Attorney Shao Shiwei | How to Identify Questioning Traps — A Lawyer's Perspective on "Stance" — When Experts Cross Swords, Every Move Is Lethal

（1）-----------------

Zhou: Speaking of not liking others asking him to record blessing videos for people he does not know well

Yi: This is the difference between a celebrity and a public figure

Zhou: (begins to be wary of the label "public figure" being placed on him)

Denies that he is a public figure and believes that this is a label: others first put a label on you in order to criticize you

（2）-----------------

Zhou: There is a saying that flies do not bite a seamless egg. Flies? What do they not bite? Do they not bite tables and chairs? (The same logic as victim-blaming)

(Most of the time, our focus is on the latter part, "seamless egg," wanting to deny others' conclusions. Little do we realize that the other party's premise, "flies," may itself be a huge trap)

（3）------------------

Yi: Are there many people looking for you now? (This is asking while already knowing the answer, beginning to set a trap, deliberately starting with a seemingly trivial question, with the aim of waiting for the other party to answer and then asking a question the other party has no choice but to confront directly, using the other party's own answer to first block off the path the other party was preparing to explain)

Zhou: Not many

Yi: (vs. a low-level question: Your popularity is very low now; what do you think the reason is? If a question exposes the purpose of the questioning itself too much, the other party may enter a defensive state early on, and it will then be impossible to get an answer. So first ask the other party the reason for 'many or not,' with the aim of getting the other party to say it themselves: 'Not many.')

Have you ever thought about why there aren't that many?

Zhou: (explaining the logic: 1. This is a dynamic process; previously there were many; 2. Changing the definition/the other party's questioning context: It is not that I am unpopular; it is that I refused others.)

It was not a cliff-edge drop; it is that I always turned things down, so people stopped approaching me. The reason for turning them down is that there were no good scripts.

（4）------------------

Yi: Do you think you are a good actor? (Very hard to answer yes or no.)

Zhou: (shifting the concept, not answering good or not good, but replacing it with another word: qualified) I am a qualified actor.

Yi: (not giving up, continuing to press) What do you think the concept of a 'good actor' is? (When the other party is required to make an evaluation, they are most easily caught in a loophole.)

Zhou: (answering very skillfully, all with neutral words that carry no subjective judgment and that others cannot catch in a loophole) Talent, sense of responsibility.

Yi: In acting, do you have any ideals, such as acting in a work that will be passed down through generations?

Zhou: (1. Zhou is very good at thinking: What is the definition of certain words in the other party's question? If I am to give a certain answer, do I need to redefine it myself so that my argument is more persuasive? 2. An explanatory technique — viewing problems with a dynamic perspective.)

He denies the concept of 'a work passed down through generations,' believing that each era has what each era watches, and that 'passed down through generations' also has a time period.

（5）-----------------

Yi: (laying the groundwork for the later topic of Zhou Jie's French kiss with Ruby Lin) What is your personality?

Zhou: Forbearance. When something happens, I am unwilling to explain a problem right then and there.

Second, I am already unhappy, and you still want me to explain.

(Thinking that Yi might next ask, then why do you want to explain now, he answers proactively, meaning that he is not explaining to that earlier group of people, and in his mind he has already prepared for what the other side will ask and what our side will be asked in response to these words, waiting for the other side to take the bait) Time will dilute everything; the people paying attention to this topic now are not the same group as before.

Yi: (Indeed taking the bait) So in fact time has not diluted everything; this topic is being discussed again now.

Zhou: Those people from back then were diluted long ago. That group is now in their thirties or forties; why would they care about entertainment gossip?

(If a previous answer has a loophole or is easily seized upon by the other side, find an opportunity to fill it at any time) I am not explaining now either; I am only saying: if... then it would be like this, and if again... then it would be like this, teaching young people today to think about problems with logical thinking.

Yi: (It seems the question is unrelated to this topic, but Zhou remains very vigilant, and it can also be seen that Zhou's reactions are truly quick, his answers always forming a closed loop, not letting anyone catch any flaw) Are you a person who sizes up the situation? (Subtext: Does your posting this clarifying Weibo have to do with the situation at this moment? In fact, it is still another way of continuing to ask, why do you want to post on Weibo to give an explanation now?)

Zhou: If you look through my Weibo, you will find that this is not the first time I have made similar comments; over these years, whenever it was time for me to express an opinion, I have expressed it.

Yi: Does it have to do with timing or emotions?

