On how to deal with cultural differences between China and the West: Preface to Cultural Differences

Abstract: There are great differences between Chinese and Western cultures. In cross-cultural communication, we must not only accurately grasp the differences in language itself, but also recognize the differences in values, social relations, and social etiquette. To deal with these differences, we cannot limit ourselves to foreigners learning Chinese. We should be more proactive in understanding Chinese and Western cultures, and respond with an understanding attitude and a flexible approach in communication and exchanges.

Keywords: Chinese and Western language values, social responses

As the political, economic, and cultural exchanges between China and other countries in the world become more and more frequent, there is a global wave of learning Chinese. It has already started blowing up everywhere. There are also more and more scholars in China paying attention to and studying the subject of Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, and analyzing the characteristics of Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language from the perspectives of pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar. Due to cultural differences among various ethnic groups, many cross-cultural and cross-regional obstacles often arise when learning Chinese. Most of the existing research is about how we should deal with the differences brought about by Chinese and Western cultures when learning or teaching Chinese. However, there is a slight lack of attention in communication. In the face of cultural differences, we Chinese should think about how to do it in a more beneficial way. Communicate and communicate.

When foreigners learn Chinese, due to the influence of their mother tongue, it is difficult for their own nation's inherent thinking habits and expression methods to change in a short period of time. Even if they understand the expressions of Chinese and the cultural background of the Han nation, it is difficult for some foreign students with average Chinese proficiency to immediately and accurately grasp the cultural connotation behind the language. Therefore, when we Chinese communicate with foreigners in Chinese, we should pay more attention to the differences between Chinese and Western languages ??and speech, differences in values ??and moral standards, differences in social relationships, differences in social etiquette, and differences in social customs, so as to During the communication process, both parties can more accurately understand what the other party wants to express. Based on these factors, we should pay attention to the following aspects:

1. Differences in Chinese and Western languages ??and speech

Each language has its own characteristics, and the differences between languages ??themselves, It has had a huge impact on our communication. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis holds that each language has its own structure, categories that give shape to ideas. Although their views are inconsistent with historical materialism and conflict with real social life, we cannot ignore the unique characteristics of each language. The more developed formal logical thinking of Western languages ??makes them have obvious morphological signs and strict syntactic rules. It can be said that it is a language that "combines form" and "rules by law". It advocates "unifying spirit with form" and pays attention to the rigor of grammar. Under the influence of the natural concept of heaven and earth, the isolated structure of Chinese has been roughly classified as a language of "ideal unity" and "man-governed" language. It emphasizes "organizing form with spirit" and "forgetting words when you are proud", which tends to express semantics. [1] It is precisely because of the differences within languages ??that our speech also has great differences. When meeting Chinese people, we often hear: "Lao Zhang, you have gained weight recently." Because in Chinese, "the spirit dominates the form", Chinese people like to use euphemistic expressions. "Getting fat" on the surface means "getting fatter" It means, but it also means praising the other person’s good living condition. However, Western languages ??emphasize logical thinking. If you say "You are fat", foreigners will feel very embarrassed. From being fat, you may directly infer that you have an unattractive body shape.

Faced with the differences brought about by the language itself, when we Chinese talk to foreigners, we should appropriately adjust our expression methods to achieve a better understanding of each other's words during communication. Try to express your feelings directly and use less euphemistic expressions.

2. The difference in values ??is the core

The core of the cultural differences between China and the West is the difference in values. Differences in values ??have a direct guiding effect on our language expression. Clyde Kluckhohn believes that values ??are an explicit or implicit idea of ??what is desirable that is unique to an individual or group. This idea affects the choices people make from existing action modes, methods and purposes. [2]At the same time, there is also a close relationship between values ??and communication.

On the one hand, values ??play a decisive role in people's communication, and values ??dominate various forms of people's communication. For example: Since ancient times, China has attached great importance to the harmony of social relations and pursued the golden mean of Eastern civilization. People are willing to pursue beautiful things and this kind of values ????in doing things. Therefore, Chinese people are used to expressing their intentions implicitly and euphemistically to communicate with others, but Westerners are very different from Chinese people in this regard. Westerners are more willing to express personal opinions directly in order to achieve the highest level of communication and complete the purpose of communication. In the long-term historical evolution of Chinese culture, it has been influenced by specific regions, politics, economy, philosophy and other aspects. The concept of collectivism in Chinese cultural values ????is strong, and the unique cultural value of Confucian work motivation plays a prominent role. It represents the outstanding qualities of men, and the role of moral discipline ruler is also relatively important.

When we face the most fundamental differences in values, first of all, we must be able to correctly understand the characteristics of Western culture; secondly, we must be able to reasonably deal with obstacles in cross-cultural communication. As globalization accelerates, we should try our best to understand the characteristics of foreign cultures, which is gradually becoming necessary. In our daily study and life, we need to use a variety of media, such as the Internet, TV, books, etc., to understand the differences in Western culture, thereby reducing the possibility of obstacles in communication. And we should look at other countries' cultures with an attitude of knowledge and understanding, respect other countries' cultures, and get rid of stereotypes. When we encounter some cultural conflicts, ethnocentrism will hinder our communication and communication. It is not advisable to use our own national values ??as a yardstick to measure other cultures.

3. Differences in social relations and social etiquette

In cross-cultural communication, we should not only pay attention to the communication language itself, but also pay attention to the differences in social relations and social etiquette between China and the West. Westerners have a strong sense of equality. Regardless of whether they are rich or poor, everyone will actively protect their personal property and safety, and respect others and themselves. However, in China, the traditional hierarchical concepts of monarch, minister, father and son are deeply ingrained in the minds of Chinese people. The idea of ??authority exists in the relationship between father and son, teacher and student. Fathers have absolute authority in the eyes of their sons and teachers in the eyes of their students. Family background still plays a very important role in a person's growth. When Chinese people meet, they like to ask each other about their name, age, employer, and income, while Westerners will actively avoid asking about other people's personal matters such as their age and income. In Western culture, special care is given to women. Men open doors for women and help women get out of the car. Women go to the inside and men go to the outside to provide protection for women. At the dinner table, men should pull out the chair for women and wait until the women have taken a position. Put the chair back behind the lady and ask her to sit down.

Faced with these differences in social relations and social etiquette, we should reflect the difference between abstract and concrete ways of thinking. Reflected on the attitude towards life, it seems that we can understand that Westerners are more practical, and Chinese people are more practical. More emphasis on some spiritual feelings. [3] There are many differences and differences between Chinese and Western cultures, and many of their customs have also given rise to many jokes. We should face up to the differences in culture, think about our attitude from the behavior itself, and even learn from good customs and habits. This will help the progress of our society as a whole, achieve the positive significance of Sino-Western exchanges, and promote human civilization. The *** will move forward together.

References:

[1] Yuan Xiaofan. Practical research on cultural differences between China and the West in teaching Chinese as a foreign language [J]. Journal of Science and Education, 2010(11)

[2] Hu Wenzhong. Introduction to Cross-Cultural Communication [M]. Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press, 1999

[3] Yu Lianshui, Zhao Zhiming and Xu Lihong. A brief discussion on the comparison of cultural differences between China and the West [ J]. Business Modernization, 2009(1)

About the author: Sun Qi (1988.5-), born in Chengdu, Sichuan, is a master's student in the Chinese Department of the School of Art and Communication of Southwest Jiaotong University, focusing on linguistics and applications Linguistics direction.