Cultural Differences Between China and the West Essay

Talking about the cultural differences between China and the WestLanguage is the product of society, is the crystallization of human history and culture. It is the crystallization of human history and culture. It unites all the characteristics of human society, such as social consciousness, history and culture, customs and habits, etc., which have been handed down from generation to generation of a nation. Different cultural backgrounds and traditions have led to considerable cultural differences between Chinese and Western cultures in terms of ways of thinking, values, behavioral norms and lifestyles. Language is the carrier of culture, vocabulary is the condensation of cultural information, it is an important part of language, which reflects the development and change of culture, and at the same time directly reflects the cultural differences. In the course of China's more than two thousand years of feudal social history, Confucianism has always occupied a deep-rooted string dominance, and has had an extremely profound and long-lasting influence on Chinese society. The Chinese people have always adopted the idea of self-depreciation as a classic for dealing with the world, and this is the Confucian "middle way" as the basic guideline for behavior. The "Middle Way" is the ideal state pursued by Confucianism, in which the Confucian ideological and moral concepts of benevolence, righteousness, etiquette, wisdom and trust should be used as a guide for everyone's behavior, and one should treat people and others with consideration for warmth, goodness, respect, thrift and tolerance, take pride in modesty and be modest, and be opposed to overly revealing one's own expression of ego. Therefore, Chinese culture embodies the cultural characteristic of group, which does not allow individual values to override the interests of the group. The formation of values in Western countries can be traced back at least to the Renaissance movement. The guiding principle of the Renaissance was humanism, which centered on the individual, preaching the supremacy of individualism and striving for self-development and self-expression. The value of the concept of "modesty" in Western culture is negligible. In life, people worship "strong men" and "heroes". Strong people who have skills and talents are reused, while weak people who lack self-confidence can only lag behind or be ruthlessly eliminated. Therefore, the western culture reflects the individual cultural characteristics, this individuality cultural characteristics advocate personal value over the group interests. Because of this, the two cultures differ in the positive and negative colors of certain words. For example, the word "ambition" itself has both positive and negative meanings. The Chinese use it in a derogatory sense to mean "ambitious", while the British and Americans use it in a positive sense to mean "ambitious".The word "aggressive" is often used by the Chinese to describe someone as "provocative" and "belligerent". The word "aggressive" is often used by the Chinese to describe someone as "provocative" and "combative", while the Americans use it to describe someone as "aggressive and progressive with a pioneering spirit". Our group culture attaches great importance to family and friends as the cells that make up society, while in the West, independence and self-reliance are emphasized. Chinese people attach importance to the traditional monarchs, fathers and sons, seniority, hierarchical, while in the United Kingdom and the United States, the elders and the younger generation of equal status, regardless of the boundaries of the young and the old, more to get along with friends. Chinese traditional concept has always advocated "four generations under the same roof", "family reunion", since ancient times, there is "parents in, do not travel far" of the good old saying; and in the United Kingdom and the United States, the 18-year-old child In Britain and the United States, it is unthinkable for 18-year-old children to live at home and rely on their parents, and they must rely on their own hands to live independently. Similarly, even if older parents have lost the ability to take care of themselves, they generally will not drag their children down, and they often have to live in homes for the elderly and be cared for by society. Different cultures bring different values. For example, the Chinese have a tradition of "honoring and respecting the elderly". The word "Lao" in Chinese expresses the concept of respect, such as Lao Zu Zong (老祖宗), Lao Grandpa (老爷爷), Lao Mister (老先生), and so on. The words "Lao Zhang" and "Lao Wang" convey respect and affection, and "Zhang Lao" and "Wang Lao" are even more respectful. Chinese people are often proud of their age. When talking to others, the older, the more qualified, the more respect will be given to others. "Ginger is still old and spicy". To us, elders are not only the embodiment of wisdom, but also a