The differences between Chinese and Western cultures are mainly discussed in terms of religion, culture, law, institutions and so on.

I. Connotation of Chinese and Western cultures

If the Western civilization is counted from the Cretan civilization, it has a history of about 4,500 years. Western civilization mainly comes from three major sources, namely, Greek civilization, Roman civilization and Christian civilization. There is a great contrast between these three major civilizations, and it is only in modern culture that these three major streams have all converged into the modern culture of the West. Chinese civilization has a history of 5,000 years, and its content can be said to be rich and colorful! The basic spirit of Chinese culture is to focus on the moral cultivation of the human self in the present world.

The differences between Chinese and Western cultures

(1) The basic spirit of Chinese and Western cultures

After China had completed the process of convergence from the outside to the inside, all the intellectuals began to work on their inner morality. Therefore, from this time onward, the Chinese, especially the Confucian intellectuals, gradually became indifferent to external religion, and they focused more on their own inner moral self-awareness than on the external determinism of God. So from this point of view, Chinese culture is more humanistic than Western culture, rather than God-based. However, the Chinese do not talk much about things outside of the Six Harmonies, adopting an attitude of "keeping a blind eye". Confucian intellectuals have always taken the attitude of "respect and distance" towards ghosts and gods. They emphasized filial piety when their parents were alive and loyalty when the monarch was alive, and they paid attention to the moral standards of human relations in the present world, rather than those things on the other side. In fact, this idea was stated very clearly in the time of Zhou Gongdan: "The sages set up teachings by the way of gods, and the whole world returns to them", that is to say, talking about ghosts and gods, in fact, they are actually using ghosts and gods to carry out moral enlightenment and to persuade you to do good deeds in this life and in the next. Confucius has always been uninterested in the matter of ghosts and gods, "the son does not speak of strange powers and chaotic gods", "outside of the Sixth Harmony, exist but not discuss". Many of Confucius' words show that he was a complete atheist. Once one of his disciples asked him, "When a man dies, will he have knowledge? No knowledge?" Confucius' answer fully demonstrated his great wisdom: "I want to say that I have knowledge, but I am afraid that filial sons and daughters will prevent them from dying; I want to say that I have no knowledge, but I am afraid that unfilial sons and daughters will abandon them and not bury them; as for whether one has knowledge or not, one will know after one's death". That is to say, the purpose of the ghosts and gods is to play a role in educating people from the good, no matter how profound and esoteric things, must be based on the reality of the code of conduct for the landing point, from the good, virtue, so as to "cultivate one's own body, the family, rule the country, and level the world", which is the basic connotation of the Chinese culture is a kind of coordination of the spirit of reality. In the West, academics call it an ethical culture. Western culture is mainly based on Christian culture, and it is a transcendent romantic spirit. It constantly transcends reality and is more concerned about things beyond the hexagrams.

(2) The process of modernization of Chinese and Western cultures

This process was first initiated by the West, therefore, we have to speak of the West first. Because of China's coordinated spirit of reality, Chinese culture, for two or three thousand years, was like a cat chasing its own tail, never able to come out. After all the fresh blood has dissolved into it, it has been assimilated into it. After assimilation, or I do what I do, to not change to cope with all changes, "the sky is unchanged, the Taoism is unchanged, the ancestral law can not be changed," so it has never had any great development. If not the modern Western guns and cannons rushed into our country, we do not know how many years China is still to continue in the middle of the great, complacent country, the consciousness of the dynasty. I tend to think that China's modernization was forced by the Western ships and cannons. In the Middle Ages, when the Latin world in the south started a humanist Renaissance movement, the northern world started the Reformation. So the Reformation was very significant in the Western world. The Reformation had four major effects:

1. It broke the authoritarian rule of medieval Catholicism, which led to the division of northern and southern Europe.

2 . It led to the development of nation-states.

3 The Reformation advanced democratic politics and the spirit of tolerance.

4 . it advanced the capitalist economy.

The primitive accumulation of capitalism was a long and painful process, and of course it was full of blood and tears, such as the "Enclosure Movement", the "Sheep Eating People Movement" and the overseas colonial expansion of capitalism, which all provided the necessary conditions for the development of capitalism. Therefore, it was through this series of reforms, especially the Reformation, that a new Europe emerged in the West in the early 18th century with the Enlightenment after two centuries. Relationship problems of wholeness and individuality, differences in the expression of feelings between the East and the West, and the difference between abstract and figurative ways of thinking are the main differences between China and the West. The differences and complementarities between Chinese and Western cultures are also a common topic of discussion. Today, the historical, economic, and conceptual changes reflected behind the cultural differences have been changing rapidly, and have also reflected some problems.

(3), the relationship between righteousness and profit

Generally speaking, Westerners emphasize profit over righteousness, while Easterners emphasize righteousness over profit or both. Oriental consciousness is the word of righteousness first, the ancient Guan Yu is not exactly an uncompromising righteousness hero. It was also greatly appreciated by the people at that time, I think this is also due to the ancient multi-party thinking and caused by a cultural awareness. 5000 years of culture is also caused by this kind of heavy gift can not be ignored reasons. Relatively speaking, the short Western culture is more concerned about the interests, which is also the performance of realism, from the war of aggression against China and all the life of the West can be seen in their self-consciousness, can also be called not hypocritical, realistic style. Of course, this is only true for the vast majority of people in the East. In the East, for example in the life of the Chinese, modesty is a virtue, whereas in the West people don't know what to do with it. Westerners can sacrifice their righteousness for the sake of profit most of the time.

