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The Difference between Chinese and Western Culture Contentsl1.Greeting and Partingl2.Addressingl3.Compliments and Responsesl4.Thanks and Responsesl5.Asking Personal Affairsl6.Invitation1.Greeting and PartinglIn China,when people meet acquaintances or friends,we always say,“Have you eaten yet?”What are you going to do?”l In English,people often employ the following expressions to greet each other“Good morning/afternoon/evening.“Fine day,isnt it?”How is everything going?”,etc Western and Chinese cultures have diverse ways to deal with leave-takingsl Western people always try to make their leaving sound reluctant by finding some reasons and apologize for it to make the leaving acceptable for both parties.They often signal several times before leaving.Such as,l 1.“I am afraid I must be off,I have to”l 2.“Well,its been nice to see you again.I do enjoy our talk and the lovely dinner,but I must be going soon”.l 3.“Thank you very much for asking me over.I hope well be able to get together again before long”2.Addressing In China,the surname comes first and then the given name.While westerners names are written and spoken with the given name first and the family name last.East&WestIn west,Although they are different in age and status,they can call the other directly,namely,their names,even first names.They demonstrate the sense of intimacy and the conception of”Everyone is created equal”In east,chinese use“title+surname”to address their superior or elders rather than call them surnames,while the superior or elders call the addressers their names.Otherwise,the addresser may be considered as ill mannered,ill educated or rude.3.Compliments and ResponsesFor example,if a hostess is complimented for her cooking skill,how will she response in west and china?East&WestlA Chinese hostess will apologize for giving you“Nothing”.She will say“I just made some dishes casually and they are not very tasty.”lAn western hostess is likely to say,”Oh,I am so glad that you liked it.I cook it especially for you.”What can we see from it?The Americans are“straight forwardness”,the Chinese take pride in“modesty”.In the response to compliments.Chinese are tend to efface themselves in words or refuse it,although they do feel comfortable about the compliments.4.Thanks and Responses In China,“Thank you”is not frequently used between intimate friends and family members,because it may imply a certain distance between the addresser and the addressee.But,“Thank you”is widely used in English to show gratitude in such cases as being invited,helped,given a gift,etc.ExamplesExample 1:On one occasion,a foreign student soon after arriving at the China stuttering in chinese said:why are you always ask me to eat a meal yet?I have money.He thought that people always ask“Do you have a meal?Because it was afraid that he had no money to have a meal.Hes obviously angry for this kind of talk.Example 2:In the United States,a young Chinese woman,wearing a beautiful dress.When someone said to her your dress is really elegant.The color is very beautiful.The young Chinese woman was very happy,but some embarrassed,as Chinese customs replied:it is a common clothes,I bought in China.5.Asking Personal Affairs People from China do not regard it as asking personal affairs when they ask others name,age,marital status,wages,personal life,belief and political points.It is regard as concerns.While the westerns will think you violate their right of privacy.East&WestWhen we talk to the westerns,we must avoid asking some questions like this:1、“How old are you?”2、“Are you married？”3、“How many children do you have？”4、“How much do you make？”5、“Do you go to the church？”6.Invitation In the culture of British and America,it is very important to consult a time before you invite somebody to attend a banquet or take part in social activities.Especally,in America,invite somebody means you are borrow times of others.So they respect time very much.While in China,people are prefer to an uninvited guest.Other things about western familiesl 1、Western families advocate equality in daily life.The husband and the wife usually have an equality voice in decision-making,and on certain matters,the children have a vote,too.l 2、In the western,most old people do not live with their children or relatives.l 3、If they have enough money they will buy house or apartments in places where other old people live.If they do not healthy and strong enough to live alone,they would rather live in nursing houses for old people than be taken by their children.l Therefore they want to stay young because youth stands for hope and energy,they do not like to grow old because they will not gain honor,respect or attention as old people.Different cultural factors may result in cultural differences.For example:1.Cultural Background2.Different values 3.Individualism and Collectivism4.Family 5.Nationalism SummaryThank You!
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