Chinese Drinking Culture

If you have not yet had the opportunity to experience Chinese drinking culture firsthand, Chinese holidays are a great chance!

Even if you are a seasoned drinking pro back home, you may find yourself experiencing a new kind of culture shock. Here is what to expect when alcohol starts flowing.

Table of Contents
Chinese Drinking Etiquette: The Rules
How Do You Toast to Someone or Something in Chinese?
How Do You Propose a Toast in Chinese?
Other Useful Chinese Drinking Vocabulary
Chinese Drinking Games
Tips for Surviving a Night of Chinese Drinking

Chinese Drinking Etiquette: The Rules

If you are at a gathering where alcohol is present, there are some basic rules you should be aware of:

1. Be humble

Don’t brag about your alcohol tolerance. Your drinking partners may put you to the test and you will find yourself, at best, nursing a wicked hangover the next morning. If you are in the company of coworkers or Chinese family members, you do not want to come off as a lightweight either, which may be seen as weak or embarrassing. If anyone asks how much you can drink, a good answer is a lighthearted “We will see”.

2. Respect your elders

When clinking glasses, the younger members of a drinking cohort are expected to hold their cups lower than the elder members’ as a sign of respect. This also holds true for seniority in the workplace. It is considered polite if you refill your elders’ cups.

3. Don’t drink alone.

Drinking in China is a social occasion. Therefore, it is customary to drink as a group, rather than casually sipping at your glass throughout the evening. If you want to have a drink, you can propose a toast to the table!

4. Toasts

If you do propose a toast, you are expected to finish your glass. If someone else toasts to you, it is rude to refuse to drink (though in this case you can simply sip).

Chinese Drinking Toasts

The most common Chinese toast is "干杯 gānbēi". It literally means "dry cup" and is how you say "bottoms up" in Chinese. Oftentimes, it may also simply mean "cheers", so you don't always need to finish your drink every time you hear "干杯".

How Do You Toast to Someone or Something in Chinese?

干杯 can be used as a verb. To toast to something or someone you can follow the structure " 为+ noun+（而） 干杯 ", for example:

为朱莉娅干杯。
Wèi zhūlìyà gānbēi
Toast to Julia/ Cheers to Julia.

为我们的友谊干杯。
Wèi wǒmen de yǒuyì gānbēi
Cheers to our friendship.

How Do You Propose a Toast in Chinese?

To propose a toast in Chinese, you can say： 让我们为。。。干杯。

So, keeping the two examples above, here is how you would propose a toast:

让我们为朱莉娅干杯。
Ràng wǒmen wèi zhūlìyà gānbēi
Let's drink to Julia.

为我们的友谊干杯。
Ràng wǒmen wèi wǒmen de yǒuyì gānbēi
Let's drink to our friendship.

Other Useful Chinese Drinking Vocabulary

Chinese Drinking Games

Feel free to learn the rules and join in. The games are usually pretty straightforward, but you can still hope for beginner’s luck if it is your first time.

Here are two Chinese drinking games that you might come across.

Chinese Drinking #1: 筷子 Kuàizi (chopsticks)

The rules of this Chinese drinking game are pretty easy. The participants pass chopsticks to each other using their mouths without using their hands. Whoever touches the chopsticks with their hands or drops them loses and has to drink.

Chinese Drinking Game #2: 三国 Sānguó （Three Kingdoms）

This Chinese drinking game is a bit more elaborate and not as popular compared to the previous one. It is essentially a roleplaying game based on a historical novel of the same name. Players assume the roles of the characters from the book and engage in a battle of wit and strategy. Whoever loses a battle has to drink.

Tips for Surviving a Night of Chinese Drinking

1. Pace yourself

Parties can go on for hours and the drinks will keep coming. Be sure to eat and have water in between.

2. Pour the tea

If the alcohol is getting to you, you can switch to tea instead.

3. Don’t drink

If you say you will “only drink a little”, be prepared to be taunted and laughed at. If you prefer not to get sloppy and skip the potential ridicule, it is better to claim, “I don’t drink” and stay dry for the night.

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With all this said, please drink responsibly.

If you or someone you know wants to quit drinking, AA is available in China. Find resources now.

About the Author

Eden has been learning Chinese since 2008. She fell in love with the language, food, and culture and never looked back! Eden lived in China for six years, including in Harbin, Beijing, and Dali.