Composition of "China People's Communication Culture"

I sincerely hope to help the landlord. Comparison of Cultural Differences between China and the West

As we all know, China culture and western culture have a long history and tradition. We say that western civilization has a history of about 4500 years if it starts from Crete civilization. As for our Chinese civilization, we often say that the history of Chinese civilization is 5000 years, but in fact it is only about 3 100 years. Even from the Xia Dynasty, it is only 465,438+000 years at most. However, western academic circles only admit that the history of our civilization began in Shang Dynasty, not Xia Dynasty. Because, they think that the Xia Dynasty is just a legend, and there is no evidence to prove that it is a civilization, especially no words have been found. A culture without words can only be regarded as primitive culture or legend. But we still insist that our civilization began in the Xia Dynasty, which is roughly consistent with the history of western civilization. Let me compare Chinese and western civilizations from several aspects.

I. Origin and Tradition of Chinese and Western Cultures

Western civilization mainly comes from Greek civilization, Roman civilization and Christian civilization. There is a great contrast between these three civilizations. In modern culture, these three origins can be regarded as the return of all rivers to the sea, all of which are integrated into modern western culture. The origin of China civilization is mainly in the pre-Qin period. In the pre-Qin period, when the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River were regarded as the origin of Chinese civilization, it called itself China. In the Han dynasty, it should be said that it was still a long-term stability situation. There is a saying in history that "Xionghan flourished in the Tang Dynasty", which means that the Han Dynasty was very powerful. China people weakened after the Han Dynasty. Due to the influence of Confucianism, China people began to pay attention to kindness rather than bullying. It is precisely because of the persecution of the Han Dynasty that a large number of Huns had to run west because they could not beat the Han Dynasty and cross the Great Wall. In this process, the Huns rolled bigger and bigger like snowballs, and finally reached the Rhine and Danube, overwhelming the Germanic barbarians in that area. The Germans couldn't beat the more savage Huns, so they had to run west, so the disaster finally fell on the Roman Empire, which perished. So I think that there were two powerful empires on both sides of the Eurasian continent at that time, the Qin and Han Empire in the east and the Roman Empire in the west. Both empires like fighting and killing, but because of geographical reasons, they did not confront each other head-on, but crushed each other with gas, as if they were masters. The so-called "Qi" refers to the vast forests and grasslands between the two countries and the nomadic people there. So in this protracted war, the Qin and Han empires gained the upper hand. After Wei, Jin, Sui, Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties. With the continuous progress and development of China, since the Song Dynasty, the political and economic center of China moved southward, and the south gradually prospered.

Second, the changes in the axis era.

Axis era is a concept put forward by the philosopher Jaspers in the origin and goal of history in the 1920s. He said that during the 600 years from around 600 BC to the turn of the AD, a group of great figures appeared in the three civilized areas of the old continent. The three major civilizations refer to the West, India and China. The influence of these great men on their own civilization was unmatched by anyone later, and they basically laid the spiritual pillars of these three cultures. For example, Socrates, Plato and Aristotle in the west all appeared in this period, until later Jesus, the founder of Indian Buddhism contended, and China's Confucius, Mencius and Laozi Zhuangzi all appeared in this era. Therefore, this era is called "Axis Age". I think this concept is a great innovation of Jaspers, but unfortunately, there are two problems that he has not explained clearly. The first is why there is such an almost miraculous situation. The second is what changes have taken place in Chinese and western cultures in this era? On these two issues, I read in a book: First, look at China, its transformation has gone through a three-step process. In Shang Dynasty before the arrival of the Axis Age, China, like other primitive civilizations, was a parent culture with strong superstition. Our earliest Oracle Bone Inscriptions is a kind of religious writing specially used for divination and sacrifice. There is a view in western academic circles that civilization originated from temples, which are the earliest urban centers. The replacement of Shang Dynasty by Zhou Dynasty is not only a change of political power, but also a change of religion. Next, Confucius and Mencius reformed Confucianism in the pre-Qin period. In Mencius, this is systematically expounded. As long as a person explores his own nature, he will certainly explore the beautiful and kind things in his own nature and become a good person and a saint. Therefore, as long as everyone is "self-cultivation and family harmony", we can "rule the country and level the world" and finally achieve an ideal world of great harmony. This is a major change of China culture in the Axial Age, which determines the basic spirit of China culture. It pays attention to the moral cultivation of people in this world and pays little attention to things like external ghosts and gods. In other words, China Confucianism finally put the ideal of a harmonious society into practice. Similarly, great changes have taken place in western culture at this time. Through Greek culture, Roman culture and Christian culture, it is a transcendence process, not an introversion process. Finally, China culture emphasizes that everything starts from the heart, while western culture emphasizes that everything is decided by external God, that is, God determinism. There is a famous saying in the middle ages: no sparrow fell from the tree, not because of God's special will. China culture emphasizes inner cultivation, "from the inside out, you can accomplish something", and from the inside out. Therefore, this is the fundamental change of Chinese and western cultures in the "Axis Age".

Third, the basic spirit of Chinese and western cultures.

