《中西文化比较（英文版）（第2版）》unit 3 The Chinese and Western Communication

中西文化比较TheComparisonbetweenChineseandWesternCulture

Unit3TheChineseandWesternCommunication图片Background

Confucianism,whichhasinfluencedChinaforseveralthousandyears,emphasizesetiquette,rituals,andcustoms.Therefore,inevitablyChinesepeople’scodesofconductareundertheinfluenceoftheancientculture.Moreover,Chinesesocietyhashighlyprescribedcodesofconductandtendstojudgepeopleonhowcloselytheyfollowtheserulesofbehavior.However,thestyleofWesterncommunicationputsemphasisonpracticabilityandthewayoftheirexpressiontendstobefrankandsincere.Westernershavestrongsenseofindependenceandinsistthatindividualdignityshouldnotbeviolated.Theirmannerofbehavingisrigorousandorganized.VocabularyExtensionTextA

Notes1.civilityn.

politebehaviour①Staffmembersaretrainedtotreatcustomerswithcivilityatalltimes.全体职员接受训练，以便在任何时候对顾客都以礼相待。

②Tomshowshiscivilitybeforehisparents’friends.汤姆在他父母的朋友面前表现得很有礼貌。TextA

Notes2.reciprocityn.

asituationinwhichtwopeople,countries,etc.providethesamehelporadvantagestoeachother①TheygaveassurancestheywouldpressforreciprocitywithGreeceintheissuingofvisas.他们保证将推进本国与希腊两国间签证的互相发放。②Forthecommercialactivitiestheprincipleofreciprocityshallapply.互惠原则适用于商务活动。TextA

Notes3.taboon.

aninhibitionorbanresultingfromsocialcustomoremotionalaversion①Deathisoneofthegreattaboosinourculture.在我们的文化中，“死亡”是一大忌。②Mentalillnessisstillataboosubject.精神疾病仍然是禁忌话题。TextA

Notes4.exquisiteadj.

①extremelybeautifulorcarefullymade②delicateandsensitive①Theroomwasdecoratedinexquisitetaste.这个房间的装饰情趣高雅。②Weadmiredherexquisitehandiwork.我们欣赏她精致的手工艺品。TextA

Notes5.wardn.

aseparateroomorareainahospitalforpeoplewiththesametypeofmedicalcondition①Heworkedasanurseonthechildren’sward.他在儿科病房当护士。②ThewardwasbusyandAmyhardlyhadtimetotalk.病房里非常忙碌，埃米几乎没有时间说话。TextA

Notes6.signifyv.

tobeasignofsomething①Henoddedtosignifythatheagreed.他点头表示同意。

②Thesymboldisplayedoutsidearestaurantsignifiesthere’sexcellentcuisineinside.餐馆外的招牌表明里面有美味佳肴可以享用。TextA

Notes7.veiln.

acoveringofverythintransparentmaterialworn,especiallybywomen,toprotectorhidetheface,oraspartofahat,etc.①Theveilshewaswearingobscuredherfeatures.她罩的面纱遮掩了她的面容。②Theirworkiscarriedoutbehindaveilofsecrecy.他们的工作是在秘密掩护下进行的。TextA

Notes8.trickyadj.

①difficulttodoordealwith②cleverbutlikelytotrickyou①ItwasatrickyproblembutIthinkwe’velickedit.这是一个棘手的问题，但我认为我们轻而易举地解决了。

②Gettingittofitexactlyisatrickybusiness.使这完全合适是件很难做到的事。TextA

Notes9.coffinn.

aboxinwhichadeadbodyisburiedorcremated①Asteadyprocessionofpeoplefiledpastthecoffin.人们排成一队，一个接一个地从灵柩旁走过。

②Afinewouldbethefinalnailinthecoffinoftheairline.罚款将会是对这家航空公司的最后致命一击。TextA

Notes10.wakev./n.

①tostopsleeping;tomakesomebodystopsleeping②anoccasionbeforeorafterafuneralwhenpeoplegathertorememberthedeadperson①Ialwayswakeearlyinthesummer.我夏天总是醒得早。

②Afuneralwakewasinprogress.正在进行葬礼守灵。TextA

KeySentences1.Chinaisknownasastateofetiquette,ceremonies,andcustoms.Manyidiomshavebeenpasseddownfromgenerationtogeneration,suchas“civilitycostsnothing”or“courtesydemandsreciprocity”andsoon.“civilitycostsnothing”“礼多人不怪”“courtesydemandsreciprocity”“礼尚往来”TextA

