

We're not talking about little white lies—harmless and tactful untruths to make kids feel better about themselves—like when a child accidentally drops a dish: "It's not your fault the plate broke. It broke because it was too old."

We're talking about scar-you-for-life whoppers like "Finish all your food or you'll grow up to be short," "If you don't follow me, a kidnapper will come to kidnap you while I'm gone" or "If you don't behave, I will call the police."



One Chinese parent from the study justified lying by saying, "When teaching children, it is okay to use well-intentioned lies. It can promote positive development and prevent your child from going astray."



Another lie that far more Chinese parents than American parents (61 percent versus 10 percent) reported telling their kids was, "Finish all your food or you'll grow up to be short."

Forty-eight percent of Chinese parents versus 14 percent of American parents pulled the "If you don't behave, I will call the police" line.


How all this might translate to day-to-day business dealings with Chinese businessmen is anyone's guess—most of them are parents after all. Just know that, from a Chinese perspective, "lying" to either save or give face is not viewed as a lie.