英语本科毕业论文-浅论引起中西方婚俗差异的原因.doc

Chengdu Institute Sichuan International Studies University本科毕业论文题目（中文）浅论引起中西方婚俗差异的原因（外文）On the Reasons for the Differences Between Chinese and Western Marriage Customs系 别英语翻译系专 业英语年 级2007级学生姓名指导教师结稿日期2011年4月15日四川外语学院成都学院教务处制二一一年四月十五日填On the Reasons for the Differences Between Chinese and Western Marriage CustomsAbstractChina and western countries have great different living customs and traditions, especially the marriage customs. Chinese wedding ceremony is very sophisticated and the whole weddings main color is red, which is the representative of traditional Chinese festive color. But in west, the wedding ceremony is much simpler and white is the dominant hue which symbolizes purity. However, wedding ceremony is the very superficial difference between two marriage customs. Three differences between two marriage customs can be found. Through analyzing two different marriage customs, we can get the reasons for the differences. They are different religious beliefs, different value orientation of people, different moral concept, different thinking mode and different geographical features. Better understanding of the cultural differences can be gained by studying these differences.Key words: reasons; differences; marriage customsOn the Reasons for the Differences Between Chinese and Western Marriage CustomsOutlineThesis Statement: The factors that lead to the different marriage customs between China and the west lie in five aspects: religious views, value orientation, moral concept, thinking pattern and geographical features.I.IntroductionA. Purpose of WritingB. Organization of the PaperII. Differences Between the two Marriage CustomsIII. Reasons for the DifferencesA. Different Religious BeliefsB. Different Value Orientation of PeopleC. Different Moral ConceptsD. Different Thinking ModesE. Different Geographical Features. Conclusion On the Reasons for the Differences Between Chinese and Western Marriage CustomsI. IntroductionA. Purpose of WritingAs China has been a member of the international group WTO, the connection between China and the western world becomes closer and closer. In order to get a better understanding of each other, we set the research topic, to learn the customs and culture of the western world, and further promote cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries.Marriage is formed in a long historical evolution of the marriage customs in a nation. Marriage customs binding depends on neither the law nor the science tests. It relays on the force of habit, traditional culture and national psychology. So the difference between two marriage customs reflects the different cultural background between China and the west. Through the research of marriage customs, we can get a better understanding somewhat about the basic necessities of product aspects of the historical and cultural background, thus to strengthen people of Chinese and western history study, and to achieve the purposeenhance English level and broaden the horizons. In this paper, we can get five reasons for two different marriage customs between China and the west. They are different religious beliefs, different value orientation of people, different moral concepts, different thinking modes and geographical features. Through the analysis of all these factors, this paper aims at promoting the cultural exchange and development of these two regions.B .Organization of the PaperIntroduction is the all-inclusive part which is a brief presentation of the content and the purpose of this paper. After the introduction, I state all the differences between two marriage customs respectively in chapter two. The five reasons that lead to the differences are explained in chapter three. At the end of this paper, there is the conclusion which sums up this paper and illustrates personal opinion about this research. II .The Differences Between the two Marriage CustomsIt is clear that Chinese marriage customs and western marriage customs differ from each other in many aspects. Although in recent years, China has learned much marriage customs from western countries, but there are still many differences between two regions.Generally, the matchmaker in Chinese marriage customs has many functions and parents usually make the decision instead of themselves on the choice of companies. Besides, women are not on an equal footing with men in family status. By contrast, in western marriage customs, the priest has functions and the youths, particular the man, have legal right to choose whom they wanted to marry and men and women are equal.In old China, people looked at the country and society as the standard, thus, “behest of parents” played an absolute important role in marriage. It was the principles of heaven and earthright and proper when parents dealt with the son or daughters marriage only by their own opinions. Marriage in China was arranged by family. “Behest of parents and proposals of matchmaker” decided everything about marriage. Usually the husband and the wife did not meet each other before getting married. They did not know what their husband or wife liked like. Even sometimes they did not know the names of each. If they did not agree the marriage, it was no use because the right of decision belonged to their parents. The marriage would still be held. The youths are not free when chose the lover in some places even today. According to the English law, no one was allowed to get married under the age of sixteen. Marriage between the age of sixteen and eighteen must have the parents consent. But when the girl was over eighteen, she was free to choose her love. Youths in Britain were relatively free. In Britain, church pointed out “agreement principle” which pointed out that the marriage was valid only when the two persons involved in marriage expressed freely and openly in front of at least two