KeySentences2.Redisalwaysassociatedwithgoodluck.Blackisassociatedwithdirt,sin,disasters,sadness,andsufferingamongothernegativethings.beassociatedwith与…有关；与…相联系①“Beingtallerisassociatedwithlongerlifeexpectancy,”hesaid.他说：“个子越高，预期寿命越长。”②Ihaven’tbeenassociatedwiththeprojectoverthelastyear.我去年一直没有参与那个项目。TextA

KeySentences3.Beforeleavingherparents’home,thebridecriedtoshowherreluctancetoleavehermother,whichiscalledbridecrying.reluctanceto…/bereluctantto…不情愿；厌恶；反抗①Hisreluctancetoanswerherquestionssimplyfannedhercuriosity.他不爽快地回答她的问题，这就激起了她的好奇心。②Shewasreluctanttoadmitshewaswrong.她不愿承认自己有错。TextAI.AnswerthefollowingquestionsinEnglish.1.ListoneortwotraditionalChinesecustomsandtheiruniqueness.TraditionalChinesecultureholdsthatabroomshouldnotbeusedforcleaningthealtarasthisisdisrespectful.Theseobjectsarecleanedwithaclothoraspecialsmallbrush.DuringtheSpringFestival,Chinesecustomprohibitstheuseofthebroomforthreedays.TextA2.WriteashortpassageaboutoneofthediningtaboosinChina.Apartfromsoup,alldishesshouldbeeatenwithchopsticks.TheChineseareparticularabouttheuseofchopsticks.Therearemanytaboossuchastwiddlingwithchopsticks,lickingchopsticks,usingthemtostirupthefood,gesturingwiththem,orpointingthematothers.TextA3.Whatistherelationshipbetweencommunicationandcultureininheritingcharacteristics?Therelationshipbetweencommunicationandcultureisverycomplexandintimate.Cultureiscreatedthroughcommunication,thatis,communicationisthemeansofhumaninteractionthroughwhichculturalcharacteristicsarecreatedandshared.Withoutcommunication,itwouldbeimpossibletopreserveandinheritculturalcharacteristicsfromoneplaceortimetoanother.TextAII.ExplainthefollowingwordsandexpressionsinEnglish.1.bridalsedanInatraditionalChinesewedding,thebrideshouldsitinthesedanandthenbeliftedtoherhusband’shome.Generally,therearetwokindsofsedan:four-lifterandeight-lifter.Itcanalsobedividedinto“dragonsedan”and“phoenixsedan”.Besides,redsilkisusuallychosenforthecurtainofthesedan,onwhichthereareembroideredpatternswithspecialauspiciousmeanings.TextA2.redpacketInChinesesociety,aredpacketisamonetarygiftwhichisgivenduringholidayssuchasChineseNewYearorspecialoccasionssuchasweddings,graduation,orthebirthofababy.Atweddings,theamountofferedisusuallyintendedtocoverthecostoftheattendeesaswellassignifygoodwilltothenewlyweds.TextA3.bridalchamberprankThebridalchamberwillremainopenontheweddingday,sofriendsandrelativeswillcrowdintothebridalchambertoplaytricksonthenewlywedsaftertheweddingbanquet.Inancienttimes,thebrideandgroomwouldnotmeetuntilthenightofthewedding.Therefore,thesepranksencouragedtheshynewlywedstoactlikehusbandandwife.TextA4.coveringveilDuringtraditionalChineseweddingceremony,thebride’sheadiscoveredbyaredveilwhichisnormallymadeofapieceofexquisitesilk.BecauseredsymbolizeshappinessinChineseculture,bridalveilsareallred.Itisnottakenoffuntilalltherelativesandfriendshaveleftandthegroomneedstoputtheveiloffbyhimselfonly.TextA5.traditionalChinesewakeOneofthestepsinthefuneralprocessisthetraditionalChinesewake.Atthewake,relativeswillcryandmournloudlyforthedeceased.Theseatingatthewakedoescorrelatewithfamilyranking.Familymemberswillwearspecialcoloredclothingtosignifytheirrankinthefamily.TextAIII.Matchthefollowingwordsandexpressionswiththe

correctChinese.TextAIII.Matchthefollowingwordsandexpressionswiththe

correctChinese.TextAIV.TranslatethefollowingsentencesintoEnglish.1.

