Chopstick etiquette

Never leave chopsticks standing upright in a bowl of rice (插筷子) — it visually echoes incense sticks burning at a funeral altar, and it's one of the strongest table taboos in Chinese dining. Rest them flat across the top of the bowl, or on a chopstick rest (筷子架) if one is provided.

A handful of smaller habits are worth knowing too: don't tap chopsticks against a bowl (敲碗), historically associated with beggars; don't point at people with them or spear food as if with a fork; and don't rummage through a shared dish hunting for the best piece — take from the section nearest you.

At shared, family-style meals, use serving chopsticks (公筷) for communal dishes if they're provided, or flip your own chopsticks to the clean end — a habit increasingly encouraged for hygiene. It's also common and appreciated to serve others, especially elders or guests, before serving yourself; placing a piece directly in someone's bowl is a small, normal gesture of hospitality, though it's fine to decline once if you'd rather serve yourself.

Resting your chopsticks parallel across your bowl between bites is a normal pause, not a sign you're finished; set them down neatly at the end of the meal, and avoid crossing them, which some consider a mild bad omen — a softer taboo than the funeral association, but easy to just avoid.