Zhou: It has nothing to do with that; it has to do with when I want to post. Speaking from feeling. (And he gives examples to explain "speaking from feeling," to show that "speaking from feeling" here does not mean "posting only when I have emotions," but "posting when I am moved.")

Yi: If you had clarified n years ago, wouldn't you not have had to be shrouded in misunderstanding for more than ten years now?

Zhou: (Obviously, this is still logic from the perspective of time; Yi's question is clearly looking at the issue from the present perspective) Who could have thought of it more than ten years ago? Moreover, there are many righteous people but not many brave people. (Not having thought of it and not being brave both fit ordinary people's logical thinking; they can not only be accepted by people but even win sympathy.)

（6）-----------------

Yi: Do you pay attention to how others react to the posts you publish?

Zhou: I think they are quite pitiful, and I sympathize with their level of understanding.

(This sentence is very important, and it further supplements the above topic—why didn't you come out to explain more than ten years ago, and why do you come out now, continuing to strengthen your own argument; this technique is very important.) Moreover, I am not talking about this matter now either, and I have not said what actually happened.

the full story (meaning I have not "explained").

Whether the other party's question itself has a problem is very important. Zhou's answer is very strong:

1. I have not "explained"; the way your question itself is phrased is simply wrong;

2. As for why I now engage in this act of "explaining," he also adds a supplementary explanation: teaching children how to look at problems. (Originally he appeared to be the weaker party, but by saying this he places himself on the side with the higher moral ground; this technique can be borrowed.)

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Yi: (when Zhou said that he hopes to not work when he does not want to work, and to live according to his own ideas)

Is it that you would only think this way when you are financially free?

Zhou: Denies it. There are many people richer than me, and they do not necessarily share the same ideas as I do. (What Zhou emphasizes is: it still depends on the person.)

(This is actually not rigorous, but it does not matter; as long as one can react quickly in the moment and persuade the other party, that is enough.

What Yi means is that only when one does not have to worry about food and drink can one follow one's own ideas freely.

Zhou means that not all free-spirited people are like him.

But only people who do not have to worry about food and drink can choose whether to be free-spirited or not.)

Zhou: I think only when you reach spiritual freedom will you have such thoughts; financial security is the foundation, and I certainly agree with that.

(With this statement added to the preceding sentence, the logic is now complete.

A: I think reason xx led to behavior/result zz.

B: I think it may not be reason xx; it was reason oo that led to behavior zz.

[Multiple causes, one result] People's conversations often focus on behavior zz, while easily overlooking whether it was actually caused by reason xx. This draws you into the causal framework described by the other party, making it hard to rebut. Being able to raise reason oo shows that you have stepped outside it.

There may be multiple causes of behavior zz—xx and oo among them—and the only question is which is the main cause.

If you overlook this reverse thinking, you can only debate and rebut within the other party's logical framework: that behavior xx may not necessarily lead to behavior zz. This mode of thinking is then very one-dimensional.

Therefore, under Zhou's theory, spiritual freedom is the main cause and financial freedom is the secondary cause; combined, they produce the result of living life according to one's own ideas.)

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Yi: Are you someone who loves yourself very much?

Zhou: I love life very much—my own life. (Undoubtedly, everyone loves themselves, but while it sounds fine for a woman to say she loves herself, it always feels a little strange when a man says it, so Zhou switched to another concept to express the same meaning.)

I think only if I am healthy can I take care of others, because I very much love taking care of others. (Moreover, in the context of this Q&A, loving oneself certainly carries a slight sense of being selfish, so he added a further explanation; Zhou's mind reacts very quickly, and the added explanation had to seize the right moment to produce a persuasive effect. Zhou's two additions,

both came at the right moment, and the effect was perfect.)

I am willing to share what I give with others. (This sentence shifts the topic.)

Yi: Have you achieved spiritual freedom?

Zhou: (Sighing that this question is like a pit, not daring to jump in; this sentence shows his alert awareness when facing a question. Lawyers should possess this awareness and cultivate it as a habit in life.)

(Still the technique of the concept of time.) He asked Yi in return: Who are you comparing me with? If I compare myself with who I was 20 years ago, of course I have far more spiritual freedom.

（9）-----------------

(No matter how Zhou explains, Yi keeps pressing with follow-up questions, wanting to express: you are now in your golden period, but you are no longer popular.)

Yi: Most people would think that the forties are the golden time for a male actor, and that there will be better works. Do you think so?

Zhou: (A dynamic perspective, a developmental vision, looking at the question.) I do not think there is any such concept as a golden period. Life has its fortunes, just like the stock market. When your energy and physical strength align with the whole society and the era, you reach the peak of the stock market, but once you reach the peak, you are bound to come down. Life, the economy, and the pulse are all the same.

