3.中西文化的差异性特点

(1)善与恶初始性差异

中国文化认为“人之初，性本善”，“性相近，习相远”。(《论语》)

西方文化认为“Man is born evil.”(人之初，性本恶)

(2)静与动的观念性差异

中国文化属于静态文化，主张求静、求稳，注重情义，强调在和谐中竞争。例如，“得饶人处且饶人，不可赶尽杀绝”等观念，在语言表达方面体现为含蓄、隐晦。

西方文化属于动态文化，主张求动、求变，注重规则，强调在竞争中和谐。例如，“First come，first served.”等观念，在语言表达方面体现为坦率、直白。

例如，“湖里有好多鱼”，在英语中的表达为“The lake is alive with fish”。因为按常理理解，汉语句子“湖里有好多鱼”暗含了湖里的鱼是活鱼，如果违反常理湖里的是死鱼，则往往要强调说“湖里有好多死鱼”。

同理，“他很自豪”在英语中的表达是“He is burst with pride”。

(3)过去与未来的取向差异

中国文化注重过去性倾向，强调历史和经验。例如，中国人对一个人的评价往往以其过往的业绩作为评判标准。另外，还有“家有一老，如有一宝”等说法，很多词汇如“老练”、“老谋深算”(精明干练，考虑问题周密)、“郭老”(对年老位尊、传授学术之人的尊称，也泛称那些在文化、技艺传授方面有造诣的人)等都是这一倾向的表现。

西方文化注重未来性倾向，强调潜力。例如，西方人对一个人的评价往往以其才干作为评判标准。

(4)精神和现实的取向差异

中国文化注重精神层面，如“天降大任于斯人也，必先苦其心志，劳其筋骨，饿其肌肤”，“天生我才必有用”等说法，以及尊人卑己的社交原则等。而西方文化关注的是现实层面，如平等的社交原则。

(5)群体与个体的取向差异

中国文化强调群体的依赖性。例如，中国的宗族制度，“团结就是力量”，“一个好汉三个帮”等。而西方文化强调个体的独立性。如西方社会在教育方面注重培养学生个体的兴趣和能力。

Kokeach说:“Value is a learned organization of rules for making choices and for solving conflicts.”(价值观是一种后天获得的原则性集合体，它可以帮助人们做出抉择，化解冲突。)价值观是由文化环境决定的，属于哲学范畴，可以分为个人价值观和文化价值观，其中文化价值观可以引导人们进行认知和交流。对文化价值观的了解可以帮助人们领会他人的行为和含义。

了解中西文化的渊源与差异，对实现有效的跨文化交流具有深远的现实意义。

思考题

1.中西文化的渊源和差异有哪些?

2.结合实际，你认为怎样才能处理好这些差异给交际带来的问题和困难?

3.案例分析与讨论:

【案例1】 On a sunny day in March 2010，Li Lan，an 18-year-old Chinese girl，was flying to Tokyo on a Boeing 747.She was very excited because this was her first trip to Tokyo and the first time she had traveled such distance alone.She had an uncle who had lived in Japan for 10 years，but she was worried that he may not be at the airport to meet her when she arrived.

The girl sitting alone in the seat next to Li Lan was Angela，an American who was also 18 years old.She told Li Lan this was a vacation and her first trip to Japan，too.She also said she had previously traveled alone to several different countries on vacations.Li Lan was very surprised to hear this.

Finally the plane landed at the airport，and the girls were at the arrival gates of Tokyo International Airport.Li Lan was thrilled to see her uncle's family waving their hands at her.In the meantime，she felt sorry for Angela who had to walk out of the airport alone，holding a map and disappearing among the strangers.

【案例2】 In September 2010，Esmeralda Simpson，an English scholar，was coming to Zhejiang Medical College in China for one year.Since it would be a new exciting experience for her，she read books about China，and even bought a guidebook before she left England.

When she arrived at Xiaoshan International Airport in Hangzhou，she was greeted by Minghua，a young teacher from the college，who had just been assigned to this city from another province.Minghua would be responsible for Esmeralda's daily affairs during her stay in Hangzhou，including sightseeing.

Since Minghua was also new to the city，she was very excited about the sightseeing opportunities with Esmeralda during their weekends.However，it turned out that it was Esmeralda who was the tour guide for the two of them.She would use her guidebook to plan their trips to different scenic spots in the city.

Minghua was surprised to find out that Esmeralda knew so much about China，even more than she did.