A：議長は司会が下手ですね。やめてもらったら？
B：いや、それは悪いですよ。あの人にもメンツがありますから。
Mentsu
A: Gichoo wa shikai ga heta desu ne. Yamete morattara?
B: lya sore wa warm desw yo. Ano hito nimo mentsu ga arimasu kara.
A: The chairman certainly isn't very good at presiding over the meeting. Shouldn't we have him stop?
B: No, that would be wrong. He too has a reputation to be protected.
* * *
Mentsu came into the Japanese language through Chinese and is an example of a word which has more or less kept its Chinese pronunciation. An appropriate synonym is taimen meaning "honor, dignity, prestige, or appearances. "
Though all peoples can be said to possess the concept of honor, it seems that the Japanese and Chinese are very "face-conscious" (mentsu ni kodawaru) and
place special emphasis on the need "to respect one's honor" (mentsu wo omonjiru). Indeed, expressions such as mentsu wo kizu tsukerareta (to have one's reputation damaged), mentsu ga tatsu (to save one's face), and mentsu ga tatanai (to lose one's honor) are often heard in everyday conversation. Perhaps people from different cultures find it difficult to understand this.
With regard to this week's conversation, let's imagine the chairman's way of running the meeting does indeed leave much to be desired. But one can't just turn him off, as it were. Whatever measures one takes must in no way bring discredit to him; an attitude expressed by the phrase, "Ano hito nimo mentsu ga aru." Even if the chairman says, "If you really think I run the meetings improperly, then I will give up my chairmanship," no one will actually wonder whether the chairman has honor or not ("Ano hito ni wa mentsu ga nai'n desho ka"). Indeed, if the chairman says this gicho no mentsu ga tatanai (he will lose honor)
and so in order to save his face (mentsu wo tateru tame ni), someone will need to stand up and say, "No, No one thinks the chairman's way of conducting the meeting is improper. Please continue in just the same way." Of course, the chairman himself probably knew someone would say this and so he'll just continue, "Well, if everyone agrees then I guess I will continue." But what a relief! Kore de gicho no mentsu ga tatta (The chairman's honor and reputation have been saved).
Use of mentsu in this way is of course not limited to talking about how badly a chairman runs his or her meetings; the phrase is also used when talking about
someone's position in a company or when talking about the head of the PTA.
One of my acquaintances is an announcer and though she is very bright and passed the difficult examination to become an announcer, someone recently called into question her way of reading the news. They said her voice is too monotonous. Not wanting to lose face (mentsu wo ushinaitakunai), my friend is now diligently undergoing special training. Indeed, if she loses face over this matter, she may also lose the very confidence she needs to go on living and working.