In Chinese professional contexts, who has the right to evaluate whom depends on position. Your manager, a senior colleague, or someone with recognized expertise has legitimate standing to assess your performance; you are expected to receive their feedback with respect. Offering evaluation to someone above you in the hierarchy—critiquing your boss’s approach, pointing out a senior colleague’s mistakes—risks being seen as presumptuous and can damage the relationship beyond what the specific feedback content would warrant.
This doesn’t mean you have no voice. You can offer input framed as questions, suggestions, or concerns rather than assessments. The form matters. “I noticed something that might be worth considering” lands differently than “You got this wrong.” If you need to communicate evaluative information upward, find ways that respect the relationship structure while still getting your point across.
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