中西方数字的文化差异毕业论文.doc

【标题】中西方数字的文化差异 【作者】柯娟 【关键词】数字；吉祥文化；禁忌文化；差异 【指导老师】余烈全 【专业】英语 【正文】I. IntroductionCulture consists of material civilization and spirit civilization of the whole society. Chinese scholars, such as Hu Wenzhong and Jia Yuxin, have defined culture into two senses. In a broad sense, culture refers to all the material and spiritual products created by man. In a narrow sense, it refers only to spiritual products including language, literature, fine arts and so on. 1 Different people define“culture” from different angles. In fact, there are more than two hundred and fifty definitions. What has been termed the classic definition of culture was provided by the 19th century English anthropologist Edward Burnett Tyler declared that Culture is a complex whole, which included knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and other capabilities and habits acquired by man as a member of society.2 Cultural differences reflect that people in different environments possess differences of many aspects, such as language, knowledge, and religious faiths. Differences in culture, especially between China and English speaking countries, may lead to various understanding and explanation on the same thing or conception, even to reduce misunderstanding each other.Number is a combination of concept and mark, which is a conclusion that humankind observe object world and understand material world. 3 Number is used to mean the quantity or to assign the place of a series by order of number. 4 However, a special numerical culture exists in different language backgrounds and national cultures. Numbers clearly reflect the psychological bases, traditions and characteristics of culture because of the impact of cultural differences, such as national psychology, religious belief, language worship and aesthetic notion. Numbers have various mysterious taboo, lucky and symbolic meaning, and they show cultural characteristics of nations, even their own numeral culture. Meanwhile such numeral culture unavoidably influence peoples psychology and behaviors. Number, as one kind of important culture language, is used frequently as thought and intercourse tool. Hence, this article is to discus the causes of cultural differences of numbers by analyzing on some representative numbers in both Chinese and English, to know the differences in order to respect each other mutually, reduce misunderstanding and do better cross-cultural communication.The Causes of Cultural Differences of NumbersA. Symbolic Meaning Brought by Homophony and Partial Meaning of NumbersHomophony refers to two or more words with the same form but with different meaning. In Chinese language, there are a large number of homonyms. Homonyms are words with different meaning but either identical both in sound and spelling or identical only in spelling or sound. 5 So homophony is not only a linguistic phenomenon but also a cultural phenomenon. It is connected with the culture, national mentality and aesthetic customs. Among the homonymous phenomena, numbers are typical. It is the case that English and Chinese people live in an absolutely different natural environment and social cultural origins, Chinese people have strong psychology of symmetry, doubleness, association and analogy, pursuing goodness and avoiding badness. It is natural that people are fully aware of usage of homophony. Compared with other languages all over the world, Chinese language has a great number of cultures of homophony and partial meaning. For example, the number 8(八,ba) sounds like发(fa)in Chinese, then 8 becomes a popular number nowadays. People hope that all the substance they owned can be related to number 8, such as phone number, house number, license number and so on. One more example, the number 5, is similar to吾(I); of course, number 58 means吾发(making fortune), the number 9,(久, long-lasting)means permanent, which is still a popular number. The reason why those numbers become lucky number is that their pronunciation is similar to commendatory words.At the same time, a few numbers are considered as taboo numbers because of bad homophony. Especially the number 4(four,四,si). It is avoided because it sounds like“die”(死,si) and it is the most worst number in the public minds. As a result, some people go so far as to call the fourth floor of a building 3A because the pronunciation of the“fourth floor”(四楼,si lou) is identical with死楼. As a mater of fact, a few of nations in western countries show great respect for number 4, which stands for fair, justice and power.In contrast, the number“eight”(8) is an ordinary and lucky number in both English and Chinese cultures, not its homophony but its structure. It gives us a meaning imagination. People consider that the number 8 is combined by double 0(zero), which is not only a sign of special meaning, but also a stable and harmonious sign.B. The Close Association with Mythology and ReligionMythology is a body of myth, especially those relating to a peoples gods and heroes and to their origins or those connected with certain subject. 6 Myths connect with numbers in both Chinese and English cultures. It can be seem that mythology offers cultural origins of a nation. Mythology strongly influences cultural development and cultural connotations of numbers. In Chinese culture, the connotations of numbers have close connection with Chinese ancient myths. Chinese gods are often described as the embodiment of supreme reign far from human beings, or the symbols of all-rounder and virtues. In opposite, Western Mythology, originating from Greek mythology, gods have similar characters of human beings. They filled with feelings, love, anger and hatred. Great cultural diversities exist in ancient mythical connotation in china and western countries, which reflect Sinowestern nations profound diversities on character and decide the trend of development of two cultural systems completely. Those diversities still reflect in aspects of Culture of Number.In Sino-western cultures, the number 7 possesses mysterious colors. Christianity culture is one main stream of western culture, in which figure 7 was a mysterious but power number at the beginning, says the Bible, god spent six days in creating the heaven and earth even human being. Until the 7th day, God had to rest. Therefore, the day was called Sabbath.Similarly, in Chinese ancient mythology and books, a large number of aspects refer to number seven. July(qi yue,七月) was used to express a circle, says the Yi-jing(Book of Change,易经), a ancient book. Dating from the Qin dynasty, some ancient books recorded that July always meant limit of many great events, such as七日不火食。