本命年每十二年一遇。根据中国的传统，一个人要在他的本命年穿红色的内衣，特别是在春节期间。这些红色的衣服被认为能够带来好运并阻挡厄运。1.BenMingNianwillcomeonceeverytwelveyears.AccordingtoChinesetradition,apersonneedstowearredundergarmentsduringhisBenMingNian,especiallyduringtheSpringFestival.Theseredgarmentsarebelievedtobringgoodluckandpreventbadluck.TextA2.在小孩满月那天，孩子的家人一般要邀请亲朋挚友一起来庆祝孩子满月。按照中国的传统，这一天家里会充满喜庆的氛围，满月酒要办得热热闹闹才好。2.Onthedaywhenababyisonemonthold,thefamilyofthebabywillinvitetheirrelativesandintimatefriendstoaceremonytocelebratetheoccasion.Inatraditionalone-month-oldceremony,therewillbearejoicingatmosphereinthefamily,andthefeastissupposedtobelivelyandjoyful.TextA

Notes1.senatorn.

amemberofasenate①HehasservedasaDemocraticsenatorforTexassince2000.自2000年以来，他一直是得克萨斯州的民主党参议员。②Thesenatorclaimstohavebeenmisquotedinthearticle.参议员声称文章错误地引用了他的话。TextA

Notes2.gendern.

thefactofbeingmaleorfemale①Manyfactorsareimportant,forexampleclass,gender,ageandethnicity.许多因素都很重要，如阶级、性别、年龄及民族。

②Genderrolesareoftenconditionedbyculturalfactors.文化因素常常对性别的角色有着重要的影响。TextA

Notes3.stiffadj.

firmanddifficulttobendormove①Icamehomefromthegamefrozenstiff.我看完比赛回到家里，都快冻僵了。

②Shelookedathimwithastiffsmile.她看着他，脸上挤出生硬的一笑。TextA

Notes4.bouquetn.

abunchofflowersarrangedinanattractivewaysothatitcanbecarriedinaceremonyorpresentedasagift①Thelittlegirlpresentedtheprincesswithalargebouquetofflowers.小女孩向公主献上了一大束鲜花。②Thewomancarriedabouquetofdriedviolets.这个女人拿着一束干枯的紫罗兰。TextA

Notes5.conservativeadj./n.

①opposedtogreatorsuddensocialchange;showingthatyouprefertraditionalstylesandvalues②connectedwiththeBritishConservativeParty①Herstyleofdresswasalwaysconservative.她的服装式样总是很保守。

②TheConservativeswontheseatinthelastelection.在上次选举中保守党夺得了这个议席。TextA

Notes6.predominantadj.

①mostobviousornoticeable②havingmorepowerorinfluencethanothers①Yellowisthepredominantcolourthisspringinthefashionworld.黄色是今春时装界的流行颜色。②Hispredominantcharacteristicishonesty.他最为突出的特点是诚实。TextA

Notes7.cutleryn.

knives,forksandspoons,usedforeatingandservingfood①Shearrangedplatesandcutleryonasmalltable.她在一张小桌上摆好盘子和餐具。

②Acutlerysetiscomprisedof6tableknives.一套餐具有6把餐刀。TextA

Notes8.prongn.

eachofthetwoormorelongpointedpartsofafork①Marktheloafwiththeprongsofaforkinacriss-crosspattern.用叉子尖在面包上划十字图案作标记。②Andthereindeedoneachprongoftheforkwasalittleroastnut.在烧叉的每一根尖上都叉着一个小小的烤坚果。TextA

Notes9.utensiln.

toolsorobjectsthatyouuseinordertohelpyoutocookortodoothertasksinyourhome①Thebestutensilforsteamingisawokbecauseitswidtheasilyaccommodatesawholefish.锅是蒸鱼的最好器具，因为它很宽，可以轻松放下一整条鱼。②Thebestcarvingutensilisalong,sharp,flexibleknife.最好的雕刻工具是锋利而柔韧的长刻刀。TextA

Notes10.elbown.

thejointbetweentheupperandlowerpartsofthearmwhereitbendsinthemiddle①Shejabbedhimwithherelbow.她用胳膊肘捅他。②Sheelbowedmeoutofthewaytogettothefrontoftheline.她用肘部把我推开朝队伍前面挤。TextB

KeySentences1.InBritain,youwillfindmostpeoplearekindtoyouifyoubehavepolitely,respectlocalpeople,andabidebysocialmannersandcustoms.abideby…遵守，遵照（法规、协议、判决等）①You’llhavetoabidebytherulesoftheclub.你必须遵守俱乐部的规定。②Shewillabidebyherpromise.她会信守诺言的。TextB

