What are the differences between taboo words in English-speaking countries and those in China?

1. Application and comparison of Eastern and Western euphemisms and taboos

As a representative of Eastern language and culture, China has been known as a country of civilization and etiquette since ancient times. In the thousands of years of Confucianism Under the infiltration of ideas, a society- and group-centered nation has been formed, where people care about, love and help each other; while other Western nations such as Britain and the United States are people-oriented and gradually form a self-centered society. In China, many people have noticed that in daily life, when people greet each other, they will ask: "Have you eaten? 'Where are you going?' In conversations in contemporary society, people are eager to know everything about each other. , including the other person’s age, marital status, salary income, etc., to show concern for the person; in Western countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, these questions are precisely taboo questions. They think this is their own private matter and has nothing to do with the person talking. And they may think you've violated their privacy.

For example, birth, aging, illness and death are inevitable stages in a person's life development and are in line with the laws of natural development. However, due to people's fear of disease and death, disease and death have become occasions for the use of euphemisms and taboos. Fertility, because in different cultural traditions, involves the topic of sex, pregnancy has become a taboo topic, and there are different views and expressions. In the traditional culture of Western countries such as Britain and the United States, people are also accustomed to using euphemisms to replace words like pregnancy. For example: In literary works and life, people rarely use words like "pregnancy", but instead use words such as: awkward (inconvenient to move), eating for two (eating for two people), have one on the way ( ~ people are coming) and other words to express. In China, due to the influence of Confucianism, it is believed that there are several happy events in a person's life: the wedding night, the birth of a baby, and the inscription on the gold medal. So consider childbirth as a happy event. So there are also euphemisms for childbirth: "I'm happy, I'm pregnant" and the like. So much so that some people criticize those who are barren as "There are three types of unfilial piety, the greatest of which is not having children." "Having no children" has become a euphemism for being unable to have children.

The issue of aging also has different views in China and the West. In the West, people do not want to be called old, because "old" in the West means "useless" or "death" and does not earn the respect of others. Therefore, no one wants to say that he is old, nor does he want to talk about old age. Therefore, asking someone's age is impolite in Western countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, and people will tell you "It is a secret." There are also many euphemisms for the elderly. Such as: senior people, third age, seasoned man, adult, etc. However, in China, the situation is exactly the opposite. Due to thousands of years of fine traditions, most Chinese people can respect the elderly, and the elderly also enjoy privileges. The elderly are not afraid of old age. Moreover, most of the elderly in China can help young people with their rich experience. Therefore, "old" has become synonymous with wisdom in China. Such as: teacher, boss, old master, Lao Zhang, boss, etc. These words do not have any specific age connotation for "old". They just use "old" to show the speaker's respect.

About death. There are also many opinions in China, but generally speaking they can be divided into two types: one is that death is a "happy event". In China, people think that the death of an older person is the "end of life" and is a happy event. Therefore, how can Westerners also think that death is a "happy event"? There is a basis for the incomprehensible "Red Self-happy Event". Such expressions about death include: "immortal travel, immortality, ascension to immortality, emergence, riding a crane back to the west, immortality riding on the west, passing away" and other words related to immortals to replace the sad event of death. There is also a type of death that is a "sad thing." This type of word is mostly used for the death of younger people or young people. Such expressions about death include "die young, short-lived" and so on.

In the West, euphemisms for death come from religion, navigation, drama, gambling, etc., such as: pass away (pass away), to cross over (enter the afterlife), to go to one's longhome (enter the tomb), last round up ( Send to the end) etc.

Words about sex are taboo in both the East and the West. In Western countries such as the United Kingdom and the United States, a large number of people believe that sex is sinful. It was Adam and Eve who ate the forbidden fruit that gave rise to mankind. , so people don’t talk about sex lightly in public. Sexually related language has become taboo, which has given rise to many sexual euphemisms. Such as: make love, art of pleasure, to approach, do it, act of love, etc. Compared with the West, the Chinese are much more reserved. In traditional Chinese culture, sex is considered to be something that degenerates and corrupts the body and mind, and sex is shrouded in a veil of mystery. Coupled with the constraints of thousands of years of feudal traditional culture and ethics, people are even more "disloyal when talking about sex", and some euphemisms about sex have emerged: boudoir affairs, sexual intercourse, men and women affairs, cloud and rain affairs, etc. Wait for that kind of thing to happen instead. Even if it is just something related to sex, people still use euphemisms to express it. For example, women's secondary sexual characteristics have become a taboo topic. When people talk about breasts and bras, some people use "bras, glasses, bras, underwear" instead; when people talk about menstruation, people use "menstruation, menstruation, coming, uncomfortable, unlucky, aunt is coming". "Wait instead.

2. The differences between Eastern and Western cultures in euphemisms and taboos

Euphemisms and taboos are the most common phenomena in Eastern and Western cultures, but their use has There are some differences. From the above discussion, we can see that these differences are mainly reflected in the following aspects.