After China completed the process of convergence from the outside to the inside, all intellectuals began to work hard on inner morality. Therefore, from this time on, China people, especially Confucian intellectuals, gradually became indifferent to foreign religions, and they paid more attention to their inner moral consciousness rather than external God determinism. Therefore, from this perspective, China culture is more humanistic than western culture, rather than deism. China people don't talk much about things other than Liuhe, and they keep their mouths shut. Confucian intellectuals always take a "stay at a respectful distance from others" attitude. It advocates filial piety when parents are alive and loyalty when monarchs are alive, and pays attention to the moral standards of interpersonal relationships in this world, not those things on the other side. In fact, this thought was clear to me when I was in Zhou Gongdan: "The saints take Shinto, and the world belongs to them", which means they are talking about ghosts and gods. In fact, they are using ghosts and gods to promote moral education and advise you to do good deeds in this life. Confucius has never been interested in ghosts and gods. "I don't talk about the confusion between Machamp and God" and "I don't care except Liuhe". Many words of Confucius show that he is a thorough atheist. One of his disciples once asked him, "Do you know anything after death? Ignorance? Confucius' answer can be said to fully show his great wisdom: "I know what I want to say, and I am afraid that my filial sons and grandchildren will hinder my life and death;" I am ignorant, and I am afraid that my unfilial descendants will be abandoned and not buried; As for whether you know after death, you don't know yourself until after death. "That is to say, the purpose of talking about ghosts and gods is to educate people to be good. No matter how abstruse things are, we should also take the realistic code of conduct as a foothold and accumulate virtue from goodness, so as to "cultivate self-cultivation, keep the family in order, govern the country and level the world." This is the basic connotation of China culture and a harmonious realistic spirit. In the west, academic circles call it ethical culture. Western culture is mainly Christian culture, which is a transcendental romantic spirit. It constantly transcends reality and pays more attention to things outside Liuhe.

Fourthly, the modernization process of Chinese and western cultures.

This process was initiated by the West, so we should talk about the West first. Because of the harmonious spirit of China's realism, China culture has been like a cat chasing its tail for two or three thousand years. All the fresh blood was dissolved and assimilated. After assimilation, I still go my own way, and I should change with the same, "the sky remains unchanged, the morality remains unchanged, and the ancestral law remains unchanged", so it has not developed much. If it weren't for the influx of western guns into our country in modern times, we in China still don't know how many years it will last among the complacent big country and China consciousness. I tend to think that China's modernization was forced by western countries. In the Middle Ages, when humanism and Renaissance started in the southern Latin world, the northern world began the religious reform. Then the reformation is of great significance in the western world. The Reformation had four major influences: 65,438+0, which broke the autocratic rule of Catholicism in the Middle Ages and led to the division of North and South Europe. 2. It leads to the development of nation-state. 3. Religious reform promoted democracy and tolerance. It has promoted the development of capitalist economy. The primitive accumulation of capitalism is a long and painful process. Of course, it is also full of blood and tears, such as "enclosure movement", "sheep eating people movement" and capitalist overseas colonial expansion, which provide the necessary conditions for the development of capitalism. Therefore, it is through this series of religious reforms in modern western countries. Two centuries later, at the beginning of18th century, with the development of the Enlightenment, a brand-new Europe appeared in the west. The differences between China and the West are mainly the differences in emotional expression and the differences between abstract and concrete ways of thinking. The differences and complementarities between Chinese and western cultures are also topics we often talk about. Today, the changes in history, economy and ideas reflected behind cultural differences are also changing with each passing day, which also reflects some problems.

Fifth, it is the relationship between justice and benefit.

Generally speaking, westerners value profit over righteousness, while orientals value righteousness over profit or both. The consciousness of orientals is righteousness first, and Guan Yu in ancient times was not an out-and-out loyal hero. Also deeply appreciated by people at that time. I think this is also a kind of cultural consciousness caused by various ancient ideas. Five thousand years of culture is also a cause that cannot be ignored. Relatively speaking, western short culture pays more attention to interests, which is precisely the performance of realism. Their consciousness can be seen from the war of aggression against China to all life in the west. Of course, this is only for the vast majority of the East. In the life of orientals, such as China, modesty is a virtue, but westerners don't know what to do. Westerners can sacrifice their righteousness for the benefit most of the time.

Sixth, this is a question of wholeness and individuality.

Orientals emphasize wholeness and comprehensiveness, while westerners value individuality. For example, Chinese medicine and western medicine emphasize the whole, which is different from western medicine. Anatomically, it attaches importance to parts of the whole. The difference between holistic thinking and individual thinking is also manifested in communication. For example, in many reports, a China person went to a western family for dinner. When the host asked whether to eat Chinese food or western food today, the guest said politely, "Whatever." "It's up to the guests." Westerners cannot understand this answer. They said that when they heard this word, they had a headache, didn't know how to fix it, and it was not easy to operate. In the depths of our way of thinking, we think that being a guest with our host is a sign of courtesy and respect for our host, but westerners don't think so. This is the difference. On the other hand, if a European comes to China and you ask him what he is doing today, he will definitely not say "whatever", but he will definitely make his wishes clear.