chief witness at wedding ceremony; the marriage was not valid when there existing misunderstanding or force in marriage. Under this “agreement principle”, the father should listen to the daughters suggestion, and the father should not force the daughter to marry with the man whom she did not want to marry. Thus, it can be seen from this point that, ones willing was superior to anything.Chinese men were hold up as “sky” and women were considered as “earth” in old times. Sky was superior to earth in old peoples eyes. And women must comply with three obedience and four virtues. They must be loyal to their husbands and family unconditionally. But man could have a wife and many concubines and they are the most important person in the family. In north of China in some places, husband and wife are still unequal. For example, wife can not sit together with family to have meals.The Bible says that husband should respect wife because both of them are blessed by God and all human had born to be equal. It also emphasizes that the relations between husband and wife should include duty. Husband and wife have their responsibility respectively in family, so both of them are the backbone of family.In China, marriage has gone through for a long time and the whole procedure of marriage is many and miscellaneous with trifles. The progress of marriage including “asking the name”, “asking for fortune”, “discussing the date of marriage” and “meeting the bride”. As a most grand etiquette, it has always been a high degree of attention. To control the marriage, the family and the whole society, Chinese marriage should comply with six procedures, which is the so-called six etiquettes. As time goes by, although many wedding customs experienced various changes Six etiquettes as the basic pattern has not changed much and in many places, there still remains traditional marriage customs.Western marriage procedure is much simpler. The only thing they have to do before marry is fall in love with each other. Then they get married and the wedding ceremony for two newlywed was held by the representative of the god-the priest and they need at least two friends or relatives to be their witness.III. The Reasons for the DifferencesA. Different Religious BeliefsMost Chinese people believes Buddhism which advocates “why and because relationship”. In this point of view, sky is the reason, and earth is the result; parents are the reason, and sons or daughters are the result; husband is the reason, and wife is the result and everything is to be doomed. As a result people are accustomed to accept everything that parents or the elder members of a family arranged for them including their marriage. In feudal society, a marriage would be decided not by the youths love, but by their parents desires. Only after a matchmakers introduction and when parents considered the two family conditions were similar and could be matched, would the marriage procedures went forward. Besides, there is no believes in all men creatures equal and the male seems born to be superior. It is also traced back to the beliefs of Chinese people: Buddhism which believes the metempsychosis of soul. Though people were classify to different classes，sexual discrimination is the most typical partition which has a deep influence of Chinese society till now. Deeply influenced by this traditional belief, people in ancient society just married someone that he or she may not ever see before. Besides, they held the belief that males were superior to females and female had little right in the past, not to mention the right to choose their own spouse. So we may have known many stories in which men or women sacrificed for they could not stayed with their lovers. The belief in Buddhism of Chinese people shape the concept of their marriage customs and this customs has a deep influence on Chinese people until recent years.While things are quite the opposite in western countries for they believe in God, who thinks that every man is born equal and every man has the right to make any decision, including marriage. Among all the religion by which people seek to worship; Christianity is by far the most influential in the west. Every phase of mans life is influenced by this religion so much that it has become part and parcel of western culture. British dominant religious belief is Christian faith; or rather the U.K. is a country of Christianity. Bishop ordered marriage law as the fourth chapter in 1234. After issuing the law, it was carried on under the strong church control. In 1917, the marriage law referred: a wedding ceremony should be held by priest or at least two witnesses and the willing should be true but not be forced. Beside, in west countries, each life was born to be equal. They believe that God create each life and regard each life as his son. So men and women are equal in their own family.Based on what I have explained above, the different religious belief cause the difference of marriage customs between China and western countries which is reflected in that Chinese people may not have the right to choose their spouse while people in the western countries have the right to do so, and in the relationship of marriage in China, men are superior to women while in the western countries men and women are created equally by God. However, different religious belief is a very crucial but not the only reason to cause these differences of marriage customs.B. Different Value Orientation of PeopleFrom the point of view that how to deal with nature, Chinese culture prefer to stay highly harmonious with nature and attach much importance to the harmony of group relationship. Only in this way can people lead a healthy life. But westerners like to conquer nature. In a word, Chinese people are willing to accept while westerners are free to choose.Chinese people once thought that marriage was