposing, and blaming) in Chinese in this unit. On the one hand, these strategies can be used to express gratitude independently; that is, we can successfully express our appreciation by means of the indirect strategy of promising to reciprocate, supposing, or blaming. On the other hand, combinations of these strategies and direct thanking strategies can also be used to realize the speech act of thanking. Take the following combinations as examples (Yang, 2009):
1. Direct + Promising to reciprocate: 真地很谢谢你。改天我请你吃饭！
Zhēn de xièxiè nǐ. Gǎitiān wǒ qǐng nǐ chīfàn.
2. Direct + Supposing: 太谢谢了，多亏有你在。
Tài xièxiè le. Duōkuī yǒu nǐ zài.
3. Direct +Blaming oneself: 谢谢，看我粗心的！
Xièxiè. Kàn wǒ cūxīn de!
4. Direct +Blaming others: 谢谢啊！不过下次再带东西来，我可不高兴了！
Xièxiè a! Búguò xiàcì zài dài dōngxi lái, wǒ kě bù gāoxing le!
There is a possibility of combining these strategies in different ways, but when to use specific combinations usually depends on the specified situations in which gratitude is expressed.
Thinking: Can you find out other examples that include combinations of thanking strategies as listed above?
To learn more about the Chinese thanking expressions in this section, please refer to the Glossary below.
| Word | Pinyin | Part of speech | English translations |
| 改天 | gǎitiān | adv | Another day |
| 多亏有你在 | duōkuī yǒu nǐ zài | N/A | Thanks to you; Luckily, you are here |
| 看我粗心的 | kàn wǒ cūxīn de | N/A | I am too careless |
| 不过 | búguò | conj. | But, however |
Review
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