symbol of prestige. However, very few people in the West are willing to call themselves "old". In their view, "old" is a synonym for "useless" and is associated with the meaning of "out of fashion" and "old and useless". The meaning of "old and useless" is linked together. British and American people do not like others to say they are old, and they will not rely on the old to sell the old. In Western culture, they regard age as an extremely important personal privacy. Ladies, in particular, are more reticent to be asked about their age. Even if they are willing to talk about their age, but also want others to guess their age, and at this time, their real purpose of the expectation of others to compliment them look smaller than their actual age, how young. Another example is the word fat, which is taboo among Anglo-Americans, as it is frustrating and offensive to see people say it. Speaking of fatmeat (肥肉) will most likely be regarded as worthless waste that should be thrown away. The Chinese say "chubby" and "fat" when they see a small child to express their love for the child, "fat" for an adult man, and "plump" for an adult woman. The meaning of "fullness" is said to adult men, and to adult women, "fat" has the meaning of "fullness", all of which have the meaning of praise and compliments. Daily life work, also often hear people say something is a piece of "fat meat" or an errand is a "fat" words, the implication is that the unavailability of things or the location of the unattainable. Chinese people not only do not hate fat, but also praise it. The same thing is viewed very differently by different cultures. The Chinese despise dogs, hence the term "walking dog", "dog legs", "dog thing", "lai pi dog", "dog jumping over the wall", "dog's heart", "dog's heart", "dog's heart", "dog's heart", "dog's heart", and "dog's heart". "dog anxious to jump over the wall," "dog fights for people's power," "dog's eyes look down on people," and so on. In western countries, people appreciate the dog's bravery and loyalty, the dog's praise is not uncommon, and compare people to dogs. Such as aluckdog (lucky), loveme, love my dog (love house and Wu), Every dog has his day. To describe a person as "very sick", use sickas a dog. "In contrast, the Chinese love cats and use the term "greedy cat" to describe a person who is greedy for food, often with an element of intimacy, whereas in Western culture, "cat" is used as a metaphor for a person who is greedy for food. In Western culture, "cat" is used as a metaphor for "a woman who harbors evil intentions". The cultural differences between China and the West are not only manifested in the values and customs, but also related to the living environment, religious beliefs, and historical allusions.1. The living environment: the emergence of language is closely related to people's labor and life. Britain is an island country, the history of seafaring industry was once the world's leading; and the Han Chinese people in the Asian continent to live and reproduce, people's lives can not be separated from the land. The metaphor of spending money wastefully and generously is spend money like lvater in English, while the Chinese word is "挥金如土". There are many idioms about boats and water in English, but there are no equivalent idioms in Chinese, such as to rest on one's oars, to keep one's head above water, all at sea, etc. In the Chinese cultural atmosphere, there are many idioms about boats and water, but in Chinese, there are many idioms about boats and water. In the Chinese cultural atmosphere, "Dongfeng" means "spring wind", and summer is often associated with heat, as in "the red sun is burning like fire", "the sun is burning like fire", "the sun is burning like fire", "the sun is burning like fire", "the sun is burning like fire", "the sun is burning like fire", "the sun is burning like fire", and so on. The sun burns like fire" and "the sun burns like fire" are words often used to describe summer. The United Kingdom is located in the Western Hemisphere, the northern temperate zone, oceanic climate, the report of the spring news is the west wind, the famous British poet Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind" is the eulogy of spring. British summer is the warm and pleasant season, often connected with "lovely", "mild" and "beautiful". Shakespeare in one of his sonnets to the love of summer, shall I compare thee to a summer's day?/Thou art more lovely and more temperate. 2, religious beliefs Buddhism has been introduced into China for more than a thousand years, people believe that there is a "Lord Buddha". People believe that there is a "Lord Buddha" in charge of everything in the world, and there are many languages related to this, such as "presenting the Buddha with a borrowed flower" and "clasp the Buddha's feet at the last minute when you don't have time to burn incense", etc. In many Western countries, especially in China, there is a lot of religious beliefs. In many Western countries, especially in Britain and the United States, people believe in Christianity, related to "God helps those who help themselves (God helps those who help themselves)" Go to hell (go to hell) such a curse. 