(4), the difference in the expression of feelings between the East and the West

The difference between the East and the West in many issues is that the Westerners do not necessarily understand Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai, and the biggest problem here is the difference between the Chinese and the Western cultures, which results in the Chinese delicate and subtle expression of love and the Westerners' direct expression of the two different ways of expression. The Chinese women of the ancient times must have been unimaginable to the Westerners, not to mention the "male supremacy" and the ancient family law and all the fettering ideas of China.

(5) Differences between Chinese and Western speech

Now in terms of values and moral standards, social relations, social etiquette and social customs, Western culture advocates individual honor, self-centeredness, creativity and freedom of individuality, while Chinese culture advocates modesty and prudence, selflessness and dedication, the middle way and unity and cooperation. Westerners have a stronger sense of equality and a simple family structure, with parents and minor children forming the nuclear family, while Chinese people have a stronger hierarchical concept and a more complex family structure, with traditional happy families consisting of four generations under the same roof. In cross-cultural communication, it is common to misunderstand information and even hurt each other due to cultural barriers. Sometimes well-intentioned words will make the other party embarrassed, and polite behavior will be misunderstood as absurd and vulgar. Therefore, the study of cultural differences and the study of correct cross-cultural communicative behavior has become an issue that cannot be ignored. In China, showing concern for someone's health is a sign of being educated and polite. However, showing concern for the health of a Westerner cannot be done in the traditional Chinese way. When a Chinese student learns that his American teacher is sick, he says with concern, "You should go to see a doctor! Unexpectedly, this thoughtful remark makes the teacher very unhappy. In the teacher's opinion, even a child knows how to see a doctor when he is sick, and there is no need for anyone to give him advice. To give someone advice on some trivial matter is obviously to doubt his ability, thus greatly hurting his self-esteem. Chinese hospitality at the dinner table is often misinterpreted by Westerners as uncivilized behavior. Because Westerners believe that: guests eat more or less completely by their own decisions, without the host for him to add more food and wine, and eating too much is a very undignified thing, so the guests eat, the host does not have to persuade him to eat again. An American guest was very upset when he saw his Chinese host constantly giving him food, and he complained afterwards that "the host treated me like a pig. When Chinese people meet an acquaintance, they will often say without fear: "Oh, man, you've gotten fat again lately!" or in a concerned tone. Or in a concerned tone, "Man, you've lost weight again, take care of your health!" Westerners who hear you say "you are fat" or "you are so thin", even if they are familiar with you, will feel embarrassed and have difficulty in answering.

(6) Differences in Values and Moral Standards

1. Individual Honor and Modesty Westerners adore personal struggle, and are especially proud of their personal achievements, never concealing their self-confidence, their sense of honor, and their ecstasy when they have achieved something. On the contrary, Chinese culture does not advocate the flaunting of personal honor, but rather modesty. Yet Chinese self-effacement or self-denial often upsets Westerners. "your English is very good ," "No , no , my English is very poor ", "you've done a very "your English is very good ," "No , no , my English is very poor", "you've done a very good job ," "No , I don't think so . It's the result of joint efforts ." This kind of modesty, in the eyes of Westerners, denies not only oneself but also the appreciation of the praiser. This kind of Chinese modesty does not work in the competitive market of capitalism.

2. Self-centeredness and Selflessness Westerners have a strong sense of self-centeredness and independence, and they have always advocated being responsible for themselves. In a society of the weak and the strong, the way of survival and the quality of survival of each person depends on their own ability, therefore, everyone must struggle for themselves and put their personal interests in the first place. And it is not customary to care about others, to help them, not to ask about their affairs. It is often embarrassing in the West to offer or accept help. Accepting help only proves one's incompetence, while offering to help others is regarded as interfering in their private affairs. The Chinese code of conduct is to realize one's own personal value through dedication to society and others, so Chinese culture promotes a noble sentiment - selfless dedication. In China, take the initiative to care about others, to give people a meticulous consideration is a virtue, therefore, the Chinese people, regardless of other people's big and small things, family matters, private affairs are willing to take the initiative to care about, which in the West will be regarded as "meddling".

3. The spirit of innovation and the middle way Western culture encourages people to be innovative and to do something outstanding and extraordinary that no one has done before. Traditional Chinese culture, on the other hand, requires people to be impartial and follow the middle way. Chinese people are good at foreseeing future dangers, and are more willing to maintain the status quo and harmony.

4. Freedom of Individuality and Solidarity Westerners value individual freedom and like to do as they please, traveling alone and not wanting to be restricted. Chinese culture emphasizes more on collectivism, advocating that individual interests should be subordinate to collective interests, and advocating that people should be willing to suffer together and cooperate in unity and unanimity.

