跨文化交际论文黑龙江外国语学院

A Study on Comparison Between Chinese Values and American Values

Abstract: Values fundamentally influence our behaviors in society. They do not describe how we act in a culture but dictate what we ought or ought not to do. Values tend to be the basis of all the decisions we make and provide standards for us to evaluate our own and other’s actions. Thus a value can be defined as a conception, explicit or implicit, distinctive of an individual or characteristic of a group, of the desirable which influences the selection available modes, and ends of action. This thesis is based on the theory of what is cultural values, and it analysis the differences between Chinese Values and American Values. It comes conclusion that the cultural values of different depends on the cultural differences

Key words: Value; Cultural values; Differences

According to the concise Oxford Dictionary, values are one’s principles o standards; one’s judgment of what is valuable or important in life. Values are a learned organization of rules for making choices and for resolving conflicts. These rules and guideposts are normative and teach us what is useful, good, right, wrong, what to strive for, how to live our life, and even what to die for. A value system represents what is expected or hoped for, required or forbidden. It is not a report of actual conduct but is the system of criteria by which conduct is judged and sanctions applied.

Values are useful in explaining and understanding cultural similarities and differences in behaviors; thus, understanding values and their cultural basis is helpful for managers in international business. If they understand how values vary from culture to culture, they are more likely to accept and interpret correctly behavioral differences. This acceptance and correct interpretation, in turn, enables managers to interact effectively with others whose values and behaviors are different.

Every culture has its ways of doing things in daily life, such as ways of eating, drinking, dressing, finding shelters, making friends, marrying, and dealing with death. People have to learn the cultural ways of their community to satisfy their basic human needs. These ways are not something that the people in the group are born with. Instinctive behavior, on the other hand, is a pattern of behavior that an animal is born with. Spiders spinning their webs is an example. The mother spider does not teach her babies how to spin webs. In fact, she is not even there when they are born. Young spiders know how to do it when they are born.

We have to remember that, most of the time, the different customs of different cultures are neither right or wrong. It is simply that different people do things in different manners.

Although each of us has a unique set of values, there are also values that tend to permeate a

1

culture. These are called cultural values.

Comparison Between Chinese Values and Western Values

Many scholars have written about cultural differences between the West and the East. Among these differences, three are highlighted here: cognition, relationship with nature, and the concept of truth. Western people are said to incline to think in a linear fashion. A cause leads to an effect. In Eastern culture, a cause can lead to an effect and it can be an effect as well. Past, present and future are interconnected and affect one another. Western culture tends to be oriented toward mastery over nature while Eastern culture seeks harmony with nature. Regarding the concept of truth, the view of Western culture on ultimate truth or reality is based more on scientific and empirical explanation while that of Eastern culture is based more on existing truth. Cultural differences between the East and the West have a significant impact on the communication behavior and pattern. As a result of the differences in cognition, relationship with nature and the concept of truth, people from the West and the East are further different in the following aspects.

Differences in expressing gratitude. The Chinese and Westerners are different in expressing their gratitude in public or in words. Look at the following situation. A mother is busy in the kitchen. She suddenly asks her son to fetch a bowl for her. Then the son does so. The mother just continues cooking without any word of gratitude. Later at table, the mother hands her son a bowl of rice. The son just takes it and begins eating without any word of gratitude either. If such a situation happens in the United States, both the mother and her son will say “thanks” or “thank you” for fetching the bowl and serving the rice.

Differences in symbolization. Symbolization is how people imagine or regard something. It actually reflects the way people think. The Chinese and Westerners are different in symbolizing. In the APEC summit held in Shanghai in 2001, with the closing day coming, Presidents from all over the world were invited to wear the traditional Chinese Tang suits for a photo together. The Tang suits were ready, and then the Presidents were asked to choose the colors of the suits by themselves. However, it was quite interesting to find that most of the Easterners chose red white most of the Westerners preferred blue. Red means luck and fortune in most Eastern cultures but stands for blood, revolution in the West. Blue means something noble or significant in the Western culture.

Differences in attitudes toward women. The Chinese and Westerners are different in attitudes toward women. “Ladies First” has a long history in the West. But in China there is no such a tradition. For example, a respectable elderly gentleman is having dinner with a young lady in a restaurant. In China, it is normally the elderly man who gets the service first, because hierarchy is prevalent in China and it is the elderly or the superior who is supposed to get special respect. But in the West, it is likely the young lady who is first served because of their “Ladies

2

First” tradition.

