to complain - to talk about what is

to complain - to talk about what is wrong, to talk about why you are angry
to hint - to talk indirectly about something, to imply
to imply - to talk indirectly about something, hoping that the person listening will understand what you really mean
to improve - to make something better
to talk indirectly - to hint, to say something other than what you mean, hoping that the person listening will understand what you really mean
to lose face - to look bad in front of other people, so that it damages your reputation

In most Asian countries, it is very important not to lose face. They will not want to lose face, and they won't want to make someone else lose face, either. This means that Asian people don't like to solve problems through confrontation. They prefer to solve their problems indirectly

If they have a problem with another person, they won't go directly to that person and ask him to solve the problem. They want to avoid confrontation, and they don't want the person to think that they are criticizing him. That's why they will try to solve the problem indirectly; perhaps they will hint about what's wrong sometime when the person can hear them. Then he can solve the problem on his own. This way no one had to complain to the person, and he didn't lose face.

For most English-speaking people, this is considered unnecessary. They would rather confront the problem directly. Remember that work is very important, and they respect people who get work done quickly. If there is a problem, they will go directly to the person and ask him to solve the problem. He won't be angry; he might even respect them for showing him how to improve his work. Any person who used an indirect way would not be respected, because they would consider it a waste of time.

In this dialogue, Bob and Yamata are both businessmen. They are both expected to send a report to their boss, but neither has finished yet. The boss asks each one about the report; see how their answers are different.

Boss: Yamata, I have not yet received your report.
Yamata: How strange. I gave it to my secretary several days ago. Perhaps it is lost in the mail. I will ask my secretary to make a duplicate, and deliver it to you personally.
Boss: Bob, did you finish the report?
Bob: No, I'm sorry. I'm running behind schedule. Can I have some extra time?
Boss: How much time do need?
Bob: I can have it for you by the end of the day.
Boss: That will be okay.
Bob: That you.

You see that Yamata did not want to admit that he was late, even though the report was not about a very important matter. He didn't want to lose face with his boss. Bob, however, admitted that he was wrong, apologized, asked for more time, and thanked his boss for being understand. He didn't lose face, because the important thing was to get the work done.

In American school, children are encouraged to ask questions and think for themselves. This makes the teacher happy, because this would make the teacher happy, because it shows that the students really want to learn about the material. Compare this to many Asian culture; children seldom ask questions, because this would make the teacher lose face. Asking questions would be considered a kind of criticism; it might imply that the lecture wasn't good enough for the students to understand the material.