And the tops of the chopsticks should be held just one centimeter apart during use. Japanese chopsticks are generally an inch or two shorter than Chinese ones, but this has nothing to do with differences in physical stature. According to folk researcher Chuang Po-ho, while the Japanese stick to their own portion of food, the Chinese eat round a common table and naturally need longer chopsticks to help themselves or their guests.
一般而言，日本筷子比中國筷子短一、二吋，倒不是肇因於兩個民族的身高差異，據研究民俗的學者莊伯和的解釋：日本食物一人一份，中國則圍桌而食，為了取菜方便或替客人夾菜，當然筷子得長些才能得心應手。