Why do Chinese people prefer comparing everything they have with others?

中国人为什么事事爱攀比？

以下是Quora网友的评论：

China - World Leader.

The Chinese have a 5000 year old civilization, for perhaps 80% of which they were better off than the rest of the world.

They've learned that their success is envied and a benchmark for others to emulate during good times — like the Japanese and Korean did during the Tang Dynasty.

中国人有5000年的文明史，在大约80%的历史阶段里，中国都比其他国家都要好。

他们也清楚自己的成功让人羡慕，是其他国家学习的标准——就像唐朝时期日本人和韩国人曾经做过的那样。

Now they are wondering what they need to do to better themselves and whether what they already have is enough to be satisfied. To do so they need to compare themselves to others, just as others did in the past with them.

They've also learned that you cannot just stand still or the world will pass you by. A lesson from the Qing dynasty. To know what's happening you need to be connected.

So really there's nothing unusual or strange about their curiosity as to what everyone else has or is doing.

现在中国人想知道他们需要做什么来提高自己，自己所拥有的够好了吗。所以他们需要把自己和别人作比较，就像过去别人也总和中国作比较一样。

他们很清楚，自己不能固步自封，否则就如逆水行舟不进则退。这就是清朝的惨痛教训。

所以他们对别人已拥有的或最新动向感到好奇，这并没有什么好奇怪的。

Bill Chen

There are facets to this question but I will choose just one angle to explore.

The answer to the question is the same as “how did the Chinese go from making 0 iphones in 2007/08 to over 200m a decade later?”

The original iPhone was assembled exclusively by Foxconn, with negligible Chinese components. The Chinese retained a few dollars in assembly fees for a product that sold for hundreds of dollars.

这个问题有很多方面，但我只想通过一个角度来探讨。

这个问题的答案就像“中国人是如何从2007/2008年的0台iPhone迅速激增到10年后的2亿多台iPhone？”

最早iPhone是由富士康独家组装的，来自中国的零部件几乎可以忽略不计。对于一个售价数百美元的产品，中国人只能赚到几美元的组装费。

Today, >25 percent of the iPhone 14's hardware is mainland Chinese, with multiple contract manufacturers assembling them into final products. Apple does not distinguish between a Foxconn and non-Foxconn iPhone.

The iPhone has defined the 21st century, not just because of its usability, but also its strict conformance to a murderous launch cycle, without affecting product quality and design.

如今，在一台iPhone 14 中，有25%的硬件产自中国大陆，多家代工制造商一起合作，组装出最终的苹果产品。富士康产的iPhone和非富士康产的iPhone并没有区别。

iPhone定义了21世纪，不仅因为iPhone方便使用，还因为它严格遵守了产品发布周期，产品质量和设计从不打折。

That's enabled by the Chinese supply chain. Way more non-apple engineers work in china to make the iPhone possible than the entire Apple staff. That's the only way to turn around an incredibly complex 12-month product cycle.

What's the driver of this manic energy?

Comparison, or better known as competition among 1.4 billion people looking to better their lives.

这要归功于中国的供应链。在中国工作的非苹果工程师比苹果员工加起来都要多。这是扭转严苛的12个月产品周期的唯一方法。

是什么驱动了这种狂热？

是比较，或者更广为人知的说法是14亿人之间互相竞争，都希望自己过上更好的生活。

China - World Leader.

For a long time in the past, our technology was in a backward position. But we want to improve ourselves, how do we know if we are still behind? That's the comparison!

Know your own shortcomings, and then you can improve in a targeted manner.

在过去的很长一段时间里，我们的技术处于落后的地位。但是我们想要进步，我们怎么知道自己还落不落后呢？只能通过比较！

认识自己的不足，再进行针对性地改进。

KellyL

Yes, we are! But only Chinese to Chinese. I encountered most are Chinese female to Chinese female.

是的，我们是爱攀比！但只限于中国人对中国人。我遇到的大多数攀比行为都是中国女性对中国女性。

We are in super competitive situation, with large population and a develop society, which causes the society forms a type of jungle culture. They have to equip themselves with multi tasks. To a pretty toxc point, they don’t see you as a subject, an integrated and spiritual human being. They love to say “Don’t find excuses” for everything, even under a vulnerable situation not a right or wrong battle. They compare each other’s “equipment” as to climb to the top of the pyramid. Most of the management level of people I met are very crucial and act like robot, some are really psychopath. But most of the people want to be them. Empathy, compassion and kindness could be considered weaknesses and flawless to reach success. If you’re the weakness, they believe you would get out of the game pretty soon due to the law of jungle.

