When HarmonyOS, the Chinese self-developed operating system for Huawei mobile devices, was released on Aug 9, it quickly became a hot topic on social media. Many believe it not only represents the rise of the country as a tech power, but also pays tribute (致敬) to classical Chinese culture by naming the system “Hongmeng” in Chinese. “Hongmong” is a classical word from the Taoist (道家) text Zhuangzi. In the ancient times of Chinese myths and legends, “Hongmeng” was used to describe the original state of the universe before matter existed.

For HarmonyOS, “Hongmeng” indicates the developers’ aim to make an innovative operating system, unlike any other. Besides “Hongmeng”, Huawei has also registered many of its products under the names of legendary creatures from Chinese mythology, such as “Qilin”for the Kin mobile chip, and “Kunpeng” for the server chip. Many Chinese internet users and media have praised Huawei’s use of these names, “as they stand for Chinese wisdom and ancient people’s imagination and spirit of exploration”, Global Times noted.

In fact, Huawei is not alone in using traditional culture for modern ventures. Ne Zha, the new film, also portrays traditional culture in a modern context. Earlier this month it became the biggest animated movie in China and was called “the glorious light of domestic anime”. The movie is loosely based on the well-known work of classical Chinese mythology The Investiture of the Gods. Unlike his attractive heroic character in previous cinematic works, Ne Zha is shown as a rebellious underdog, who has to overcome hardship and his dark fate to become a hero. Many young Chinese people can relate to Ne Zha, who encourages them to become dream-chasers and fate-changers. As Global Times put it, today by revisiting and incorporating a modern context, “ancient mythology has the power to stir up contemporary imagination in young people”. After all, imagination is the beginning of creation.

   Every Chinese-language textbook starts out with the standard phrases for greeting people. But as an American, I always found myself unable to speak freely when it came to _____ guests at the door. Just a goodbye would not do, yet that was all I had ever _____ the books. So I would smile and nod, bowing like a Japanese and searching _____ for words that would smooth over（缓和）the visitors' leaving and make them feel they would be _____ to come again. In my unease, I often hid behind the skirts of my Chinese husband's kindness.

Then finally, listening to others, I began to pick up the phrases that _____ relationships and sent people off not only successfully but also skillfully.

The parting for the Chinese includes a lot of necessary habitual practice. Although as a _____ I'm not expected to observe or even know all the rules, I've had to learn the expressions of politeness and _____ at a leave-taking.

The Chinese feel they are _____ to see a guest off to the farthest possible point-down the flight of stairs to the street below or perhaps all the way to the _____bus stop. I've sometimes waited half an hour or more for my husband to ______ from seeing a guest off, ______ he's gone to the bus stop and waited for the next bus to arrive.

That's all very well, but when I'm the guest being seen off, my polite refusals are always ______ .My hostess or host, or both, insist on ______ me down the stairs and well on my way, with my repeating the "Don't ______ to see me off" at every landing. If I try to go fast to ______ them from following, they are simply out to the discomfort of having to run after me. Better to ______ the inevitable（不可避免的）.

Besides, that's going against Chinese ______ , because haste（doing things quickly）is to be avoided. What do you say when you ______ someone？People often say "Go slowly" ______ "Farewell". To the Chinese it means" Take care" or" Watch your ______ ", or some such caution, but translated literally（按字面）it means "Go slowly".

Chinese idioms are rich and they are still 【小题1】（wide）used in Chinese people's daily life. 【小题2】 these idioms there are often interesting stories. For example，the idiom，“plucking（拔）up a crop 【小题3】（help）it grow”，is based on the following story.

It is said that a short-tempered man was very anxious to help 【小题4】（he）rice crops grow up quickly. He was thinking about it day and night. But the crops were growing much slower than he expected.

One day，he came up with an idea 【小题5】 he would pluck up all of his crops a few inches. He did so the next day.

He was very tired after doing this for a whole day，【小题6】 he felt very happy since the crops did“grow”higher.

His son heard about this and 【小题7】（go）to see the crops. Unfortunately the 【小题8】（leaf）of the crops began to wither.

This idiom is saying we have to let things go in their 【小题9】（nature）course. Being too anxious to help an event develop often 【小题10】（result）in something contrary to our intention.

   It is awkward（令人尴尬的）when everyone around you bursts out laughing at a joke that you do not find funny, especially if it's a joke told in a foreign language.

While Chinese students find it easy to adapt to a foreign lifestyle, socializing with locals is much harder, according to a recent study. Researchers looked at how well Chinese students made themselves a part of communities across the world. Of all the activities they struggled with, understanding jokes was considered the toughest.

Most of the time, jokes are funny only for people who share a common cultural background or are aware of humor in the same way.

Being able to understand local jokes can help students feel a sense of belonging. But even without the ability to understand jokes, students should not feel any less confident about themselves.

"It's OK if you don't get the jokes. Don't doubt yourself because in most time, it is not a problem of language ability but a matter of the known and unknown, "said Christine Han, who was once an overseas student and is now an Australian permanent resident.

Australia is ready-made for jokes, thanks to its history as a colony for prisoners, its unusual accent, the inner bush country and its strange food. However, to most Chinese overseas students, understanding jokes about sports is the biggest headache. Sport is an important part of Australian national identity.

According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, 16percent（3. 3 million）of the population aged 15 years and over watched Australian football in 2010. About 9 percent（1. 9 million）attended a rugby league game.

British actor and comedian Simon Pegg discussed the differences between British and American sense of humor in a column of The Guardian. He believes that while Brits use irony（反语）on a daily basis, the Americans do not see the point of using it so frequently . He wrote, "British jokes, on the other hand, tend to be more subtle with a dark or sarcastic（讽刺的）undertone while the American jokes are more obvious and forward, a bit like Americans themselves. "