Similarities and Differences in Chinese and Western Traditional Moral Values

1. In terms of praising diligence, encouraging labor, and working hard, Chinese and foreign proverbs express the same moral norms.

“A young man who doesn’t work hard will make his old age miserable” corresponds to the English saying A lazy youth, a lousy age. (A lazy youth, a lousy age.) "It is better to accumulate wealth than to possess skills" echoes the English saying A useful trade is a mine of gold. (A useful skill is a gold mine).

Thrift is the philosopher's stone. Frugality is the mother of liberality.

Thrift is the philosopher's stone. Mother. ) and so on. There are even more idioms and proverbs expressing frugality in Chinese, so I won’t list them all here.

2. Chinese and English proverbs mostly have the same views on proverbs expressing the most basic moral qualities such as humility, self-knowledge, honesty, reputation, and contentment.

·For example, the English equivalent of "Humility often gains more than pride." Corresponding to "People value self-knowledge" is "He is not wise that is not wise for himself. (He who does not know himself is unwise)". In addition, there are many proverbs in Chinese that satirize people who want to do tricks in front of experts, such as "Reading scriptures in front of Confucius", "Showing a sword in front of Guan Gong", and in English there are also Never offer to teach fish to swim. (Never offer to teach fish to swim.) teach fish how to swim).

·Both Chinese and English proverbs value the importance of reputation. "I would rather have broken jade than complete tiles", "I would rather have broken bones than lose my reputation". Take away my good name and take away my life. ·Faith moves a mountain. (Loyalty moves mountains) and The cross on the breast and the devil in the heart. (The cross hangs on the chest, the devil is in the heart) are two kinds of praise and blame proverbs respectively expressing the meaning of honesty. This corresponds to the Chinese sayings "Where there is sincerity, gold and stone will open" and "A mouth full of benevolence, righteousness and morality, a belly full of male thieves and female prostitutes". One thing to note here is that honesty in Western proverbs means loyalty to the Lord (the "cross"), while in Chinese it advocates "benevolence, righteousness, and morality." This can also be regarded as a mark of the influence of religion and Confucianism on Western and Eastern cultures. If we pay attention, we can also find more or less traces of this in the comparison of proverbs in many aspects.

3. In the proverbs expressing friendship and friendship, the differences between the East and the West begin to become apparent.

There is a saying in Chinese, "It is difficult to make a friend, but it takes only a few words to offend a friend" and in English, A friend is not so soon gotten as lost. ) have the same meaning; "A faithful friend is hard to find." is the best translation.

·In Chinese, the word friend itself has an emotional color (praise), but in English it seems to have a negative meaning, and there are many negative proverbs used to describe friends. They were talking about A man without a friend is only half a man. Friendships multiply joys and divide griefs. When there is a conflict between friends and personal interests, there is a new theory. Love your friend, but look after yourself. Friends are thieves of time.

It is not difficult to see that looking at the pros and cons of friends from both positive and negative perspectives has a dialectical flavor. In the Western moral system, the individual and the self always come first. Under the impact of money worship and utilitarianism, the Western view of friendship is synonymous with mutual benefit and is covered with a thick layer of utilitarianism.

He that has a full purse never wants a friend. (A person with a full purse never wants a friend.), Hunger knows no friend. (Hunger does not know a friend, that is, a person cannot take care of his friends when he is hungry). Not only that, the West also pays attention to When a friend is in trouble, never lend a helping hand to avoid jeopardizing your own interests, such as: Never catch at a falling knife or a falling friend. In Chinese cultural tradition, especially in Confucianism, self-interest is related to the country, the collective, and The interests of family and friends are small interests in comparison. In this cultural atmosphere, it is a generally accepted moral concept that friendship is more important than personal interests. A gentleman can go out of his way to protect his friends, and he can "die for his confidant". This is why Western thinking cannot understand it.

