Why do many Indians often think that they are better than the Chinese, even though their country lags behind the Chinese in many ways?  What makes them appreciate themselves while the Chinese are usually humble and cautious when dealing with others?

为什么很多印度人总觉得自己比中国人厉害呢，明明印度在很多方面都大幅落后于中国？中国人跟别人打交道时谦逊谨慎，为什么印度人总是孤芳自赏呢？

以下是Quora网友的评论：

Dr. Balaji Viswanathan

The premise of this is questionable. Not many Indians think they are better than Chinese. Most Indians don’t know much about China other than the news about the border incursions and the low end stuff they see in the market. This is because Indian traders buy only the cheap articles from China, creating the public perception that China makes only low end stuff. Only a few know that China also makes high end items.

这种说法有问题。没有多少印度人认为他们比中国人好。大多数印度人除了边境摩擦和市面上的低端商品外，对中国知之甚少。这是因为印度贸易商只会从中国进口廉价商品，给公众造成中国只能生产低端商品的误会。只有少数印度人知道中国也会制造高端商品。

That said there are a group of Indians who do think China is not better than India. To understand this idea, I will talk about my experiences with some of my Chinese friends when I first entered the US.

也就是说，有些印度人确实认为中国比不上印度。我可以分享一下我刚到美国时和中国朋友之间发生的事。

At that time US per-capita income was about 32x China’s. While they would acknowledge that they were poorer than US for that time, they believed eventually they would be better than USA. They would insist that it is not about present, what they can see out in the future.

当时美国的人均收入大约是中国的32倍。虽然中国人也承认他们当时比美国穷，但他们相信中国未来会超过美国。他们坚持认为，中国现在是落后了，但未来一定会反超。

The difference between India and Chinese incomes is much less than 32x. Depending on whether we use PPP or nominal rates, the China is ahead of India by 2.5x to 5x. That is not a lot. Same difference between China and the USA [and some Chinese do think China is better than the USA]. And not long ago [until 1980] India had a higher percapita income while China never had a higher income than the USA.

印度和中国的收入差距远低于32倍。根据我们使用的购买力平价或名义汇率等不同统计方式，中国领先印度2.5倍至5倍。这不算多。中国和美国之间也一样存在差异（有些中国人认为中国比美国好]。但早些年(1980年前），印度的人均收入一直高于中国，而中国的人均收入从未超过美国。

Thus, while many Indians acknowledge that China is richer at present than India, we don’t see a 40 years of lead as a long time relative to the length of our civilizations. It is like, we are behind in this lap, but there are a lot of laps to go in this race.

所以，虽然许多印度人承认目前中国比印度富裕，但相对于我们的漫长文明史，领先40年只是弹指一挥间而已。就好比我们只是在这一圈暂时落后，但距离比赛结束还有很多圈呢。

Western Decline

The gap between smart people and ordinary people in India is too big.

You meet a very smart Indian elite, and then you meet a hundred ordinary Indians.

The average Indian has a method for spiritual victory——精神胜利法.

Although he may be inferior to others in a hundred places, as long as he surpasses others in one place, he thinks he is superior to others.

印度聪明人和普通人之间的差距太大了。

也许你会遇到一位非常聪明的印度精英，同样你也会遇到一百个普通印度人。

普通印度人有一种获得精神胜利的方法——精神胜利法。

虽然他也许在一百个地方不如别人，但只要在某个地方超过别人，他就认为自己比别人优秀。

This logic is very strange to the Chinese.

Some of these people are objective, and some are playing tricks.

An Indian told his audience that China has a caste system and Chinese people like Hinduism, which are all very wrong.

这种逻辑对中国人来说非常奇葩。

这些人有些较为客观，有些则骗人骗己。

有个印度人就跟他的听众说中国有种姓制度，中国人喜欢印度教，离了大谱吧。

Some Indians will deliberately find a very remote village, as if to tell other Indians that China's rural areas are only a little better than India's, and the gap between the two countries is not too big.

Some Indians would rather lie to other Indians than tell the truth.

