A short passage in the Analects tells how a man named Ru Bei wanted to see Confucius. Confucius declined, saying that he was ill. As the messenger was going out of the door, Confucius took up his zither and sang, “so that Ru Bei would hear it” (使之闻之).
The Vocabulary of Hints
言外之意 The meaning outside the words. A meaning that is implied but not stated clearly.
弦外之音 The sound beyond the strings. Originally the lingering sound of music. Today a meaning that comes through indirectly in what is said.
心照不宣 Hearts reflect each other, nothing is declared. Both sides understand, and there is no need to say it.
拐弯抹角 To turn bends and go around corners. To speak without coming straight to the point.
Chicken Rib
In the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Cao Cao is stalled in Hanzhong and gives the night password: “Chicken rib!” His registrar Yang Xiu tells the soldiers to pack. A chicken rib has no meat, he explains, so the king will soon withdraw. Cao Cao has him executed for disturbing the army. The novel says that Yang Xiu “relied on his talent and was unrestrained, and he often offended Cao Cao.”
The historical Yang Xiu was executed in the autumn of 219, on a charge of leaking Cao Cao’s instructions and conspiring with the princes.
Do Not Discuss State Affairs
Lao She’s play Teahouse (茶馆) is set in the Yutai teahouse in Beijing, run by the manager Wang Lifa. The first act takes place in 1898. On the wall hangs a slip of paper: 莫谈国事, “Do not discuss state affairs.”
The play follows the teahouse from 1898 into the 1940s. In each act, the slip of paper on the wall grows larger. Beijing People’s Art Theatre first staged the play on March 29, 1958.
Heart-to-Heart Talks
In 2016, the Communist Party’s Several Norms on Political Life Within the Party listed rules for its organizational life. One of them reads: “Uphold the system of heart-to-heart talks.” (坚持谈心谈话制度)
“Members of leading groups among themselves, members of leading groups and Party members, and Party members among themselves should hold regular heart-to-heart talks, meet each other frankly, share their thoughts and exchange views.”
Sayings on Candor
逢人且说三分话，未可全抛一片心 When meeting people, say only three tenths of what is on the mind. Do not throw out the whole heart. (Words to Broaden Wisdom, a collection of old sayings)
酒逢知己千杯少，话不投机半句多 With a close friend, a thousand cups of wine are too few. When the talk does not suit, half a sentence is too many.
The Vocabulary of Closeness
见外 To see as outside. To treat someone not as a close person but with the politeness shown to a stranger. A dictionary example reads: 我一向把心腹待你，你不要见外. “I have always treated you as a confidant. Do not treat me as an outsider.”
交心 To exchange hearts. To say what is on one’s mind without holding anything back.
心里话 Words from inside the heart. One’s innermost thoughts and feelings.
Combat Liberalism
On September 7, 1937, Mao Zedong wrote a short text called Combat Liberalism (反对自由主义). It lists the kinds of liberal behavior inside the Party. The second is “irresponsible criticism behind people’s backs, instead of making suggestions to the organization.”
“Saying nothing to people’s faces, but talking wildly behind their backs. Saying nothing at the meeting, but talking wildly after it.” (当面不说，背后乱说；开会不说，会后乱说。)
Internal Reference
The editorial office of Xinhua’s Reference News published 内部参考, Internal Reference. It carried reports written and translated especially for leaders, and it was meant only for senior cadres of the Party.
The historian Shen Zhihua describes their content: “The important domestic and international news they report is generally not printed in the public newspapers, not even in Reference News.”
A Frank Exchange of Views
In 2015, the former foreign minister Li Zhaoxing explained the language of diplomatic statements. “If the newspaper says that the two leaders held frank talks, it means that they had different views.”
He went on: “What does ‘frankly exchanged views’ mean? It means that different views were also expressed.” (坦诚地交换了意见)