我们现在处在一种过度竞争的状态，人口众多，社会发展，形成了一种丛林文化。

人们必须用多重任务来武装自己。

非常不好的一点是，他们从不把你视为一个主体，一个完整的、有灵性的人。

他们喜欢说“别找借口”，就算不是什么大是大非的事。

他们比较对方的“吃穿用度”，都想爬上金字塔之巅。

我遇到的大多数有个一官半职的人都是一言堂，像个冷冰冰的机器人。

但大多数人都想成为人上人。

同理心、同情心和善良都被视为通往成功的软肋和缺陷。

如果你是弱者，他们认为你很快就会被淘汰出局，这就是弱肉强食的法则。

Education: They were used to compare everything by teachers/ parents/ relatives with their classmates/ siblings/ cousins. They were ranked by their scores of each subject at school. ( I was always the 32nd out of 35 students at high school)

We never been taught any ethics education such as human are not perfect. We are all very special and love yourself that kind of things. Art education except instruments is completely missing. Except you have a bad grade and choose to be an art student, all of your high school curriculum would filled with painting and music.

教育：老师、父母和亲戚会把自家孩子跟同学、兄弟姐妹和表亲作比较。对他们的各科成绩进行排名。(我高中时，一直是班里35个学生里的第32名)

我们从来没有接受过什么道德教育，比如人都是不完美的，我们都是独一无二的存在，我们要爱自己等等。艺术教育除了乐器，压根不存在。除非你学习成绩很差，改学艺术，这样高中阶段的课程才会都是绘画和音乐。

When we act different / ask some critical thinking questions. Most likely we got the ridicule questions back. “Why you act special?” refer to 就你特殊？and “Why you have so many questions?” refer to 就你问题多？as the answers.

当我们的行为跟别人不一样，提出一些批判性思考的问题，我们极有可能会受到嘲笑：“就你特殊？” “就你问题多？”

Cuz there’s too many students, they don’t have enough time to due with your “mental or spirit” they want you all just follow the rules, act normal, so they can easily manage and teach you knowledge. That would causes students act like robots, lack creativity and being assimilation. Most Chinese I met include me started to form our personality and find our path after we study aboard or a later age. Gained some of the creativities back. Also that reminds me of my middle/ high school classmates, some of them were lucky to have the desires to explore themself under a tense/“toxc” education system. They were not favored by the teachers and called “issue students”

因为学生太多了，老师没有足够的时间处理你的“思想或精神”，他们希望大家都遵守规则，正常一点，这样他们才能轻松管理班级，教授知识。

这样会让学生们变成机器人，缺乏创造力，被群体同化。

我遇到的大多数中国人，包括我自己在内，都是在出国留学后甚至更晚才开始形成自己的个性，找到属于自己的道路，重新获得一些创造力。

这也让我想起了我的初中和高中同学，他们中有些人很幸运，在紧张的教育体系下依然敢于做自己。他们不受老师的欢迎，被称为“问题学生”。

Anyway, most of the Chinese I met they’re unconsciously still in the jungle game mode. And they believe in the jungle law deeply. I’ve only met a few are not, gladly.

不管怎样，我遇到的大多数中国人都会无意识地还继续丛林游戏，坚信丛林法则。我只见过几个不一样的人，我很高兴。

China - World Leader.

Because we are not satisfied.

At least for me, China's ability to create value should exceed the sum of all other countries, and that will be the peak of China's development.

因为我们不满足。

至少在我看来，中国创造价值的能力超过了其他国家的总和，这会带来中国发展的巅峰。

Our most cutting-edge products should be placed in the most prominent position in all cities to receive people's admiration, just like the nine bronze tripods in the ancient dynasty. Our technology should reach the highest level in the world. Our standard of living should become a legend of Europeans, and the stories of those who travel to China will be as popular as Marco Polo's books. Our culture should become the most developed way of life of mankind and be recognized and imitated by all other countries. Our footprints should cover the entire solar system, and we will bring back souvenirs from each planet to show our achievements.

