Learn Chinese with Everyday Chinese: What is Sanguan?

Hello everyone, welcome to a new episode of 'Everyday Chinese.'

Hello everyone, I'm Wang Yu.

It's great to be with you all again!

Wang Yu, you seem to be in a great mood today.

Is there something happy going on?

Yes! I went to a friend's gathering yesterday,

and met a few new friends.

One of them was a girl.

Even though it was our first time meeting, we had an amazing chat,

and it felt like we'd known each other for a long time.

Do you know that feeling?

It's like when you start a sentence, she immediately gets what you mean.

Of course I do. It's a wonderful feeling.

Finding someone you can really click with is indeed a very lucky thing.

Right! But it also made me think of something else.

Sometimes, you meet people who

are really nice, good-looking,

and have a good job,

but you just feel like you can't connect with them at all.

They talk about one thing, and you're thinking about another,

and it feels like the two of you are in completely different worlds.

(Laughs) What you're describing is so common.

Actually, we Chinese people often use a word to explain this phenomenon,

and that is 'the Three Views.'

The Three Views? I've heard that word, it seems to be very popular online.

People often say, 'Our Three Views don't align,

so we can't be friends,'

or 'When looking for a boyfriend, you must find someone with the same Three Views.'

But I've never quite understood,

what exactly are 'the Three Views'?

It sounds like a very complex and serious term.

It might sound a bit serious,

but it's actually very close to everyone's daily lives.

Today, we'll take this opportunity

to talk about it with everyone,

what 'the Three Views' really are.

Great! I've been wanting to figure this out for a long time.

Dear listeners,

are you also curious about this term?

Then let's learn about it together today!

Let's start with the most basic question.

You just said 'the Three Views' sounds complicated,

so let's make it a bit simpler first.

'The Three Views' is actually short for three terms.

They are: world view, values, and outlook on life.

World view, values, outlook on life...

Hmm, just hearing the names still makes it sound a bit hard to understand.

Can you put it even simpler?

Of course.

We can use an analogy.

You can think of the 'Three Views' as a pair of glasses that each of us wears in our minds.

We look at the world through these glasses,

judge things, and make choices.

Because everyone's glasses are different,

the world we see,

and the choices we make, are also different.

Wow! That's a great analogy!

A pair of glasses in our minds!

Hearing it this way, I think I kind of get it.

That is to say,

everyone's way of seeing the world is different.

Exactly.

These glasses determine your perspective on many things.

Now, let's take these 'glasses' apart

and look at its three components:

what the world view, values, and outlook on life actually are.

Awesome,

I'm ready to take notes!

Let's start with the first one, 'world view.'

Simply put,

your world view is 'how do you think the world is?'

How the world is?

Hmm... the world is round?

The world is huge? Is that what you mean?

(Laughs) Well, those are facts, of course.

But 'world view' here

focuses more on your perspective and attitude.

Do you think this world is friendly or dangerous?

Is it full of opportunities or full of difficulties?

Oh, I see!

I just thought of a very famous example.

There's a glass on the table with half a glass of water.

Some people see it and say,

'Great, there's still half a glass of water!'

But others will say, 'Sigh, there's only half a glass of water left.'

Is this a difference in world views?

An extremely accurate example!

This is a classic manifestation of different world views.

The person who says 'there is still half a glass of water,'

we usually call them optimistic.

They see the opportunities and the positive side.

But the person who says 'there is only half a glass left,'

might be more pessimistic,

and they are more likely to see the problems and the negative side.

Ah, optimistic and pessimistic.

I know these two words.

So, a person's world view

determines their perspective on things.

An optimistic person, even when facing difficulties,

might still feel

'It's okay, this is a learning opportunity.'

Yes. Whereas a pessimistic person,

before they even start doing something,

might already feel, 'This is too hard, I'm sure I can't do it well.'

Of course, most people are not purely optimistic

or purely pessimistic, but somewhere in between.

Our world view is our most fundamental view of this world,

and it is the foundation of our 'Three Views.'

I get it.

Our world view is like the color of our glasses.

Some people wear yellow-tinted glasses,

and the world they see is warm.

Some people wear gray-tinted glasses,

and the world they see is a bit cold.

That's also a great analogy.

Do you think of yourself as an optimistic person,

or a pessimistic person?

As for me... I think I'm optimistic most of the time!

I like to believe things will get better,

and I like to believe that most people are good.

What about you, Li Ming?

I'm probably more of a realist.

I see the good side,

but I also prepare for potential bad situations.

I think the world is complex, with both good and bad,

and what we need to do is accept its complexity.

Hmm, that makes a lot of sense too.

It seems that just in this one area of 'world view,'

there are already huge differences between people.

Exactly. Now let's talk about the second one,

which is also the one people mention most often in daily life:

'values.'

Values, let me guess,

is it basically 'what do you think has value,

and what do you think is most important'?