The Western view of friendship is completely contradictory to the Eastern view of friendship of "scholars" and "gentlemen" ("scholars" and "gentlemen" themselves are also products of Confucianism). I personally wonder if it has something to do with the Chinese concept of "sitting together" since ancient times - the relationship between relatives and friends, one person will ascend to heaven with chickens and dogs, and one person will commit a crime, implicating nine ethnic groups. Haha, just guessing.

As an aside, a famous American film critic turned a killer who was "taken seriously and treated as a human being for the first time" to sacrifice his life to save others (a typical scholar dies for his confidant) I think this is a flaw in the plot of the film (say: a sudden change of emotions), probably because he doesn't understand Eastern culture. Do you think you can comment on Chinese movies after watching 200 to 300 Chinese movies? (Haha, I’m so angry. Please pay attention to the recent release of "Writing for Hong Kong Movies - The Secret of Watching Hong Kong Movies")

4. Regarding the views on help and relief, the foundation of Eastern and Western cultures determines that they must exist Very different perspectives.

China's traditional moral concepts emphasize "propriety, righteousness, benevolence, sincerity and trustworthiness". Benevolence means being compassionate and willing to do good; righteousness means being generous and helping others. Therefore, proverbs such as "When one person is in trouble, everyone helps, when one family has trouble, everyone is busy", "Help each other, the poor can become rich" and other proverbs about free dedication.

·There is also a situation of temporary borrowing to meet temporary needs. In Chinese proverbs, there is no need for gratitude. Although this simple act of borrowing and repaying, An actually hides many mysteries. English proverbs reveal this "mystery" to the world without shying away from it. Such as the lender's worry, He that has but one eye must be afraid to lose it. (A person with only one eye is of course afraid of losing it, which means it is natural not to borrow.) Afraid that the borrower cannot return it as promised, Lend your horse for a long journey, you may have him returned with his skin. Even conflicts arising from the loan process are anticipated. Lend your money, and lise your friend. (Lend your money, lose your friend). There are also proverbs that directly advise people not to lend money or goods to others. Lend and lose, so play fools.

Of course, there are also expressions of contempt for borrowers in English proverbs: He that borrows must pay with shame and loss.

In fact, in China, the above-mentioned problems in the English proverb also exist in the process of borrowing and returning. It's just that in China's benevolence and righteousness education, "gold is not precious, benevolence and righteousness is worth a thousand catties." It is "unkind" to express the lender's concerns straightforwardly (in fact, it feels like it should be unbelievable), but the lender's worries and frequent losses are not. is an undeniable fact. Therefore, Chinese proverbs emphasize from the perspective of the borrower that "it is natural to borrow and repay money" and "it is not difficult to borrow again if you borrow and repay." There are even some proverbs that advise people to repay debts with interest, such as: "Borrow a goose and give back a camel." Personally, I feel that in this process, the word "righteousness" in Chinese culture comes first. I would rather be betrayed by others than betrayed by others. Even when lending, there are worries and hesitations. But the traditional spirit and moral standards that are deeply rooted in the bones are controlling people's behavior.

·Comparing the East and the West, it is impossible to say which one is better, but in the actual behavior of modern people, there is not much tradition left, and they are more Westernized and assimilated. Regardless of whether it is progress or not, it at least shows that the ancient trust system is more convincing than the contemporary one.

5. Another reason why China does not want to see the entanglement of money issues is that it is afraid of arguing and losing face. This is a matter of face.

This face is actually similar to the reputation mentioned above. Reputation is often connected with morality. A moral person will also have a good reputation and usually have a good face. Just not really. "Face" in Chinese terms means to be respected by others. Small things such as disheveled clothes and inappropriate behavior will not affect your reputation, but you will still lose face.

·Relevant proverbs are both positive and negative. "People are afraid of being shameless, and trees are afraid of peeling off their skins." "People are shameless, and ghosts are afraid of them." and "You want to save face and suffer the consequences" are the types of "beating one's face to pretend to be fat."

·The Chinese people’s fear of rumors that may affect their face can also be seen in proverbs. "Rumors can kill people" and "sticks can hurt flesh, but bad words can hurt people's hearts." Ruan Lingyu, a popular movie star in the 1920s and 1930s, also died in response to "people's words are scary."