With changes in women’s roles, there have been changes in customs. Women used to expect that men would open doors for them, but now they open their own. When a man invited a woman out for dinner in the past, he was expected to pay for everything. Today, a woman might share the bill when she goes out with a man. She can be the one who calls a man up and asks him out. She may even pay for the entire date.

Comparison Between Chinese Values and American Values

It is true that Chinese people and American people enjoy different cultures, which influence their life, customs and behaviors, beliefs and values, aesthetic and interest. The following is going to provide us with a better understanding of the differences between Chinese and American cultures.

Differences in friendship. Friendship means a lot to the Chinese. There is a Chinese saying:” One more friend, one more road.” Whenever they have made friends with someone, they will try all their efforts to make the friendship as close as possible, and keep him as a lifelong friend. Lifelong friends feel deeply obligated to give each other whatever help might be require. Americans, however, change their friends and acquaintances over time and have limited mutual obligation. They will try to help their friends in difficulty with some advice but avoid making a decision for them.

Differences in time consciousness. The Chinese relatively pay more attention to the past. They cherish old classmates and friends. If they happen to visit a city, they will squeeze their time to have a get-together with friends there. Americans usually are less interested in the past. Instead, they focus on what is going on for the time being. They believe that life is like a fast moving train. If you miss it, you are out of date.

Here is an example as follow:

In 2001, I attended a TESOL conference in St. Louis. I planned to stay in the States for a few more days after the seven-day conference. Before I started my traveling, I called or e-mailed some of my old friends in the cities I had planned to visit. To my great delight, they all agreed to take me anytime I arrived. I spent one day in Chicago, three days in Los Angeles, and five days in Seattle. All of the old friends went to the airports to meet me in their cars and showed me around the cities during my stay. My traveling, my food and my overnight accommodations were all free.

Differences in conception of the self. The Chinese are collectivist, placing high value on group cooperation and Individual modesty. So many Chinese are used to beginning their English conversation with “My English is poor”. Americans are individualist, placing high value on self-reliance and freedom from externally imposed constraints. At the beginning of a presentation, the American will say: “I believe that my presentation will be of great value to anybody present.”

3

Difference between moral values. Moral values is the value of the behavior of involving the interests of others to generalization, anyone is judged according to their own moral values themselves and others behavior of right and wrong, good and evil. Moral value content is influenced by different cultural backgrounds. Chinese moral value mainly includes collective, sincerity, respect for the elderly, self-restraint and return, responsibility, altruism, the eight equal content. The \"collective\\"others\\"return\\"responsibility\" and \"altruism\" these items are actually mentioned collectivist values.

The emphasis of the culture of China and the United States to the age is different, thus formed the different moral values. American culture emphasizes respect for youth. Youth represents the future, a symbol of infinite plasticity and possibility. The old people would become less important. A 65 - year - old retired Americans. The children live independently already, set up their own family. As the growth of the age, the elderly loneliness is growing. Because neither working nor close family members, they feel themselves have no use to society. The old problem has become one of the main problems of American society. Compared with traditional Chinese culture emphasizes respect for elders. The old problem has become one of the main problems of American society. Compared with traditional Chinese culture emphasizes respect for elders. The elder is the symbol of wisdom, power and authority. In Chinese idioms reflect it. Such as \"pretty\add to treat older people often say a word \"old\" to show respect. Such as \"old leadership\manhe respected people. Such as \"Mr.\should try to avoid mentioning old facts, even involve the content, always take the form of euphemism. Such as use instead of the old man, with the elderly, the advanced in age to replace the old. The old saying \"the eldest brother for father\" also fully embodies the Chinese traditional idea of the value orientation of age. Chinese language should be used to treat the elderly in term of respect and honor, which is especially obvious in the old saying.

