中西文化对比50861.docVIP

Case 1 Chen: Hi, Mary, you look great today. Mary: (With a smile) Thank you. Chen’s mother: (Astonished) Western conventions: When Westerners are praised, they would say, “Thank you!” with a smile. Chinese conventions: When Chinese are praised by others, they would take on negative facial expression, indicating “I don’t believe.” “I can’t accept.” Chinese would consider this attitude (“Thank you!” with a smile) as immodesty and pride. Case 2 In a dining room in Beijing, an Englishman was careless and dropped a plate. The Chinese who had seen this began to laugh. The Englishman felt uncomfortable and even got angry. “They are laughing at me,” he thought. Chinese conventions: the Chinese laughed not at the Englishman or his bad luck—whether he is a foreigner or a Chinese. The laughter has several feelings: don’t take it seriously; laugh it off, it’s nothing; such things can happen to any of us, etc. Western conventions: Westerner would interpret laughter in such a setting as a sign of either insensitivity or, worse, pleasure that the person falling had hurt himself or herself because that person was disliked. A Westerner’s response would have been to rush over, assist the person, and to inquire about any injury by saying something like, “Are you okay?” Case 3 Xiao Li recently made a mistake at work. He was very upset about what had happened and went into his boss’s office, smiling before he spoke. “Tom, I’ve been feeling very upset about the trouble I’ve cause for the company. I’m here to apologize for my mistake. I’m really sorry about it and I want you to know it will never happen again.” ” Xiao Li said, looking at Tom with a smile he had been wearing since he walked into the office. Tom found it hard to accept the apology. He looked at Xiao Li and said angrily, “Are you sure? I’m sorry and I just cannot take your apology. You don’t look sorry at all!” Xiao Li’s face went red. He did not in the least expect Tom to take it negatively. He was