我们应该把最尖端的产品，像古代的青铜九鼎一样，放在各个城市最显眼的位置供万人欣赏。

我们的科技水平应该达到世界最高水平。

我们的生活水平应该成为欧洲人眼中的传奇，那些来中国旅游的人写的游记会像马可波罗的书一样受欢迎。

我们的文化应该成为人类最先进的生活方式，被地球上所有国家仰慕和效仿。

我们的足迹应该覆盖整个太阳系，我们会从每个星球带回纪念品，展示我们的成就。

That is China's proper position, and it is also China's position that has been proved by thousands of years of history.

But we haven't done those so far. So we are not satisfied.

这是中国应有的地位，也是中国数千年历史证实的地位。

但我们还没有真正做到，所以我们不满意。

Barbara Wunderlich

Prefer comparing properties with others to what?

I did realize that in commuting with some Chinese people. This particular “hobby” is commonly found among many elderlies and people with lower educational level.

喜欢和别人攀比什么？

在和一些中国人上下班通勤的路上，我确实发现了这一点。这种特殊的“爱好”在许多老年人和教育水平较低的人群中十分普遍。

Allan Kay

Do you ever think that you could’ve done better? Does it occur to you that there’s a better way of doing a certain task? Is there room for improvement?

That was the mindset of how China shocked the world within 4 decades with this introspective approach.

The west should try it, it beats bombing and sanctioning others with advancement probably in the military field only.

你有没有想过你可以做得更好？你有没有想过用更好的方法来完成任务？有没有改进的空间？

这就是中国在短短40年内通过不断自省改进，最后惊艳全世界的思维方式。

西方国家都应该试一试这个方法，好过轰炸和制裁其他国家，只在军事领域取得些许进步。

Don’t put this topic squarely only on China’s shoulders, Japan and S. Korea did the same. With that comes home improvement and only when the home is good and ready will function well.

If you think you’re always the best; Best of luck to you.

不要把这个问题完全归责于中国，日本和韩国也是这样。

通过攀比，家家户户的生活得以改善，小家发展好了，准备好了，国家才能发展良好。

如果你认为自己永远都是最好的，那么就祝你好运吧。

Christopher Jones

Not sure which planet you’re from but in mine everyone, culture, country, people are constantly comparing their worth and haves with others, its called selfishness and accumulation, and also a commercial gain

So why select Chinese or china as your point of questioning? why not USA, FRANCE UK, SPAIN ETC?

我不知道你来自哪个星球，但在我的世界里，每个人，每个文化，每个国家，人们都在不断地与他人比较自己的价值和财富，这叫做积累，也是一种商业收益。

那么，你为什么单挑出中国，对中国提出质疑？你为什么不说美国、法国、英国、西班牙等呢？

AnhMy Tran

Comparing and contrasting are nature of normal human beings.

If you do not compare or contrast, you are either dumb, or hypocrite.

What kind of person you are when you expose yourself with this question against the Chinese?

攀比是人类的天性。

如果你不攀比，你要么很愚蠢，要么很虚伪。

你提出这个问题时，你自己又如何呢？

L.K.

Because most Chinese are ordinary ones. They have emotions that ordinary human beings have.

BTW, you are comparing yourself and the Chinese people while asking this question.

因为大多数中国人都是普通人。他们拥有普通人的情感。

顺便说一句，你问这个问题的时候也是在拿自己和中国人比较。

Ellis Ho

They don’t. In fact, Chinese are introvert and low profile in culture.

Perhaps, you mean whataboutism? They seldom do this unless you provoke.

中国人并不这样。事实上，中国人在文化上是内向和低调的。

你这个问题也许是“那又怎么说”的问题？除非你自己挑头，不然他们很少这么做。

China - World Leader.

The most terrible, or say what makes it competitive culture of Chinese is its single value system. That is, the definition of success and happiness is ONLY about your power, money and a relatively higher position in the social class(most of time it refers to his circle). In essence it’s only about POWER, as well as anything can represent or demonstrate the owner’s power, e.g. money and what kind of car he drives, what school is his kid in and what phone he uses(not now, specifically referring to the years when the Apple mobile phone was just released) This just explains why Chinese people love luxury products so much.

很可怕的是，中国的竞争文化是唯一的价值体系。也就是说，成功和幸福的定义就是你拥有的权力、金钱和较高的社会地位(大多数时候是指他所在的圈层)。本质上，这就是权力，以及任何可以代表或展示权力的东西，例如他有多少钱，开什么车，孩子读什么学校，用什么手机(不是说现在，我说的是苹果手机刚刚面世的那几年)，这就是为什么中国人这么喜欢奢侈品的原因。