From the angle of cultural history, religions are often considered to be the score source of a culture. There once appeared a time when religions cultures were dominant invisibly. Due to different symbolic meanings, different nations have completely different association on number 13 or十三. To the English and most of the westerners, they believe in Christianity, which is by far the largest religion in the world in terms of the number of its adherents.7 The cultural connotations of numbers are shaped by this religion. In regard to the number“thirteen” in English language, it is the most ominous number and the evil symbol in English culture, which source is Christianity. It is said that Jesus was hand cuffed and later nailed to die on the cross because of the betrayal of Judas. In other words, Judas, Jesus disciple, betrayed him for the sake of thirty pieces of silver. Consequently, Judas becomes a synonym of traitor. In English idioms, a devils dozen, expresses十三. Being aware of tremendous power of mythology and religion, the English and most of westerners abstain from 13 like avoiding plague.In contrast, in Chinese culture, the number 13 is considered to be a lucky number because of different aesthetic standards. For instance, Confucian classics, which has controlled Chinese thought culture for nearly two thousand year, is called Thirteen Classics of Confucianism. Similarly, imperial mausoleum of Ming dynasty is named Ming Tombs(十三陵), which is a famous tourist destination nowadays.C. The Meaning Variation in Social CustomsWith the rapid development of society, not only English, but also Chinese, partial meaning of words seem to change. Particularly, the development of a part of numerical words is connected with that of social culture. Semantic meanings of numerical words are so obscure that the numbers already have fabricated to great extent. One example, four hundred means famous, fashionable upper classes in a district. So the figure, four hundred became a synonym of people from high society. Four hundred guests attended a dancing party, which was held by Mrs. William Astor in 1892. To illustrate this point further, lets take more words for examples. Fie it, in American idiom, expresses the meaning of refusing answer questions. In it, the meaning of fire originated from the fifth amendment of the constitution of the USA. The amendment stipulates that anyone cannot be forced to admit ones guilt in criminal case. The fifth column refers to spies or enemy agents who were sent by enemies, originating from people who panted the city when Spanish armies attacked Madrid, capital of Spain. There are other examples as follows: Fire dollar words(复杂的字眼)；catch 22(第二十二条军规); American idiom“twenty three”(滚开); twenty/twenty(眼力正常的)。Similarly, in china, the smaller the license number is the higher the official title of car owner is. What caused the phenomenon? The reason is that social and historical reasons caused dissimilation for license number. Another case in point.people usually use these phrases, such as略知一二，说不出个一二三来,in which一二，一二三are used to instead of objective conditions or reasons. Whats more, we use 250(二百五 in Chinese) to refer to those who are somewhat foolish or stupid as in你别二百五了。In ancient time,一吊钱一半之一半described nothing.In conclusion, the same number expresses different social meanings in different cultures. Such culture meaning borne by numbers is caused by language rules and social orders. A nation worship a few numbers and believes that these numbers stand for holy and luck; while a nation abstain from other numbers expressing the meaning of bad luck. All in all, culture reasons cause people different opinions on numbers.The Comparison of Numeral Culture in Chinese and Western CulturesA. Lucky Culture of Numbers in China and English Speaking Countries1. The Same Lucky Numbers Worshipped by Chinese and WesternersIt is known to all that people prefer to number 3 and 8 not only in china, but also in most western countries. The number“three” and“eight” are considered to be the symbol of holy, dignity and luck. Both of them express in different forms because of different cultural traditions and religion faiths.Three is a very lucky number in China. At first, in Chinese, 3 is written in the form of三. The upper horizontal stroke stands for heaven, the down one stands for the earth and the middle one stands for humankind. Three horizontal strokes express the relationship among heaven、earth and humankind. The concept of Shanqing(三清) appears in Chinese Taoism, they are玉清,上清,太清individually. In Buddhism, they are heaven, earth and people. In“Lao-tzu”, Lao-tzu expressed that one gives birth to two, two, to three, and three, to everything on the earth. Ancient people thought number starts 1, ends 10, and finally3. From the point of it, people impart a great meaning to 3 in Chinese culture. Meanwhile, 3 is relevant to most important thought and beliefs, such as three celestial bodies consists of sun, moon, and stars; the heaven,the earth and human are named三才or三灵; It is said that peoples life consisted of previous life, present life and future life; the relationship among sovereigns. Father, Son and Grandson make up三族; Three seats are composed of Confucian, Taoism and Buddhism and so on. In folk legend, there are a great deal of idioms, for instance, many heads are better than one三个臭皮匠赛过诸葛亮,一个好汉三个帮，一个篱笆三个桩 and so on.To western countries, the number 3 is still considered the same important as in china. Firstly, most westerners have a fondness for number 3, as a perfect number. To the English and most of the westerners, they believe that the whole world is made of three parts-earth, ocean, sky, and the human body with three layers-flesh, soul, spirit; the whole nature with three components-animal, plant and mineral. In Christianity, they advocated the Trinity, which includes Power(the father), Wisdom(the son) and Love(the Holy Spirit). Pythagoras, an ancient Greece philosopher, believed that three is a perfect number. Secondly, the ancient Egyptian considered 3 stood for Father, Mother and Son.