Chinese Table Manners: 15 Etiquette Tips

In China, sharing a meal is the primary way to build trust — with friends, partners or clients. A few simple habits go a long way. Here are fifteen do's and don'ts.

Before you sit

1. Wait to be seated. At formal meals the host assigns seats; the place facing the door is reserved for the guest of honor or the host.
2. Arrive a little early if you are the host; if you are the guest, follow the host's lead.
3. Put your phone away when seated — attention belongs at the table.

Using chopsticks

4. Never stick chopsticks vertically into a bowl of rice — that resembles a funeral offering and is deeply impolite.
5. Don't point with chopsticks or use them like drumsticks on the table or bowl.
6. Don't spear food with a chopstick; pick it up properly.
7. Use the communal serving chopsticks (公筷) to move food from shared dishes to your plate, not your own.
8. Rest chopsticks on the chopstick rest or your plate, not across the bowl, when not in use.

During the meal

9. Let the guest or elder start eating first and take the first bite after them.
10. Dishes are shared — take modest portions and don't dig through a dish hunting for your favorite piece.
11. Don't flip a fish over to get at the bones; in many coastal regions this is considered bad luck. Let the host or server separate it.
12. Keep the teapot spout pointing away from people — pointing it at a guest is read as unwelcoming.
13. Eat what is offered; if you truly dislike a dish, finish the rest and leave a little rather than refusing outright.

Toasts and the bill

14. When toasting (干杯, gān bēi), clink glasses and, as a sign of respect, hold yours slightly lower than a senior's; finish the drink if you join the "bottoms up."
15. The host pays at a business or formal meal; splitting the bill is uncommon. Reciprocate later by hosting in return.

When in doubt, simply mirror your host. A willingness to take part matters far more than perfect form.