More than a social lubricant, the apology is a survival skill, because even when you're right, you often risk getting beaten by your significant other. Join us in today's listening test as we eavesdrop on a not-atypical conversation. As with our other listening tests, we recommend listening once, and then testing your comprehension in our quiz section. Use the mouseover version in the text section to check your comprehension after the fact.

Despite witnessing a few savage public beatings, our crew here has never heard of anyone actually hospitalized after a handbag assault. That is still no reason to throw caution to the wind. As murky as they are out West, the rules of the apology are even less clear in China. A good rule of thumb is to follow local custom: apologize early and often.