有些印度人会故意拿偏远地区的村庄来说事，跟其他印度人说中国的农村也只是比印度好一点点嘛，两国的差距真不大。

有些印度人宁愿对其他印度人撒谎，也不愿说出真相。

I have seen many videos made by Indians and most of them are not very accurate.

Ordinary Indians can make up any news about China at will, no need any source.

I personally feel that religion has too much influence on ordinary Indians.

As long as you beat the opponent through the debate, you win.

As for the reality, it doesn't matter.

我看过很多印度人拍的视频，大多数都跟事实相悖。

普通印度人可以随意编造任何关于中国的新闻，根本不需要任何消息来源。

我个人觉得宗教对普通印度人的影响太大了。

只要你能在争论中吵赢对手，你就胜利了。

至于事实如何，无关紧要。

A lot of Indians take reality as a religious debate

Indian elites are as intelligent as Chinese elites, but Indian elites have been misleading ordinary Indians with religion and misinformation.

I have a feeling that Indian elites don't consider ordinary Indians as their compatriots.

Indian elites would rather see bad things happen to ordinary Indians than change the country.

Any country in the world can reach half of China's per capita GDP.

If not, then something went wrong in the country's development.

许多印度人把现实当作宗教辩论的议题

印度精英和中国精英一样，都很聪明，但印度精英一直用宗教和错误信息误导普通印度人。

我有一种感觉，印度精英并没有把普通印度人视为自己的同胞。

印度精英宁愿看到普通印度人遭遇不幸，也不愿改变自己的国家。

世界上所有国家的人均GDP都能达到中国的一半。

如果达不到，那么这个国家的发展就出了问题。

India can regard China as a long-term opponent, and avoid various mistakes by studying China's development. It must be careful and not be arrogant.

印度可以把中国视为长期对手，印度可以通过分析中国的发展来避免自己犯错。印度要好自为之，不要狂妄自大。

Micky Moist

Inferiority complex masked as superiority complex, thats like 90% of all indian.

India lost 1962 war with China yet you'll always meet indians online who insist that india won the war

The 2020 border clash for example, indian claim that their cow p drinkers army killed ** pla soldiers yet indian side has never presented their evidence, while china has published pictures and videos of dead and detained indian soldiers.

90%的印度人都用优越感掩饰自卑。

印度输掉了1962年的中印战争，但网上就有好多印度人坚称印度打赢了这场战争。

再比如2020年的边境冲突期间，印度声称他们喝牛尿的军队打死了多少中国士兵，但印方从未呈交过证据，相较而下中国就发布了印度士兵死亡及被捕的照片和视频。

Indian media is like 80% fake news, yet indian are proud of freedom of information LoL, in this case indian are worse than american, and american are pretty idiotic themselves.

Indian think that they're free, they often talk about Chinese slave wage LoL when i challenge them to post average wage in china vs india they stop replying.

印度媒体上80%都是假新闻，但是印度人却以信息自由为荣，哈哈，在这一点上印度人比美国人更荒唐，美国人自己就够白痴的了。

印度人认为他们是自由的，经常谈论中国的工资收入，哈哈，我让他们把中国和印度的平均工资拿出来对比一下，他们就蔫了不说话了。

Tony Tan

Because the white men have been telling the Indians that. The white men fear China and they conveniently and easily manipulate the Indians as their fighting dogs. (no insult intended, something like when we say top dog)

It's a pity because actually the Indians are our good bros.

因为白人一直就是这么跟印度人说的。白人害怕中国，于是放任、摆布印度人充当自己的斗犬(无意冒犯，这就跟我们说的领头狗一样)。

我感到很遗憾，其实印度人是我们的好兄弟。

Wenjie Piao

Why would I care about why? They feel good about their country, I feel good about mine, it's not my place to judge.

And I don't know, what give them the confidence, and again, I don't care. Why should everybody act like each other?

我为什么要在乎他们为什么会这样？他们对自己的国家感觉良好，我也对自己的国家感觉良好，我没啥好评判的。

我也不知道他们从哪儿获得的自信心，再说一遍，我毫不在乎。为什么每个人都要和别人一样呢？

Krishna Kumar Subramanian

The vast majority of Indians are illiterate, foolish and ill-informed.

(That applies to the vast majority of mainland Chinese too, but their government keeps it all under wraps, and anyway that is not the issue here.)