(1) Religious differences

From the differences in the usage of euphemisms and taboos, it is not difficult to see that Western countries such as Britain and the United States mainly believe in Christianity, and there are many euphemisms. Both slang and taboo words come from the Christian Bible, taking sex and death as examples. Since Christianity believes that human beings are the descendants of "sinners" Adam and Eve who ate the forbidden fruit, some Christians, especially the Puritans, are not allowed to speak out. Therefore, words about sex have become taboo, and many euphemisms about sex have appeared, such as the aforementioned make love and so on. Regarding the words about death, since Christianity believes that people are born sinful and human life is given by God, only after death can the soul be saved, so there is "go to meet one's maker, be with the god" and so on. There are many sects in China, including Buddhism, Taoism, etc. Buddhism was introduced to China in the Tang Dynasty. Buddhism preaches that "all actions are impermanent, all dharmas are selfless, and everything is suffering." Therefore, euphemisms for death in Chinese include "becoming a Buddha, passing away, sitting down," and so on. Taoism is a native religion in China, mainly derived from the Taoist thoughts of Laozi and Zhuangzi. Most religious beliefs believe that life is full of misfortune or sin, and believe that the soul can only be saved after death. However, Taoism believes that living in the world is a beautiful thing, and what they pursue is to achieve Taoism and become an immortal, so that they can transcend life and death and live the life of an immortal in a fairyland. Therefore, euphemisms related to death in Chinese include "pass away, gain the Tao, become an immortal, become immortal, return to the Tao Mountain" and so on.

(2) Differences in hierarchical concepts

The Chinese nation is a country of etiquette with thousands of years of traditional culture. It is deeply infiltrated by Confucian culture and feudal patriarchal system. Therefore, the Chinese nation is very We attach great importance to the dignity of seniority and inferiority, and attach great importance to etiquette; as a carrier of culture, language also deeply reflects the concept of hierarchy. Take the naming of names as an example. In Han culture, the names of monarchs and elders are taboo. As a minister or a junior, you cannot call them by their first names. They must be replaced by relatives or titles such as Your Majesty and Long Live Lord.

When naming a newborn, you must avoid the names of elders or monarchs. Even when you see the names of elders or monarchs, you can only pronounce them as other words. For example: in "A Dream of Red Mansions", Lin Daiyu Her mother's name is Jia Min. Whenever Lin Daiyu reads the word "Min", she pronounces it as "mi", or when she writes the word "Min", she adds or subtracts two strokes. This is because the names of her parents are taboo in China. It's a taboo word. Furthermore, regarding death, the death of the monarch is called "die-beng", and the word "die-beng" can never be used for other members, but can only be used for the death of the monarch. In Western countries such as Britain and the United States, people advocate freedom and equality. The taboos on names and euphemisms are not so strict. Take the naming of a family as an example. In English, a newborn's name may contain the names of several generations.

Due to the influence of thousands of years of feudal thought, the Chinese nation has a deep-rooted idea that men are superior to women. People are deeply influenced by Chinese traditional culture, especially during the feudal society period, when women had a low status. Take the title of the monarch as an example. In ancient China, because the monarch's name was taboo, the monarch or emperor was called "Long Live, Long Live Lord", while the queen or concubine and all princesses, even the monarch's mother, were only called "Long Live, Long Live Lord". It can be called "Chitose". In the West, the differences in these aspects may be smaller.

(3) Different manifestations of etiquette

Chinese people have advocated etiquette since ancient times. In interpersonal communication, they pay more attention to humility, believing that humility is respect for others, such as: When ancient people addressed themselves, they usually called themselves "I," and respectfully addressed others as "Your Excellency, Master," etc. Usually when asking someone's name, he will say: "What's your surname?" He will also call his wife "a humble wife, a humble Jing", etc. When talking about his own son, he will say "Quinzi", and other people's sons It is "Ling Gongzi" and so on. When addressing other people's wives, they would say "Mrs." and so on. In Western countries such as Britain and the United States, everyone advocates seeking truth from facts, being generous and confident. Usually he does not deliberately put himself down and elevate others. There is a joke that reflects the different understandings of humility between China and the West. Foreigner who speaks Chinese: Your daughter is so beautiful. The Chinese answer: Where, where. The foreigner replied: nose, eyes and mouth. This joke actually reflects that in cross-cultural communication, due to differences in national concepts and social customs, the use of humility and politeness is also different.

3. Conclusion

The contrast between Chinese and Western cultural backgrounds, cultural traditions, religious beliefs and hierarchical concepts has resulted in differences in the use of euphemisms and taboos. different. Therefore, in cross-cultural communication, it is necessary to abide by the language habits and social customs of different ethnic groups, so that cross-cultural communication can proceed smoothly and avoid communication errors.