(VII), the difference in social relations

1. Equality and hierarchy Westerners have a strong sense of equality, rich or poor, everyone will respect themselves and do not allow others to violate their rights. In the United States, few people are ashamed of their poor background, because they all know that no matter whether you are born rich or poor, as long as you work hard, you will definitely make a difference. As a popular American proverb says: "If working hard , even a cowboy can be president. (If working hard , even a cow boy can be president.)" New China has been established for more than 50 years, but the traditional concept of hierarchy between ruler and subject, father and son is still y rooted in the minds of Chinese people. Superiors have absolute authority in the eyes of their subordinates and fathers in the eyes of their sons, and family background still plays a rather important role in the growth of human beings.

2. The Nuclear Family and Four Generations Under One Roof The American family structure is relatively simple, with parents and minor children, called the nuclear family. In Western society, you rarely see grandparents and grandchildren living together in the same house, and once the children are married, the parents are no longer obliged to support the children. This practice fosters independence in young people, but it also alienates the relationship between relatives. The Chinese family structure is more complex, and the traditional happy family is a four-generation family. In such families, the elderly help to take care of the children, the children and grandchildren help to support the elderly when they grow up, and family members rely on each other to help each other, thus strengthening the ties of kinship. However, this way of life is not conducive to cultivating the independence of young people.

(H) Differences in social etiquette

Chinese people like to ask each other's names, ages, units and incomes when they meet. Westerners hate it when people ask about their personal matters such as age and income. Chinese people always like to greet their acquaintances by saying, "Have you eaten?" "Where are you going?" "Going to work?" etc. In our opinion, this is a kind of polite greeting language, but if you greet westerners like this, "Have you had your meal?" "Where are you going?" they will think you want to treat him to a meal or interfere in his private affairs. If you say "Have you had your meal?" or "Where are you going? When Westerners meet each other, they usually greet each other with "Hello!", "How do you do!", "Nice day , isn't it? Chinese people are usually modest and have a set of humble words, such as "Shame on you", "Where are you", "My humble home", etc. Westerners are always happy to reply. Westerners, on the other hand, are always happy to answer "thank you" to show their acceptance. Chinese people use "thank you" on fewer occasions than Westerners, especially among very close friends and family members. Westerners say "thank you" all the time, even among close friends and family members. When Chinese people receive gifts, they often put them aside without looking at them (for fear of being called greedy). Westerners, on the other hand, open their gifts right in front of their guests and say hello. Chinese people are attentive and hospitable, a cup of wine, over and over again on the food, the guests do not eat not, do not drink not, so that Westerners find it difficult to deal with. Westerners are accustomed to: Help yourself, Please! When the Chinese send guests, the host and guests often say: "Slowly go!" "Be careful!" "Goodbye, walk well!" "Please go in!" "Please stay" and so on. Westerners only say: "Bye Bye!" "See you later!" "See you next time!" "Goodnight!"

(IX), social customs Differences in social customs

1. Attitudes toward women Both American and Chinese women have a low status, but American women are fortunate enough to enjoy many traditional chivalrous customs, and the manners of respecting women can be seen everywhere in American society: men open doors for women and help women out of the car; on the road, men walk on the outside and women walk on the inside to provide protection for women. Chinese society seems to have less care and courtesy for women, and some experts have noted that a considerable part of the Chinese characters with the word "female" contain pejorative meanings, such as "demon, whore, adulterer, slave, cynicism, jealousy" and so on.

2. Attitude towards marriage The Western view of marriage is very different from that of the Chinese. Because they believe: marriage is purely personal, no one can interfere, and marriage is not a moral issue. If one of the spouses falls in love with a third party, neither of them will be condemned. In their opinion: it is cruel to force two people who do not love each other to live together. Chinese marriages are relatively stable. This is because the Chinese regard marriage as the top priority in life, and everyone treats it with caution, chooses carefully, and will not change it easily once it is decided. Moreover, the Chinese have always regarded marriage as a serious moral issue, and it is considered extremely immoral to be in love with the old, or to have a third party interfering with one's marriage.

Third, the significance of the differences between Chinese and Western cultures

The understanding of the differences between Chinese and Western cultures is of great significance in improving cross-cultural communication skills, which can help us understand the words and deeds of Westerners correctly, and in the process of communication, we can fully understand the other side, and respect the other side's customs in order to get the best effect of communication. However, the differences are not always differences, it is precisely to the cultural and artistic masters left a wide creative space, if we can find an accurate combination, it will not only to the two peoples, but also to the whole world will bring a more inclusive meaning of harmony and beauty.

There are many differences between Chinese and Western cultures, and there are also many disagreements. However, all the different cultures in the starting point is to promote the process of human cultural development, in these differences between Chinese and Western culture can not say who is superior and who is inferior, which is objectively formed, their existence will cause the continued development of human culture, in today's world, no nation or country can lose or get rid of their own traditional culture. Therefore, imposition from the outside or apostasy from within is not conducive to national development and social progress. Let us understand each other's culture, *** with each other to maintain the development of various cultures, to maintain the stability of the country, the culture of the East and the West to promote each other and learn from each other, so that, I believe, the cultural journey of mankind will go better.