KeySentences2.Whenfirstintroducedtosomeone,oneshouldaddressandbeaddressedasMiss,Ms.,Mrs.,orMr.followedbythesurname.addresssb.as…称呼某人为……beaddressedas…被称为……①Thejudgeshouldbeaddressedas“YourHonour”.对法官应该称“法官大人”。②Iheardhimaddressherasdarling.我听见他称她为“亲爱的”。TextB

KeySentences3.Ifyoureceiveawritteninvitationtoaneventthatsays“RSVP”,youshouldrespondtoletthepersonwhosenttheinvitationknowwhetherornotyouplantoattend.Culturaltips:请柬用语①“RSVP”：源自法语，有“尽快回复”的意思。②

“Regretsonly”意思是“不能出席请复”，当收请柬人不能出席时才回复，但也应及时回复。③“Toremind”：意思是“备忘/提醒”，只起提醒作经口头约妥再发来的请柬，可不必答复。答复对方，可用打电话或者发邮件的形式。TextBI.AnswerthefollowingquestionsinEnglish.1.ListsomeWesternsocialetiquette.①Don’tshoutorbeloudinpublicplacesanddon’tuseexcessive,demonstrativehandgestureswhenspeaking.Itisimpolitetostareatpeopleinpublicplacesandspittinginthestreetisconsideredtobeverybadmannered.②Whenyouintroducepeopleinaformalsocialsituation,introduceapersonoflowerstatustoapersonofhigherstatus.Whentwopeopleareofsimilarageandrank,introducetheoneyouknowbettertotheotherperson.③Ifyouareinvitedtoaperson’shousefordinner,itisimpolitetorestyourelbowsonthetable.Whenyoufinisheating,itissuggestedthatyoulayyourknifeandforkparallelacrosstherightsideoftheplate.Ifyouhavenotfinishedeating,itisbettertocrossyourknifeandforkonyourplatewiththeforkovertheknife.TextB2.WriteashortpassageaboutthedifferencesinthecolorsofweddingbetweenChinaandtheWest.Forinstance,redisthecolorwhichappearsmostinChineseweddings,asitrepresentsgoodluckandindicatesthatthecoupleswilllivehappilyeverafter.However,whiteismostcommonlyusedinWesternweddingsanditrepresentsthesublimityofmarriage.TextB3.WhatarethedifferencesbetweenChineseandWesterncommunicationinprivacy?Inthepast,itwasnaturalfortheChinesetotalkabouttheage,income,maritalstatus,andotherpersonalinformationduringsocialcommunication,whiletheWesternersgenerallydidn’tlikethatsinceitwasaninvasionofprivacy.Nowadays,theChinesepeoplearemorelikelytosharepersonalinformationonlywithfamilymembersandclosefriends.TextBII.ExplainthefollowingwordsandexpressionsinEnglish.1.tablemannerTablemannersaretherulesofetiquetteusedwhileeating,whichmayalsoincludetheappropriateuseofutensils.Therearedifferentrulesfortablemannersindifferentcultures.Eachfamilyorgroupsetsitsownstandardsforhowstrictlytheserulesaretobeenforced.TextB2.eyecontactEyecontactoccurswhentwopeoplelookateachother’seyesatthesametime.Inhumanbeings,eyecontactisaformofnon-verbalcommunicationandisthoughttohaveabiginfluenceonsocialbehavior.Coinedintheearlytomid1960s,thetermcamefromtheWesttodefinetheactasameaningfulandimportantsignofconfidence,respect,andsocialcommunication.TextB3.RSVPInthecontextofsocialinvitations,RSVPisaprocessforaresponsefromtheinvitedpersonorpeople.ItisaninitialismderivedfromtheFrenchphrasemeaning“Replyifyouplease.”TheacronymRSVPissometimesstillusedincurrentFrenchtorequireconfirmationofaninvitation.TextB4.thank-younoteIfyouhavebeenaguestentertainedinsomeone’shome,sendingathank-younoteisoneofthemostimportantthingsyoucando.Itshowsthatyouappreciatethehosts’effortstomakeyoufeelcomfortableandthatyou’regratefulfortheirhospitality.Athank-younotedoesn’thavetobelong,butitshouldconveyyourdeepestgratitude.TextB5.professionaltitleAprofessionaltitleisaprefixorsuffixaddedtosomeone’snameincertaincontexts.Itmaysignifyveneration,anofficialposition,aprofessionaloracademicqualification.Insomelanguages,aprofessionaltitlemaybeinsertedbeforealastname.TextBIII.Matchthefollowingwordsandexpressionswiththe