3, historical allusions to the English-Chinese two languages there are A large number of idioms are formed by historical allusions. These idioms are simple in structure and far-reaching in meaning, and often cannot be understood and translated from the literal meaning alone. For example, "Dong Shi xiao knit the brows", "Fame falls down the mountain", "Ye Gong Hao Long" and so on. In English, Achilles' heel, meet one's waterloo, Penelope's web, a pandora's box, and so on. s box. (Pandora's box - a source of disaster, trouble, woe), etc. For various reasons, there are so many cultural differences between China and the West, and cultural differences are the obstacles to cross-cultural communication. The process of modernization has accelerated the circulation of spiritual and material products, and has brought all peoples into a ****same "global village", and cross-cultural communication has become an indispensable part of the life of every nation. If an enterprise wants its products to sell well in the international market, it not only needs superior economic and technical means, but also needs to y understand the culture of the target country, so that the product meets the psychological needs of the people of the target country in terms of packaging design and practicality. For example, in China, "dragon" is our spiritual totem, a symbol of good luck and power, Chinese people are also proud of being the heir of the dragon, but in the eyes of Westerners, the "dragon" does not have this special emotion, and even the "dragon" is understood as the "dragon". "However, in the eyes of Westerners, they do not have this special feeling for the dragon, and even interpret the dragon as a kind of horrible monster with teeth and claws. If an entrepreneur does not understand this, will be printed with the "dragon" pattern of products to the international market, imagine whether this product can stimulate the purchase desire of Westerners? Can create high efficiency for the enterprise. Therefore, overcoming the communication barriers caused by cultural differences has become a problem faced by the whole world***. As an English teacher at the secondary school level, the teaching of language ability should be emphasized in English teaching, and special attention should be paid to the development of students' communicative ability in daily teaching, and the role of cultural differences in language in English teaching should be treated as an important issue. The cultural differences between China and the West in the secondary school stage of English learning to the students of the interference is mainly manifested in the following aspects: 1, address language in the Chinese language of kinship titles have a tendency to generalize the use of commonly used between non-relatives: young people to the elders called "uncle", "auntie"; to the peers called "uncle", "auntie". "; to peers called "big brother" "big sister". In English, however, kinship terms are not widely used socially. If we call "Uncle Smith" or "Auntie Brown" to our native English-speaking elders, the other side will not feel good. In English culture, such titles are only used when the relationship is very close and are not followed by the last name, but only by the first name, e.g. "Uncle Tom". Another example is that students know that the meaning of teacher is "teacher", so they call "Teacher Wang" accordingly. In fact, in English, teacher is only a profession; in Chinese, there is a tradition of respecting teachers, and "teacher" is not only a profession, but also a kind of honorific title for people. Because of this cultural difference, students simply understand: Teacher Wang = Teacher Wang. In addition, the Chinese customarily call "Secretary Tang", "Nurse Zhang" as Secretary Tang, Nurse Zhang, English-speaking people sound like a teacher. Zhang, which sounds unbelievable to English speakers. In English, Mr., Miss, Mrs., etc. are generally used to address people. 2. Thank you and acknowledgement Generally speaking, we Chinese seldom use "thank you" between family members. If we do, it will sound strange or distant from each other. In English-speaking countries, "Thank you." is used in almost all occasions, between all people, even between parents and children, brothers and sisters. Send a bottle of drink, prepare a beautiful meal, the other side will say "Thank you." public **** occasions, no matter what other people to help you help you, you have to say "Thank you.." This is the minimum etiquette. When someone asks if you would like something to eat or drink (would you like something to eat / drink?), we are usually accustomed to be polite and answer: "No", "Don't bother" and so on. According to the custom of English-speaking countries, if you want something, you don't have to excuse yourself and say "Yes, please." If you don't want it, you just have to say "No, thanks.". This also fully reflects the different styles of the Chinese implicit and English-speaking people's frankness and frankness. 