Views and attitudes towards Chinese and Western cultures

Culture covers a wide range and is a complex system. Culture in a broad sense refers to the sum of material wealth and spiritual wealth created by human beings in social and historical practice. Culture in a narrow sense refers to social ideology and corresponding institutions and organizations. As an ideology, culture is a reflection of the politics and economy of a certain society, and it also acts on the politics and economy of a certain society. With the emergence and development of the nation, culture is national. Every social form has its own culture, and every culture develops with the development of social material production.

Cultural differences between China and the West are manifested in many aspects:

First, the differences between Chinese and Western languages

In China, caring about other people's health is a sign of being educated and polite. However, care for the health of westerners cannot be done in the traditional way of China. When a China student learns that his American teacher is ill, he will say with concern, "You should see a doctor! You should go to the hospital. " Unexpectedly, this thoughtful remark made the teacher very unhappy. Because in the teacher's opinion, even children know such a simple thing as getting sick and seeing a doctor, and no one needs to teach. If you give someone advice on a small matter, it is obviously a doubt about their ability, which greatly hurts their self-esteem. China people's hospitality at the dinner table is often misunderstood by westerners as uncivilized behavior. Because westerners think that it is entirely up to the guest to eat more or less, there is no need for the host to add food and wine for him, and overeating is a very shameful thing, so after the guest has finished eating, the host does not have to persuade him to eat again. An American guest was very upset when he saw that China's master kept picking up food for him. Afterwards, he complained that "the master treated me like a pig." When people from China get to know each other in Lu Yu, they often say, "Oh, man, you have gained weight recently!" " Or say in a caring tone, "Dude, you've lost weight again. Pay attention to your health! " "Westerners will feel embarrassed when they hear you say" You are so fat "or" You are so thin ",and it is difficult to answer, even if they are familiar with it.

Second, the differences in values and moral standards.

1. Personal honor and modesty

Westerners worship personal struggle, especially proud of their achievements, and never hide their self-confidence, sense of honor, and ecstasy after their achievements. On the contrary, China culture does not advocate showing off personal honor, but advocating modesty. China people object to the boasting of the old woman who sells melons, but the modesty or self-denial of China people often make westerners dissatisfied. "Your English is good", "No, no, my English is poor"; "You did a good job", "No, I don't think so. This is the result of joint efforts. " This modesty, in the eyes of westerners, not only denies himself, but also denies the taste of connoisseurs. This modesty of China people will not work in the capitalist competitive market.

2. Self-centeredness and selfless dedication

Westerners have a strong sense of self-centeredness and independence, which is mainly manifested in: (1) taking responsibility for themselves. In the law of the jungle society, everyone's lifestyle and quality of life depend on their own abilities. Therefore, everyone should strive for themselves and put personal interests first. (2) I'm not used to caring and helping others, but I don't ask other people's things. (3) It is precisely because of the above two points that it is often embarrassing to take the initiative to help others or accept others' help in the West. Because accepting help can only prove that you are incompetent, and taking the initiative to help others will be considered as interfering in other people's private affairs.

China people's code of conduct is "whether I am useful to others and society", and personal value is reflected in dedication. China culture advocates a noble sentiment-selfless dedication. In China, it is a virtue to take the initiative to care for others and give them meticulous consideration. Therefore, China people are willing to take the initiative to care about their family affairs and private affairs, regardless of other people's major events, which will be considered as "meddling" in the West.

Third, the differences in social relations.

1. Equality consciousness and hierarchical concept

Westerners have a strong sense of equality. No matter rich or poor, everyone will respect themselves and will not allow others to infringe on their rights. At the same time, everyone can fully respect others. In the United States, few people are proud of their distinguished family background, and few people are ashamed of their poor family background, because they all know that as long as they work hard, they will succeed. As a popular American proverb says, "Cowboys can be presidents as long as they work hard." If you work hard, even a cowboy can be president. Although New China has been established for nearly 60 years, the traditional hierarchical concept of monarch, minister and father is still deeply rooted in the minds of China people. In the eyes of father and son, teachers have absolute authority in the eyes of students, and family background still plays an important role in people's growth.

2. The nuclear family lives with four generations.

The American-style family structure is relatively simple: parents and minor children are called nuclear families. Once the children get married, they have to move out and become financially independent. Parents are no longer obliged to raise their children. This practice provides young people with maximum freedom and cultivates their ability to live independently, but it also alienates the relationship between relatives. The family structure in China is complicated, and the traditional happy family is four generations living under one roof. In such a family, the elderly help to look after the children, and the children and grandchildren help to support the elderly when they grow up. Family members depend on each other and help each other, which brings them closer to each other. But this lifestyle is not conducive to cultivating young people's independent ability.

Fourth, the differences in social etiquette.

People in China like to ask each other's name, age, company and income when they meet. Westerners hate being asked personal questions such as age and income. Acquaintances in Lu Yu, China always say "Have you eaten?" "Where to?" "Go to work?" Wait a minute. In our opinion, this is a polite greeting. If you greet westerners like this, "Have you eaten?" "Where are you going?" They will think that you want to invite him to dinner or interfere in his private affairs, which will lead to misunderstanding. Westerners usually say hello when they meet! "Hello!" Nice day, isn't it? China people usually show modesty when praised by others, and they have a set of modest words, such as "shame", "where", "humble" and "clumsy writing". Westerners are always willing to answer "thank you" to show their acceptance. China people use "thank you" less than westerners, especially among very close friends and family. Westerners say "thank you" all day, even among relatives, friends and family. When people in China receive gifts, they often put them aside (for fear of being called greedy). When westerners receive gifts, they should immediately open them in front of the guests and even claim that they are good. China people are hospitable. They pour wine into cups and serve food again and again. Guests can't eat or drink, which makes westerners find it difficult to deal with. The habit of westerners is: help yourself (help yourself)! When Chinese send guests off, the host and guests often say, "Go slowly!" "Be careful!" "Goodbye, go!" "You go in!" "Please stay" and so on. Westerners will only say, "Bye-bye!" "See you next time!" "Good night!"

Verb (abbreviation of verb) Differences in social customs-Attitude towards women

The status of American women and China women is not high, but American women are fortunate to enjoy many traditional knight customs. Courtesy of respecting women can be seen everywhere in American society: men open doors for women; Help the lady get off the bus; On the road, men walk outside and women walk inside to provide protection for women; When the lady enters the restaurant, all the men should stand up; Before going to the dinner table, the man should open the chair for the lady, and then send the chair back to the lady's back and ask her to sit down. There seems to be less concern and etiquette for women in China society. Some experts have noticed that quite a few Chinese characters with the word "female" contain derogatory meanings, such as "devil, traitor, slave, jealousy" and so on.

Conclusion of intransitive verbs

To sum up, the cultural differences between China and the West are still manifested in many aspects, but it is not complicated to sum up simply: the differences reflected in the way of thinking are abstract and concrete, while the differences reflected in the attitude towards life seem to be understood as westerners are more practical, and China people are more inclined to some spiritual feelings. There are many differences between Chinese and western cultures, and there are also many differences, many of which also produce many jokes. However, the similarity between different cultures is that these are all the processes of human cultural development. These cultural differences cannot be said to be good or bad, but they are objectively formed. Their existence will inevitably lead to the continued development of human culture. In today's world, no nation or country can lose or get rid of its traditional culture. Therefore, external imposition or internal betrayal is not conducive to national development and social progress. Let's work together to safeguard the development of various cultures and the stability of the country. Eastern and Western cultures can promote and learn from each other. In this way, the cultural course of mankind will go better.