Difference between money values. On the attitude toward money, values of China and the United States has obvious differences. In the United States, the material wealth has become a measure of social status. American dream \"from a certain perspective also reflects Americans for strong desire for material wealth pursuit.\" From a beggar to the rich, \"which has become the slogan of the American dream. Tens of thousands of immigrants from each country among the, are also hope to live a comfortable life. In the history of western logic for \"benefit\" and \"righteousnesshe pursuit of money and desire, always bold says his job is to make more money. In a sense, the amount of material wealth is the embodiment of the personal ability. In contrast, the Chinese people, valuing loyalty over money thoughts origin of it is the dominant Confucian Confucius

4

thought in ancient China. The heavy righteousness or usury is gentleman with a dividing line in the traditional culture. In today's world economy, the increasing cultural exchanges, Chinese and American culture is a powerful collision, impact and fusion. To successfully communicate between Chinese and western culture, it is necessary to understand the characteristics of the western culture, and values is one of very important aspect, if don't understand, often inadvertently cause contradiction in communication, misunderstanding, frustration or failure resulting in communication. So only understanding and discussion of Chinese and western cultural differences and seeking common ground while putting aside differences, mutual respect and tolerance, to succeed in cross-cultural communication.

Cultural values in China and the United States customs different projection. In the study of American cultural values, will find that on the issue of value orientation, individualism is the starting point, is the backbone of its cultural values. So, americans with a focus on collective and family as the starting point of Chinese communication, it is easy to cause the failure of communication. Americans almost throughout the individualism in all aspects of its culture, customs, such as reflected in the privacy, career, marriage, interests, beliefs, pursue, rights, etc. Particular performance is their attitudes about privacy. Individualism in American culture custom also reflect on the \"do-it-yourself\own things to do, especially the household chores, don't like to help others. The independent spirit of the \"do-it-yourself\" deeply into the American culture genes. This makes Americans have formed a habit of \"Do it\pragmatism, they say, extraversion of personality and the Chinese inside collect character also highlighted the projection on the culture of China and the United States customs. Americans if a dinner party in the home, usually said, pointing to dishes for the guest: \"we are ready for your arrival these delicious, hope you can like it.\" Americans like to freely express their views, they think I'm sincerely invite you to have to let you understand my sincerity, of course. While the Chinese general approval \"courtesy costs don't blame\". Chinese people eat, please tend to set a large table after a big meal for the guests said \"sorry, no food\\"well, literally eat\". This in Chinese culture is a kind of modesty. The above remarks said to Americans, they might be in the \"indirect\" expression of politeness, it is hard to understand, it is very rich, why sorry? Host was not sincere? This is likely to lead to communication failure. In the United States, once asked about something, usually have to give a more definite answer. The Chinese people advocate \"silence is golden\". When is not convenient to answer or do not know how to answer it, Chinese people usually choose silence. In the case of some of the cross-cultural communication, the Chinese questions to the American people just laughed, and often makes Americans feel puzzling, overwhelmed, in some extent can be considered. And the Chinese sometimes take the fifth, may be due to consider pointed out that the truth will hurt the gas. In the eyes of the United States this

5

kind and polite less important than the truth. In the cross-cultural communication, should be aware of the difference, make different ethnic customs can blend well. People think that to each life is equal, everyone has an underestimate value: \"after all, you are the same people.\" Generally a transverse form of human relationships, communication is equal on both sides. When two people of different level contact, they all want to be able to create an atmosphere of equality. For example, in the Chinese classroom, the teacher usually stand straight, can hardly see a stagger or sitting on a platform for teachers, through this kind of body language to convey the teacher as the authoritative information. But in the United States university campus, the teacher of this and a lot of strikes. Chinese believe that teachers are role models, such as American teachers can make students have no discretion, broken degrees, in China it is considered impolite behavior. Is more common in the United States are seniors take shoulders and kiss each other when they meet with the younger, but rarely seen such a scene in China.

In fact, the Chinese and western cultural differences is the root cause of its generation and development of the different social background and age. Any culture with its brand of The Times, The Times characteristics. Culture is a certain region of the people for a long time formed by the fusion of the common psychological quality, thus, since culture has been formed, there is no advantages and disadvantages. This is also we must keep in mind when the cultural issues. Culture is different, lead to the different cultural values.

Reference:

[1] HALL, E, F. The Hidden Dimension[M]. New York: double-day. 1996. [2] Stanley, Haverwas. A Community of Character[M]. Cam- bridge, 1984. [3] 《跨文化商务交际》 王维波 车丽娟 外语教学与研究出版社

6