Seventh, it is the difference of emotional expression between East and West.

On many issues, the differences between China and the West are real. Westerners may not understand butterfly lovers. The biggest problem here is the difference between Chinese and Western cultures, which leads to two different ways of expression: China people's implicit feelings and westerners' direct expression. China's ancient ladies must have no western imagination, not to mention China's ancient concept of "men are superior to women" and ancient family law.

VIII. Differences between Chinese and Western Speeches

At present, values and moral standards, social relations, social etiquette and social customs. That is, western culture advocates personal honor, self-centeredness, innovative spirit and individual freedom, while China culture advocates modesty and prudence, selfless dedication, the golden mean and unity and cooperation. Westerners have a strong sense of equality and a simple family structure. Parents and minor children form a nuclear family, while China people have a strong sense of hierarchy and a complex family structure. Traditional happy families are mostly four generations living under one roof. In cross-cultural communication, it is not uncommon for people to misunderstand information or even hurt each other because of cultural barriers. Sometimes kind words will embarrass each other, and polite manners will be misunderstood as absurd and vulgar. Therefore, the study of cultural differences and correct cross-cultural communication behavior has become a problem that cannot be ignored. 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 China's master constantly serving him food. Afterwards, he complained that "the master treated me like a pig". When people from China meet in Lu Yu, they often say, "Oh, man, you've put on 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.

IX. Differences in values and moral standards

1. Personal Honor and Modesty Westerners worship personal struggle, especially their pride in personal achievements, and never hide their 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 very good" "No, no, my English is poor" "You are doing very well" "No, I don't think so. This is the result of joint efforts. " In the eyes of westerners, this modesty not only denies oneself, 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, mainly manifested in: (1) being responsible 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 your incompetence, 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. 3. The innovative spirit and the doctrine of the mean in western culture encourage people to explore and innovate, and to do something outstanding and extraordinary that has never been seen before. However, the traditional culture of China requires people to be impartial and mean. China people are good at predicting future dangers and are more willing to maintain the status quo and harmony. 4. Freedom of personality and unity and cooperation Westerners cherish personal freedom very much, like to do whatever they want and go it alone, and don't want to be restricted. China culture emphasizes collectivism, insists that individual interests are subordinate to collective interests, and advocates sharing weal and woe, unity and cooperation, and keeping pace.

X. 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, "As long as you work hard, a cowboy can be president. If you work hard, even a cow can be president. ) "Although New China has been established for 50 years, the traditional hierarchical concept of monarch, minister and father is still deeply rooted in the minds of China people. The father is the absolute authority in the eyes of his son, and the teacher is the absolute authority in the eyes of his students. Family background still plays an important role in people's growth. 2. The structure of nuclear family and American family with four generations living under one roof 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.

XI。 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!" "It's a 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 always answer "thank you" happily 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! When Chinese send guests off, the host and guests often say, "Go slowly!" "Look out!" "Goodbye, go!" "You go in!" Please stay and so on. Westerners will only say, "Bye-bye!" "See you later!" "See you next time!" "Good night! "

Twelve. Differences in social customs

1. 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 and help them get off the bus; On the road, men walk outside and women walk inside, providing protection for women. When women enter a restaurant, all men should stand up. Before the dining table, the man should pull the chair away for the lady, and then send it back to her back when she is in a good position, 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, prostitute, traitor, slave, jealousy and jealousy". 2. Attitudes towards Marriage The western view of marriage is quite different from that of China. Because they think: marriage is purely a personal matter, no one can interfere, and marriage is not a moral issue. A person has the right to choose to live with the person he likes. Once the existing marriage is found to be a mistake, he/she has the right to make a second choice. If a couple falls in love with a third party, neither of them will be blamed. In their view, it is cruel to force two people who don't love each other to live together. China's marriage is relatively stable. This is because China people regard marriage as the top priority in their lives. Everyone treats it with caution and chooses it carefully. Once a decision is made, it will not be changed easily. In addition, China people have always believed that marriage is a serious moral problem, and it is considered extremely immoral to love the new and hate the old or let a third party interfere. Understanding the cultural differences between China and the West is of great significance for improving cross-cultural communication ability. It can help us correctly understand the words and deeds of westerners, fully understand each other and respect each other's customs in the process of communication, so as to achieve the best communication effect.

The cultural differences between China and the West are still manifested in many aspects, but they are not complicated in a nutshell: 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. For example, the contrast between French words and Chinese characters is obvious. Chinese pays more attention to the image in word formation, while French pays more attention to the practical value of the object. Just like Chinese business cards, French literally translates into visiting cards, while aircraft carriers are called warships to carry planes and so on in French. , are all invented for practical purposes, which is the cultural difference. However, differences don't always bring differences, they just leave a broad creative space for the masters of culture and art. If we can find an accurate combination point, it will not only bring harmony and beauty to the people of the two countries, but also bring harmony and beauty to the whole world.

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 differences between eastern and western cultures 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, I believe that the cultural course of mankind will go better.

Supplement:

If it is too much, the landlord can simplify it. Hehe, abbreviations must be pediatrics for the landlord. I hope the landlord's composition will be well received.