中西方友誼的差異TheDIfferenceofFriendship

TheDifferencesofFriendshipBetweentheWestandChinaPresenter1XiaoZhang2XiaoWangProverb“沒有真摯朋友旳人，是真正孤單旳人?！盬ithoutafriend,theworldislikeawilderness.GeneralitySocialcultureinChinaandtheUnitedStatesisnotthesame.Collectivistcultureisplayingadecisiveroleinthesociety.Meanwhile,theAmerican

communityisleadedbyindividualism.Thedifferencesofvaluesresultinvariousattitudesandunderstandingtowardsfriendship.

1.personyoulike;

2.supporter;3.notenemy;4.sillyorannoyingperson------OxfordEnglishDictionary“彼此有交情旳人或戀愛旳對象?！薄懂敶鷿h語詞典》ThefriendshipandfriendsintheeyesofChineseandwesternpeopleWhatcanyouexpectfromyourfriends?Howlongcanfriendshiplast?Howmuchcanyoudependonyourfriends?Howmuchcanyouexpectfromyourfriends?

TheFriendshipandFriendsintheEyesofChineseandWesternPeopleAlthoughChinesearemoregentleandhumble,thedefinitionoffriendandfriendshipisquiteclear.Weregardthetwoinaveryseriousway.Chinesefriendmustsharesimilarinterest,similarpersonalities.Otherwisetheyarejustacquaintance.TheFriendshipandFriendsintheEyesofChineseandWesternPeopleFriendandfriendshipintheeyesofwesternpeoplearequitedifferentfromthatofChinese.Thosepeoplewhowerechancedonlikepatchesofdriftingduckweedcanbefriends.Furthermore,forthefriendship,thewesternpeoplearemorecasualcomparedwithourChinese.WhatCanYouExpectfromYourFriends?AfriendinChinaissomeonewhocanfeelthatyouareintrouble,andofferassistancebeforeyouaskfor.InChinatherearefewlimitsonwhatyoucanaskorexpectfromafriend.Youfeelfreetotellyourfriendswhathe/shecanorshoulddotohelpyouorpleaseyou.WhatCanYouExpectfromYourFriends?Inwesterncountries,youcancertainlyaskafriendtodosomethingforyou,butyouwouldnotexpectafriendtorecognizeandrespondyourwillwithoutstatingthemexplicitly.Therearelimitsonwhatyoucanexpectfromafriend.Whenyouaskforhelpinwesterncountries,youshouldrecognizethatthefriendmaysayno.Howlongcanfriendshiplast?Chineseseemtoexpecttheirfriendshiptostaythesameoveralongperiodoftime,maybeforalifetime.Atruefriendshipisarelationshipenduresthroughanychanges.

Inwesterncountriesanindividuallikelytochangeeventheir‘’bestfriend’’.Thereasonisthatfriendship,likemanyotherrelationshipsinwesterncountries,especiallythecountryliketheUnitedStates,wouldencounterfrequentalteration.Ifpeopleinvolveddon’tseeeachotherandinteractregularly,therelationshipisprobablywither.Howmuchcanyoudependonyourfriends?Chinesefriendsgiveeachothermoreconcretehelpandassistancethanwesternfriendsdo.AChinesewillusepersonalnetworkingtohelpafriendtogetsomethinghardtoobtainsuchasajob.Wewillevenhelpourfriendgetoutoftheireconomichardshipbylendingthemmoneyandrequirenointerest.Howmuchcanyoudependonyourfriends?Peopleprefertobeindependentratherthaninvolvedwitheachotherinthewest.Sotheymayfeeluncomfortableinarelationshipinwhichonepersonisconstantlygivingandtheotheroneonlydependonwhat’sbegiven.Howmuchcanyouexpectfromyourfriends?

Chinesetendtocommunicatewithothersinanindirectway.Butinclosepersonalrelationshipssuchasfriendship,weusuallyperformanoppositeway.ThetalkbetweenChinesefriendswouldprobablysoundtoodirecttowesternears.Howmuchcanyouexpectfromyourfriends?

Americansapologizetotheirfriendsforminorinconveniencessuchastelephoninglateatnight.Eveninclosefriendshiptheychoosepoliteformsincommunicationlike‘’Couldyou…’’and‘’Wouldyoumind…’’中國——朋友旳朋友=朋友，朋友旳敵人=敵人TheWest------friendsofmyfriends=?Foesofmyfriends=?Becauseofthedifferencesamongthedefinitionoffriendship,theattitudestowardsthetreatmentoffriend

andhowtomaintainafriendshipvaryfromChinaandthewest.AndthedifferentlyexpectedreturnbetweenChineseandthewestwouldmisleadourinterculturalcommunication.Therefore,thepeopleofChinaandthewestshouldpromotetheirculturalexchanges.We