“In Roman myths, god Jupiter governs the others. His power lies in the three-pronged thunder-stick in his hand; the authority of Neptune depends on his three-pronged spear; Pluto, the god of the underworld, is a dog with three, which is associated with the three gods, acquires the meaning powerful and holy.” 8 At last, in folk legend, there are some sayings, such as the third times the charm第三次灾难；number three is always fortunate第三号一定运气好。As for literature works, it reflected in Shakespeares plays. It is that all good things go by threes.一切好事以三为标准。To Chinese people, they prefer to 8, deriving from Cantonese. They prefer to pronounce 88 instead of发发, which implies making a future or getting a good future. From then on, the number 8 becomes the most popular number in china. Actually, people are willing to cost money to own phone numbers or license numbers which include number 8. It is not coincidence that the time of opening ceremony of Beijing Olympic Games is at 8 oclock, 8th August, 2008.In western countries, though people do not favor even numbers, the number“eight” is still considered to be commendatory. And different kinds of definition for 8 are spread far and wide among the people. Early in ancient Greek, people thought 8 meant rich, achievement and longevity; in Bible, 8 implied luck. It was said that only eight persons survived from the great flood that the god used to punish the human being in the way of Noah ark. In Gospels, 8 means happiness. Jesus brother, Jacob, says the gospels, gave birth to eight children. The Arabic writing from“8” consists of two“o”(zero), which has the indication of steadiness, friendship, harmony and consummation. The sign“” is the symbol of“infinity” mathematically. The number“eight” implies success, happiness, and perfect satisfaction because the horizontal form of“8” is like the infinitive sign.92. Lucky Numbers in Chinese CultureIn Chinese traditional culture, number not only indicates quantity, but also implies good luck. Lucky culture can be classified into several types. Hua Longxu, in a book named Chinese lucky culture, classifies lucky culture into five types; individually object luck, behavior luck, language luck, written luck and numerical luck. Except for number three, six, eight and nine, lucky numbers can imply lucky meaning, from one to ten, hundred to thousand even ten thousand, such as一帆风顺(plain sailing)，二龙腾飞(two dragons flying)，三羊开泰(peaceful)，四季平安(safe and secure all the luck)，五福临门(the five blessings descend upon the house)，六六大顺(good fortune and prosperity)，七星高照(bless)，八方来财(wealth)，九九同心(united)，十全十美(perfection)，白事亨通(go well)，千事顺遂(satisfactory)，万事如意(Good luck) and so on. Meanwhile, it implies even numbers, odd numbers, big number, small number, extended meaning and homophony meaning.Number“six” is the luckiest number in peoples mind in china. In ancient times, there was a traditional idea that people respected for 6. For example, in pre-Qin period, six Confucian classics were called the six meridians; in the various schools of thoughts and their exponents, the most famous schools, Yin and Yang, Confucian, Ming, Taoism, Legalists were totally named六家；six columns of books of Zhou Dynasty existing today were called LiuTao六韬，administrative districts were divided into Liuxiang六乡; Zhouli Liudian六典；Bureaucratic establishment system were settled六部; royal troops were generally referred to六军或六师; all directions was六合 or六幽; in TCM(Traditional Chinese Medicine), Heart, Lungs, Liver, Kidney, Spleen, Gallbladder were called六府; Buddhism thinks the common people have six emotions; painting strives for the six modes, six requirements, and six colors; in anchored logical findings all bronze chariots and horses in the terracotta warriors and horses of the Qin Dynasty are counted as multiple numbers of six.People take to 9 from the time of the spring and autumn period and the warring states period. The reason why 9 has been playing an important role in Chinese culture also lies in their belief that there are nine spheres of heavens; the ninth heaven is the highest one; such belief brought the numeral九 the connotation of large quantity or extremeness many expressions. Numbers of heaven and earth starts one and ends nine, says Suwen(素文). Number九 is the limit of number, also called天数(The quality of being)。九霄云外means sky-high;九州方圆 means extreme far;九泉之下means very deep;数九寒开means utmost cold. The meaning of holy is evolved from the homophony both九and久(long-lasting). Emperors of past ages showed favor on it, which was used to stand for their rule lasting forever and never changes. Respecting for九 also obviously reflected in place buildings of Chinese emperors. Number九is the largest odd number, which is usually used in the emperor place building. It stands for the heaven, and the emperor is the son of the heaven, still standing for the emperor. Jiuong Wallstone is near the Beihai(北海). There are 9999 rooms in the imperia palace of Beijing, even the height of three halls is still 9.9chi, and the proportion of Tiananmen rostrum is 9 rooms. The palace and all city gates are