Chen (2004)

Management > Asian Management > Lectures > Independent Research > Guanxi > Face > Renqing

Renqing

It can be interpreted as "human feelings" and is seen as both a personal sentiment, but also a social expression, such as giving condolences or congratulations to another.

Renqing involves social exchanges and obligations, meaning people have to keep equity in mind. Since it also involves human emotion, one has to be careful in dealing with exchanges, as if it goes wrong, one can hurt another's feelings and thus lose one's face.

Renqing is best translated then as "humanise obligation" and is normal in Chinese interpersonal relationships, but not business ones.

Again, Renqing is related to guanxi, as both involve social exchanges, but renqing provides the "theoretical justification for that moral principle and exhorts people to follow it"

When you weave your guanxiwang (web of networks), you automatically weaves your renqingwang (web of humanised obligations), meaning that while you can enjoy the benefits of a good network, you also have the burden of obligations for the future.