--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is a Chinese tradition that everyone…" description: "\"It is a Chinese tradition that everyone has to be in everyone else's life.\" — Yiyun Li" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/yiyun-li-12305_chinese_it-is-a-chinese-tradition-that-everyone_2338574.jpg" --- # It is a Chinese tradition that everyone has to be in… ![“It is a Chinese tradition that everyone has to be in everyone else's life.” quote by Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/yiyun-li-12305_chinese_it-is-a-chinese-tradition-that-everyone_2338574.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/yiyun-li-12305_chinese_it-is-a-chinese-tradition-that-everyone_2338574.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/yiyun-li-12305_chinese_it-is-a-chinese-tradition-that-everyone_2338574.jpg) > “It is a Chinese tradition that everyone has to be in everyone else's life.” [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Interdependence is a cultural norm, emphasizing shared lives and mutual influence. **In simple terms:** People are linked together in life. Key Takeaway Embrace community and mutual support. Themes community interdependence culture relationships Mood reflective thoughtful Type philosophical cultural When to use this quote - family gatherings - workplace collaboration - neighborhood support - online communities Key Concepts Collectivism social fabric mutual responsibility Questions to Reflect On - How does interdependence shape personal identity? - What balance exists between self and community? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on collectivism can suppress individuality. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chinese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese/) [Chinese Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese-tradition-2771384/) [Culture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/culture/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Tradition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition/) [Tradition Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tradition-life-3582168/) ## Related quotes > [Chinese Americans, when you try to understand what things in you are Chinese, how do you separate what is peculiar to childhood, to poverty,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxine-hong-kingston/chinese-americans-when-you-try-to-understand-what-things-in-you-are/) [Maxine Hong Kingston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxine-hong-kingston/) > [I call myself a traditionalist, although I have fought against tradition all my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-johnson/i-call-myself-a-traditionalist-although-i-have-fought-against/) [Philip Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-johnson/) > [In China, your freedom is always limited, but this limitation applies to almost everyone. If someone does injustice to you, though, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/in-china-your-freedom-is-always-limited-but-this-limitation-applies/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [I would never describe a cloud as 'fluffy'—in Chinese or in English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-would-never-describe-a-cloud-as-fluffy-in-chinese-or-in-english/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [On the mission I brought a flag from China, I brought the stone sculpture from Hong Kong, and I brought a scroll from Taiwan.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leroy-chiao/on-the-mission-i-brought-a-flag-from-china-i-brought-the-stone/) [Leroy Chiao](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leroy-chiao/) > [“Tradition is not good simply because it is tradition. It is for what it has given us and only so long as an alternative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-a-hayek/tradition-is-not-good-simply-because-it-is-tradition-it-is-for-what/) [Friedrich A. Hayek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-a-hayek/) > [I think that voodoo as a spiritual tradition has been demonized for so long in popular culture. I wanted to write against that and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesmyn-ward/i-think-that-voodoo-as-a-spiritual-tradition-has-been-demonized-for/) [Jesmyn Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesmyn-ward/) > [Tradition does not mean a dead town; it does not mean that the living are dead but that the dead are alive. It means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/tradition-does-not-mean-a-dead-town-it-does-not-mean-that-the-living/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [A very enjoyable meditation on the curious thing called 'Zen' -not the Japanese religious tradition but rather the Western clich of Zen that is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gardner/a-very-enjoyable-meditation-on-the-curious-thing-called-zen-not-the/) [Alexander Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gardner/) > [We have years of tradition in lucha libre in Mexico.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-del-rio/we-have-years-of-tradition-in-lucha-libre-in-mexico/) [Alberto Del Rio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-del-rio/) > [“Don’t be controlled by the tradition of men”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/don-t-be-controlled-by-the-tradition-of-men/) [Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/) > [The immense value of becoming acquainted with a foreign language is that we are thereby led into a new world of tradition and thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/the-immense-value-of-becoming-acquainted-with-a-foreign-language-is/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [The most important fact about American liberty is that it has never been a single idea, but a set of different and even contrary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-hackett-fischer/the-most-important-fact-about-american-liberty-is-that-it-has-never/) [David Hackett Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-hackett-fischer/) > [I don't see why we and the Chinese should have to be enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-don-t-see-why-we-and-the-chinese-should-have-to-be-enemies/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) ## More by Yiyun Li > [“I am not and autobiographical writer--one can't be without a solid and explicable self--and read all autobiographical writers with the same curiosity. What kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-am-not-and-autobiographical-writer-one-can-t-be-without-a-solid-and/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [One easy mistake to make with the first novel is to expand the short story. Some things are better as a story; you cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/one-easy-mistake-to-make-with-the-first-novel-is-to-expand-the-short/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [“sometimes Moran wondered if her chief merit was her willingness to serve as a human receptacle for details. Sympathy and admiration and surprise she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/sometimes-moran-wondered-if-her-chief-merit-was-her-willingness-to/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [I always tell my students to go back after a hundred pages and rewrite from the beginning. It's really harder if you've already finished…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-always-tell-my-students-to-go-back-after-a-hundred-pages-and/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [She wonders if this is what people call falling in love, the desire to be with someone for every minute of the rest of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/she-wonders-if-this-is-what-people-call-falling-in-love-the-desire-to/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [Some people in China don't look at freedom of speech as an abstract ideal, but more as a means to an end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/some-people-in-china-don-t-look-at-freedom-of-speech-as-an-abstract/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [I would never describe a cloud as 'fluffy'—in Chinese or in English.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-would-never-describe-a-cloud-as-fluffy-in-chinese-or-in-english/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [“It saddened her that Luo insisted on holding on to her as if they had started to share some vital organs during their twenty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/it-saddened-her-that-luo-insisted-on-holding-on-to-her-as-if-they-had/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [To write about a struggle amidst the struggling: one must hope that the muddling will end someday.