·Traditional Western moral concepts believe that reputation is very important, and people should check their own behavior. However, as long as they do not harm society, others, or violate the law, it does not matter how others evaluate themselves. So in English proverbs, the same "stick" has a sharply reduced lethality. Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. (Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.) In fact, to put it bluntly, hard words break no bones.

·Comparatively speaking, Chinese people want to save face and care about the evaluation of people around them. The root cause may be that under the influence of "Confucianism", people, environment and society are one, and people can only live in society. The evaluation (good or bad) obtained from it is the standard for judging reputation and face. Similarly, it is not difficult to see the shadow of individualism and personal supremacy in Western proverbs about not caring about other people's opinions and social evaluations.

·In addition, in China, public opinion and evaluation sometimes serve as an invisible wall to defend morality, acting as a restraint and vigilance for bad people who violate morality and do bad things. In traditional culture, "acting bravely when it comes to justice, fighting against injustice, and not being able to rub dirt in your eyes" are all examples of the positive role of "people's words".

In Western culture, according to Christianity, everyone is guilty. If a person wants to accuse others of their sins, he must first think of his own sins. “Judge not others, and God will not judge you.” Reflected in the proverb, Physician, heal thyself. (Doctor, heal yourself first). Moreover, in English culture, gossips are regarded as worse than thieves. A tattler is worse than a thief. The person who tells you right and wrong will also tell you right and wrong. Who chatters to you, will chatter of you.

In fact, looking at it from another perspective, they "don't say right or wrong" not only because they are pious to God, but also out of respect for privacy. In the West, privacy is above morality, and personal privacy is sacred and inviolable. (Note, the emphasis is still on “personal” privacy). In traditional Chinese culture, there is nothing shameful for a well-behaved and moral person. "A gentleman is magnanimous, but a villain is always worried." "A wise man does not do secret things." If you do something shameful, there is no need to hide it and you can't hide it. "There is no evil in your heart, and you are not afraid of the cold wind." "If you want others to know, you have to do nothing yourself."

Generally speaking, the similarities and differences between Chinese and Western proverbs in traditional moral concepts are as follows:

1. The proverbs expressing the basis of traditional morality (truth, goodness and beauty) are basically the same , which is also the moral standard pursued by all mankind;

2. Chinese culture is deeply influenced by Confucianism and leaves its imprint on the traditional moral concepts reflected in Chinese proverbs; while in the West Proverbs are also inevitably influenced by Western religions (such as Christianity). For example, in proverbs expressing loyalty, The cross on the breast and the devil in the heart. The cross represents the Lord, The object of loyalty is also directed to "God".

3. Chinese proverbs embody the Confucian thought with "benevolence and righteousness" as the core, and subconsciously regulate people's concepts and behaviors. Western traditional morality cannot avoid the impact of money worship and individualism. What is reflected in the proverb is that you are the most important, do not help others and friends, so as not to harm yourself. This kind of selfish concept is shameless in traditional Chinese morality.

4. A very important point is that the people shown in Chinese proverbs are social people. In the social environment, they have relationships with friends, relatives, neighbors and even those who help and need help, and they are prosperous. They are also restricted by the environment, such as public opinion, people's opinions, discussions, and even rumors. To maintain reputation and face in this social environment, one must be "a gentleman and be honest" and not do anything shameful, and there is nothing private to hide. Relatively speaking, people in Western proverbs are personal people, heroic people, and private people. They don't bother asking others around them for help (such as borrowing money), and they are unwilling to help others or lend money or materials to others. They don't care about other people's opinions, as long as they follow their own standards. Reputation in Western proverbs is related to morality, but face seems to have nothing to do with morality. The most important influencing factor is personal privacy, that is, privacy comes first.

5. However, it is not difficult to find that the Chinese people live a valuable life (embodying value in the collective), but they also live a tiring life, living under countless pairs of eyes and countless mouths. There is a famous saying in the West: "Go your own way and let others tell you." Perhaps sometimes it is easier to succeed without being too hung up on all the details.