a kind of ways to increase families, offspring and protect and enhance familys reputation and position. Marriage would add a girl of a clan other than ones own, so Marriage should give priority to family benefit other than the love of the couples. The love between the man and the woman was not the first condition of marriage. Today the marriage concepts have not changed much especially in some backward places. The aim of getting marriage for them is till to increase families, offspring and protect and enhance familys reputation and position. They choose to be together maybe it can help make family get stronger. So there is a Chinese old saying:“marriage is a matter of an order by parents and an arrangement by matchmaker.” They dont regard marriage as their own business. But western culture emphasis that human should be isolated from nature and they stress on the development of individual potential, the realization of individual target and the pursuit of individual benefit. The individualism is the most profound core of western culture. In western countries, the aim of marriage is to make the woman and the man live together all the life. It is the personal affair. The marriage just make them live together. Thus those westerners stress feeling not the familys interest or reputation when they are choosing love. They choose to marry because they love each other.In other words, the value orientation of Chinese people make them accustomed to accept, accept to others arrangement including their own life and their own marriage. Even if they dont satisfied with the arrangement, they still do not have a better choice than adopting. The situation is in the opposite position in west, people are always habituated to grasp their own destiny, so they choose their marriage spouse, choose their future life.C. Different Moral Concepts Traditional Chinese traditional marriage customs was characterized by a distinctive patriarchal clan system. “Three obedience and four virtues” decided that women should become an appendage to the men and be subordinated to the family interest. It was also characterized by strong feudal political color. Marriage sometimes was a kind of ways to ally in political. The policy of cementing friendly relations through political marriages was a typical example in history. The traditional marriage customs was influenced deeply by Confucianism. There sill exists differences between males and females in marriage customs today. This phenomenon is also caused by the traditional Chinese culture and typical Chinese moral concept.In the traditional Chinese sexual relations, treatment of women as inferiors conforms to the moral standard, otherwise dose not regard as the morals. In social life, the role assignment of the social positions between man and woman can most manifest the thought of women as inferiors. But in the family life, as a result of Chinese several millennium of feudalism, the right not to be equal still exists between the husbands and wives. People should see that the legal equality of the sexes is not equal to the actual equality. The treatment of women as inferiors is continuously considered as “perfectly justified”, not only the male so affirmed, the female also think so. “Three obediences” stipulated obedience to father before marriage, to husband after marriage, and to son after husbands death. The female is only mans accessories, they do not have the independent personality, also do not have the independent social position. The female has not enjoyed similar right in many aspects with the male, for instance accepts the marriage, the education, the social participation, economy and property and so on. In all these problems of role assignment, the female are all bow under the male. The equal rights between male and female in that society have not obtained realization in the true sense. Then under this standard social moral concept, Chinese women can hardly have an equal status with men in the family relationship. Western marriage customs is influenced deeply by western model of moral concept, however, which emphasizes both men and women are Gods sons and daughters, so they are equal unlike Chinese who pay more attentions to boys. Western people consider girls are also the fruit of love. In Western countries there were many movements striving for womens equal rights in the history of the western countries. The most typical one was feminist movement. In traditional society, women had no rights to make decision on marriage. Divorce was the privilege of men; the only obligation of women was obey. However, feminist movement made people realized the shortcomings of old-style marriage. Many new views were putting forward. Like the freedom of be in love, the freedom on marriage and even the freedom on divorce. In fact, feminist movement began very early in the west. Soon after the revolution of the bourgeoisie in England, the capitalist class put forward the slogan of “liberty, equality and fraternity” which aroused women began to strive for equal rights as men in all kinds of ways. As a result, this atmosphere of freedom and equality of western social concept help western women get an equal right with their husbands in their family relationships that are much better than Chinese women.Due to the different moral concept and cultural background, women in China and west have different status in their marriage life. Although the Chinese moral concept has tended to be similar to that in west, the difference of marriage customs between two regions is still exists.D. Different Thinking ModesThe integrity thinking mode is a remarkable feature of Chinese culture. Chinese people advocate to the collectivism, personal interests should submit to the collective interest and in necessary, the personal interests is prior to be scarifies to achieve the goals of collective. Individual is s