correctChinese.TextBIII.Matchthefollowingwordsandexpressionswiththe

correctChinese.TextBIV.TranslatethefollowingsentencesintoEnglish.1.InGermany,thenewlywedsareexpectedtocompleteatestbyworkingtogethertosawaloginhalfinfrontofalltheirguests.Theactisintendedtoshowcasethebrideandgroom’sabilitytoworktogetherandtofacetheobstaclesthatmaycomethroughouttheirmarriage.1.在德国，新婚夫妇要合作完成一个测试，即当着宾客的面把木头锯成两半。此举预示着这对新人可以一同努力面对他们婚姻生活中的障碍。TextB2.Aninterviewmaybetheonlyshotyouhavetoimpressthedecision-makerinperson,soitisnecessaryforyoutodressimpeccably.It’salwaysbettertooverdressthanunderdress.Adarksuitandacrispwhiteshirt,manicurednails,simplemake-up,andclean,professionalshoeswillbeperfectinmostcases.2.

面试可能是你本人给决策者留下印象的唯一机会，所以你必须穿着得体。穿着考究总比衣着朴素要好得多。黑色西装配上清爽的白衬衣、修剪整齐的指甲、简单的妆容，以及干净、职业性的鞋子在多数情况下都会是完美的。ChineseSeatingArrangementWesternSeatingArrangementTextCComparison1HandshakingHugTextCComparison2RespectingtheEldersLadyFirstTextCComparison3Number4Number13TextCComparison4BairiDebutanteballsTextCComparison5Case

Study

道歉与微笑

小王在美国一所大学读研究生。在一次实验中，小王无心的失误影响了所在小组的实验进程。实验结束之后，小王面带微笑，态度真诚地向指导老师道歉。老师看到小王的微笑，不仅没有接受他的道歉，反而表情严肃地看着他。小王内心很疑惑，为何老师感受不到自己的歉意呢？Case

Study

分析点评

中国人和美国人在道歉方式和态度上有文化差异。中国人道歉时，面带微笑来表明自己的诚心和善意。而在美国文化中，道歉代表充分意识到自身所犯的错误，表情应严肃、认真。小王的微笑使得美国老师以为其态度不端正，对其产生了误解。在跨文化交际中，要充分认识并尊重不同文化在道歉等社交情境中的细节差异。Translation

汉译英

1.中国红当我们提到“过年”的时候，你的脑海里首先想到的是什么？红灯笼、红对联(couplets)和红色中国结。的确，红色对于中国人来说是不可或缺的一种颜色。中国红意味着平安、喜庆、和谐、团圆，也意味着事事顺利、祛病消灾。有人这么形容中国红：中国红吸纳了朝阳最富生命力的元素，采撷了晚霞最绚丽迷人的光芒，凝聚着血液最浓稠活跃的成分，融入了相思豆(jequirity)最细腻的情感，浸染了枫叶最成熟的晚秋意象。Translation

Keys

1.ChineseRed

Whenwetalkabout“ChineseNewYear”,whatoccurstoyourmindfirst?Theyareredlanterns,redcouplets,andredChineseknots.Indeed,redisanindispensablecolorforChinesepeople.Chineseredmeanspeace,joy,harmony,andreunion;italsomeanseverythinggoeswellanditcandriveawayillnessanddisaster.SomeonedescribesChineseredinthisway:Chineseredabsorbsthemostdynamicelementoftherisingsun;itpicksthemostbeautifulandcharminglightofsunsetglow;itembodiesthethickestandmostactiveingredientofblood;itcontainsthemostdelicateemotionsofjequirity;anditshapesthemostmatureimageryofmapleleavesinlateautumn.Translation

汉译英

2.压岁钱

压岁钱(luckymoney)是中国春节习俗中不可缺少的元素，是每个孩子过年时都热切期盼的礼物。在除夕夜，家中的长辈会给予未成年的孩子一定数额的钱，称之为“压岁钱”。据说，压岁钱可以使孩子平平安安地度过新的一年。在中国，给压岁钱的风俗源远流长，并流传至今。它是长辈送给孩子的护身符(amulet)，代表着长辈对孩子的美好祝福，可以保佑孩子在新的一年里健康吉祥。Translation

Keys

2.LuckyMoney

AsanindispensableelementofthefestivalcustomsinChina,“luckymoney”isagiftthateverykideagerlylooksforwardtoduringtheSpringFestival.OntheChineseNewYear’sEve,theunderagekidscanreceiveacertainsumofcashfromtheeldersintheirfamily,whichiscalled“luckymoney”.Itisbelievedthatluckymoneycanblessthekidsasafeandpeacefulnewyear.Thecustomofgivingluckymoneyhasalonghistory