The Chinese, on the other hand, cope with envy by appearing to be excessively and hypocritically modest and seek to disparage their achievements. ‘O sir, I am your mean and humble servant who just happened to hit upon this idea,’ is not an uncommon refrain. If one sets too high a value on one’s abilities, it makes one commit the social offence of regarding oneself as better than others. Thus, the well-known Chinese fear of ‘losing face’ is a ritualized attitude, in part, to avoid envy.42