It doesn’t help that the visual media, particularly YouTube, is populated with the same ignorant nitwits.

绝大多数印度人都是文盲，他们既愚昧又无知。

(绝大多数中国大陆人也是如此，但他们的政府对此三缄其口，但这和问题无关。)

视频网站，尤其是YouTube，也充斥着同样无知的傻瓜。

There are only a couple of places where true, one-on-one comparisons can be made:

能进行真正的一对一比较的地方只有：

1.Where the two work together or research together

2.Where the two see each other without color-blindedness.

1.一起工作或一起研究的地方

2.平等对待彼此的地方。

At work, particularly in skilled work, both can be equal; in funded research, the Chinese at present are far ahead, because their state can pump in huge resources into any objective they set for themselves.

Their publishing rate of scientific/engineering research papers in peer-reviewed magazines is several times that of Indians from within India.

Much of it is driven by money, of which India has very little left (after spending on Defence and social welfare schemes).

Have patience; it will take time.

在工作中，尤其是在技术工作中，中国和印度是平等的；在科研方面，中国目前遥遥领先，因为中国可以为自己设立的发展目标注入大量资源。

中国的科学/工程研究论文在杂志上的发表率是印度大陆人的几倍。

这种现状在很大程度上就是由资金驱动的，而印度的可支配资金（在国防和社会福利支出之后）已所剩无几。

要有耐心，这需要时间。

Musa Meyer

To behaves in a manner is as though more important than building a character in the individual himself/herself. In short, even if you change the comparison from Indian V.S Chinese to pretty much anything else V.S Chinese , it is the same reason they should be proud of not being Chinese. And it is unfortunate to sees that the Japanese and Korean societies are poisoned by this Chinese spiritual cancer and struggling to overcome it.

按某种方式行事处世似乎比塑造一个人的性格更加重要。

简而言之，就算你把印度人和中国人的比较，变成任何国家和中国人的比较，他们也为自己不是中国人而自豪。

不幸的是，日本和韩国社会都被中国精神痼疾毒害了，很难挣脱这种禁锢。

Sarnath K

We don't compare ourselves with Chinese in first place. We are free spirits and love our independence. What's proud about living like a factory slave throughout your life? Well, you guys ponder about that. Meanwhile, we enjoy being happy and free

首先，我们并没有和中国人比。我们印度人拥有自由的灵魂，热爱我们的独立。中国人就像工厂奴隶，这样生活一辈子，有什么好值得骄傲的？嗯，你们好好想想吧。同时，我们享受着快乐和自由。

Santosh Kumar

There is very little interaction between Chinese and Indians. I don't know where you got this idea. Most famous Quorans keep on hea praise on India. Most Indians know Chinese economy is five times bigger than India. I cannot account for people who get exposure to fake news, but a vast majority of Indians know China is the lead. Despite all this if you think so we cannot help you.

中国人和印度人之间的互动很少。我不知道你为什么会有这种感觉。大多数quora知名博主都对印度赞不绝口。大多数印度人都知道中国的经济规模是印度的五倍。对于那些相信假新闻的人，我无话可说，但绝大多数印度人都知道中国更为发达。所以，如果你坚持这么想，我们也没办法。

Chris Keath

Because they were told by the de ocratic nonsensical regime.

Even today, some Indian school textbooks still teach their pupils that India achieved great victory against PLA in the 1962 war between India and China.

In their textbooks, India has been a superpower like the US.

因为印度的皿煮政府就是这么跟他们说的啊。

时至今日，印度教科书还骗学生印度在1962年中印战争中打败了中国解放军，取得了伟大胜利呢。

在他们的教科书中，印度和美国一样都是超级大国。

Ishwor Gurung

Most of the Indians don't think they are better than China in terms economy, Public infrastructure, Healthcare , education, science & technology ,space, safety ,cleanliness ,military and so on.

Where Indians feel they are better than Chinese are their media , government and judicial system .

大多数印度人并不觉得他们在经济、基础设施、医疗、教育、科技、太空、安全、整洁度、军事等方面超过中国。

但印度人觉得印度的媒体、政府和司法系统比中国好。