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/to-write-about-a-struggle-amidst-the-struggling-one-must-hope-that/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [I think our eyes are trained to look for what we want to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/i-think-our-eyes-are-trained-to-look-for-what-we-want-to-see/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [What is revolution except a systematic way for one species to eat another alive?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/what-is-revolution-except-a-systematic-way-for-one-species-to-eat/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [“His mother had always been a headstrong woman, and with her grayish-white mane and unsmiling face, she appeared as regal and intimidating as she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/his-mother-had-always-been-a-headstrong-woman-and-with-her-grayish/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [In China, your freedom is always limited, but this limitation applies to almost everyone. If someone does injustice to you, though, you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/in-china-your-freedom-is-always-limited-but-this-limitation-applies/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [The boy will remain a son and never become a father. He will be forgotten by the crowd once his blood is rinsed clean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/the-boy-will-remain-a-son-and-never-become-a-father-he-will-be/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) > [You can write about a country without taking a stand, but you cannot write about a country without noting that there's history, and that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/you-can-write-about-a-country-without-taking-a-stand-but-you-cannot/) [Yiyun Li](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) [Explore all 54 Yiyun Li quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/) ## More Chinese quotes > [A home is not a museum. It doesn't have to be furnished with Picasso paintings, or Sheraton suites, or Oriental rugs, or Chinese pottery.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-m-cain/a-home-is-not-a-museum-it-doesn-t-have-to-be-furnished-with-picasso/) [James M. Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-m-cain/) > [I don't see why we and the Chinese should have to be enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-don-t-see-why-we-and-the-chinese-should-have-to-be-enemies/) [Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/) > [If China someday gains a more fair, just, and accountable system of government, it will be due to the hard work and efforts of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-mackinnon/if-china-someday-gains-a-more-fair-just-and-accountable-system-of/) [Rebecca MacKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-mackinnon/) > [My grandparents were far more English in their manners than they were Chinese. For example, we spoke English at home, had afternoon tea every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/my-grandparents-were-far-more-english-in-their-manners-than-they-were/) [Kevin Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kwan/) > [We can see nothing whatever of the soul unless it is visible in the expression of the countenance; one might call the faces at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/we-can-see-nothing-whatever-of-the-soul-unless-it-is-visible-in-the/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [Remember, sex is like a Chinese dinner. It ain't over 'til you both get your cookie.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alec-baldwin/remember-sex-is-like-a-chinese-dinner-it-ain-t-over-til-you-both-get/) [Alec Baldwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alec-baldwin/) > [The remarkable thing about the Chinese is that they've operated differently than the Russians, the Iranians, and the North Koreans. By and large, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-e-sanger/the-remarkable-thing-about-the-chinese-is-that-they-ve-operated/) [David E. Sanger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-e-sanger/) > [He sank into the rocking chair, the same one in which Rebecca had sat during the early days of the house to give embroidery…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/he-sank-into-the-rocking-chair-the-same-one-in-which-rebecca-had-sat/) [Gabriel Garcia Marquez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabriel-garc-a-m-rquez/) > [The Pink Panther wasn't shown to the press for reasons that soon became apparent when I saw it at a public performance. Two people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-french/the-pink-panther-wasn-t-shown-to-the-press-for-reasons-that-soon/) [Philip French](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-french/) > [Canada has become such a staging area for Chinese money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-kwan/canada-has-become-such-a-staging-area-for-chinese-money/) [Kevin Kwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-kwan/) > [The Chinese describe themselves as political refugees. Many base that claim on China's strict population laws, which allow them to have only one child.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ed-koch/the-chinese-describe-themselves-as-political-refugees-many-base-that/) [Ed Koch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ed-koch/) > [There is a phrase in Chinese, 'Resolve is victory.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yao-ming/there-is-a-phrase-in-chinese-resolve-is-victory/) [Yao Ming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yao-ming/) > [One thing that really interests me is-and it comes out of Chinese and Japanese painting-where you have a number of different kinds of space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-heilmann/one-thing-that-really-interests-me-is-and-it-comes-out-of-chinese-and/) [Mary Heilmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-heilmann/) > [My Chinese zodiac is a dog. But I'm an exception because of how much I love cats.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-wu/my-chinese-zodiac-is-a-dog-but-i-m-an-exception-because-of-how-much-i/) [Jason Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-wu/) > [This is an extraordinary illustrated collection of Chinese herbsaccompanied by concise and expert comments. Jing-Nuan Wu has succeeded incompiling this most unique and informative…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koji-nakanishi/this-is-an-extraordinary-illustrated-collection-of-chinese/) [Koji Nakanishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koji-nakanishi/) [Browse all 1,741 Chinese quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chinese/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is a Chinese tradition that everyone has to be in everyone else's life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Yiyun Li" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/it-is-a-chinese-tradition-that-everyone-has-to-be-in-everyone-else-s/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Chinese" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/it-is-a-chinese-tradition-that-everyone-has-to-be-in-everyone-else-s/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/yiyun-li-12305_chinese_it-is-a-chinese-tradition-that-everyone_2338574.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/yiyun-li-12305_chinese_it-is-a-chinese-tradition-that-everyone_2338574.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1f0/yiyun-li-12305_chinese_it-is-a-chinese-tradition-that-everyone_2338574.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is a Chinese tradition that everyone has to be in everyone else's life.” — Yiyun Li", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Yiyun Li", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yiyun-li/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is a Chinese tradition that...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/it-is-a-chinese-tradition-that-everyone-has-to-be-in-everyone-else-s/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yiyun-li/it-is-a-chinese-tradition-that-everyone-has-to-be-in-everyone-else-s/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```