3, praise in the English-speaking countries, praise is also commonly used as the introduction to the conversation. Compliments are mainly about one's appearance, appearance, new purchases, personal belongings, one's excellent work in a certain area, etc. Usually when praising someone's appearance, only his or her appearance is praised. It is common to praise someone's appearance only as a result of her efforts to look good, rather than her natural beauty. Thus there are many compliments on someone's hairstyle and very few on their beautiful hair. The most common answer to someone's praise is: Thank you. e.g. A: Your skirt looks nice. B: Thank you.4 PrivacyChinese people ask about age, marriage and income when they first meet and show their concern for them, whereas English-speaking countries are more averse to this, believing that all these are related to personal privacy. For example, in JEFC Book 1 Lesson 16, there is this dialog: "How old are you, Mrs. Read?" "Ah, it's a secret!" Why does Mrs. Read refuse to tell her age? Why does Mrs. Read refuse to tell her age? Because English-speaking people want to look energetic and youthful in each other's eyes, and they keep their actual age a secret, especially women. Then there is the Chinese expression of concern, "Where are you going?" "What are you doing?" In English, it becomes an unwelcome interrogation to spy on other people's privacy. 5. Greeting Chinese people used to ask "Have you eaten?" in their daily greeting. If you say this to English-speaking people, they think you want to invite them to dinner. English-speaking people usually greet each other with topics such as the weather, health, transportation, sports, and hobbies.6. FestivalsThe cultural differences between Chinese and English-speaking countries are also evident in the area of festivals. In addition to the same holidays in China and English-speaking countries (e.g., New Year's Day), each side also has its own unique holidays. In China, there are the Spring Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Day, etc., while in English-speaking countries, there are Valentine's Day, Easter, April fool's day, Easter, and so on. In English-speaking countries, there are Valentine's Day, Easter, April fool's Day, Thanks Giving Day, Christmas Day and so on. The customs of Chinese and Western festivals are also very different. During festivals, Chinese people often have to excuse themselves from gifts sent by others, accepting them with a sense of resignation and not opening them face-to-face after accepting them. If they open the gifts in person and look happy, they may be suspected of being "greedy for money". But in English culture, people to others to send gifts, generally have to open in person to praise some, and gladly thank. 7, the cultural connotation of vocabulary English vocabulary in the long-term use of the accumulation of a wealth of cultural connotations, so in the teaching of the cultural significance of English vocabulary should pay attention to the introduction of the vocabulary in order to prevent the students simply from the vocabulary itself to make a subjective evaluation. For example, the color red is often associated with celebrations or happy days in both English-speaking countries and China, and in English there are "red-letter days" (holidays). Especially in China, the color red symbolizes positive meanings such as revolution and socialism, but in English "red" also implies a state of danger or irritation, such as "red flag" (引人生气的事). And when you see "in the red" in business English, don't think that it means profit, on the contrary, it means loss or debt. In teaching, there are various methods of cultural education. Teachers should adopt flexible and varied methods to enhance students' sensitivity to culture and cultivate their cultural awareness, so that they can take the initiative and self-learning to absorb and integrate into the new cultural environment. For example, by comparing the differences between Chinese and Western cultures, the differences between Chinese and Western cultures in terms of address, greetings, etc., conversation topics and values can be consciously and naturally infiltrated into the teaching. Another example is to utilize various channels and means to absorb and experience foreign cultures. You can collect some objects and pictures of English-speaking countries, so that students can understand foreign art, history and customs. In conclusion, there are many differences between Chinese and Western cultures. In English teaching, we can't just pay attention to language teaching, but we must strengthen the cultural introduction of language and pay attention to the influence of language and cultural differences on language. Only in this way can the language be used correctly in practice.