It is thus clear that language and culture depend on and influence each other。 Language is the most important carrier of culture。 On the other hand, language is also restricted by culture。文献综述

Chapter Two Causes of Differences between Chinese and Western Cultures

2。1 Different value orientations

Chinese value attaches more importance to group consciousness and emphasizes “altruism”; Westerners pay more attention to inpidual consciousness and emphasize “egoism”。 For example, in a Chinese name, surname comes in the first place, the

name indicating a person’s seniority in the family comes in the second and the given

name ranks in the last。 Such a sequence emphasizes the integrity of the clan。 However, a name in the West ranks like this, last name, patronymic name and family name, which highlights inpiduals。 Westerners work hard to reflect their inpidual values and pursue personal enjoyment while Chinese people are supposed to glorify and illuminate the ancestors and leave legacy for later generations。

2。2 Different thinking patterns

The thinking pattern of oriental nations is round。 Based on intuitional experience, it emphasizes the integrity。 The Western nations have got a linear thinking pattern based on logical evidences that emphasizes partial analysis。 For Westerners, to clarify one thing, they have to pide the whole thing in the first place because only in this way can they figure out the internal structure。 For example, people in ancient Greece defined primordia that form the world as water, fire and atom。 The Western modern metaphysical materialism adopted the method of extracting isolated body to study mechanical principles。 Rutherford obtained the atomic model with nuclear from the α -particle scattering experiment。 The Western thinking model is characterized by analytic features。 Instead of considering something from where it stands and piding来*自-优=尔,论:文+网www.chuibin.com

and analyzing it, Chinese people prefer to regard it as a whole, pay sufficient attention to its connection to other things and transplant previous experience here to make analogical judgment and speculation。

2。3 Different religious beliefs

Differences in religious beliefs are also one of the vital root causes of Chinese and Western cultural differences。 Westerners are deeply influenced by Christianity while China has the combination of Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism。 As far as Chinese people are concerned, heaven is the supreme ruler who controls everything in the world。 It is reflected in many Chinese proverbs, for example, man proposes, and heaven disposes。 Whether a man can achieve something mainly depends on “heaven”。 The corresponding proverb in English is that man proposes and God disposes。 As indicated by this sentence, whether a man can succeed is up to “God”。 There is only one God in Christianity and he is the origin of everything in the world。 People must submit to God because he is omnipotent and ubiquitous。