Yi: Has your life ever reached a peak?

Zhou: (Another yes-or-no question turned into a Q&A; refusing black-and-white thinking, effectively preventing being trapped.) Life is like a pulse. I personally do not consider it; it is the same principle as eating and sleeping. Just follow it, and do not mind it.

Yi: When a person is at his peak, there may be a crowd of visitors at his door,

Zhou: (Avoiding the question, indicating that it was not that she yearned for it, but that on the basis of what she could choose, she actively chose another option—an active choice, rather than passively waiting, or wanting something she could not obtain—this is a great technique that can be used to rescue oneself in many awkward questioning situations.) I have never had a throng of visitors, I have always kept work

and life separate.

Yi: During that kind of period (referring to peak periods), more people would come to you to shoot films

Zhou: (Faced with the other party's persistent questioning on the same topic, simply changes the subject) What I think about is not these things; what I focus on is life

（10）-----------------

Yi: Are you someone who can take a joke? For example, memes

Zhou: This is not a joke, it is disrespect

Yi: Then what about those warm memes

Zhou: Did the memes obtain that person's consent?

Memes are generally captioned with words; this is distortion

and is inconsistent with the education I received from childhood

Yi: People will say that this is an era of entertainment

Zhou: What "people"? Has anyone done statistics? They are all shields

Yi: Are you someone with a particularly strong sense of conviction?

Zhou: (Very clear in his thinking, always speaking to the point, constantly refining and reinforcing his own arguments) Anyway, since I was a child I've known what should be done and what shouldn't.

（11）-----------------

(Appearing on a show like Roast Convention)

Yi: Is that because it's a place where you want to confront or clarify certain things?

Zhou: Denying that I was confronting or clarifying anything—it's a show, so why take it so seriously?

Yi: Haven't you always been a very serious person?

Zhou: (Technique: when others try to persuade you by defining you, add qualifications to the explanation you give them)

Denial. What I take seriously is my work attitude; I don't take the content of a show seriously.

Yi: Did you go on the show to make money?

Zhou: (Also a very tricky question, hard to answer with a yes or no; the logic of the answer is still multiple causes for one result [making money + personal favors]; if I denied it outright, it would look rather hypocritical and would not be easily accepted by the public

and a condescending attitude: others ask me for a favor, so I can only agree)

Not entirely—it was also for personal favors.

Yi: That does feel inconsistent with your 'overly particular' persona.

Zhou: (There is a limit to everything.) Who said I'm particular to the point of being inflexible? I merely raise the issue; whether you change is your business.

（12）-----------------

Yi: Someone must have called you old-fashioned and out of step with the times.

Zhou: Although people don't admit that life is a game, they play it too much, so some may be used to not being so serious, and when they meet someone serious, they think that person is too old-fashioned. Is following the crowd what it means to be in step with the times?

(It is possible; the truth is in the hands of a few. Zhou is clear-headed and does not follow blindly.)

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Summary based on the above scenario: How to identify traps in the other party's conversation

Trap One: Praise in name, disparagement in substance

See Topic 1, Celebrities and Public Figures

Trap Two: False causal relationships

See Topics 2 and 7

Trap Three: Fixing the other party's answer in the form of a question, so that the other party can only explain within a limited space

See Topics 3 and 8

Response techniques:

Step outside the other party's question. If the other party asks "what was the reason," must you necessarily go find the reason yourself?

View issues with a developmental perspective

Turn passivity into initiative

Trap Four: Yes-or-no questions

See Topics 4, 8, and 10

Response techniques: reframe the concept; a third answer may also exist

Trap Five: How to evaluate a certain type of group

See Topic 4

Response techniques: an evaluation that is universally applicable and non-subjective

Trap Six: Do the relevant terms and definitions involved in the other party's question have different interpretations?

See Topics 4, 9, and 10

Answering technique: For example, with “works handed down through generations,” when answering, first consider: does this term need to be defined or explained further?

Trap Seven: How to answer a very tricky question that is highly controversial

See Topics 5, 6, and 7

Answering technique: a temporal perspective, turning passivity into initiative, reversing the roles of guest and host, and qualifying conditions (because one loves to take care of others, one therefore loves oneself)

Trap Eight: Discussing matters that seem to be something you have always pursued but that have actually ended in frustration

See Topics 8 and 10

Answering technique: (peak periods of life, being overly earnest) not caring