Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Conflicts between Chinese & Western Culture (In Chinese, ZT)

 

Chinese people's concept of privacy is relatively weak, and they would regard the individuals to be attributable to the collective, while Westerners focus on personal privacy, pay attention to the personal space, do not want too many others to mention their own things, and even more reluctant to let others intervene in their personal affairs. In the West, to visit someone you must give prior notice or obtain a preliminary mutual agreement, and explain the purpose, time and place of the visit. The Chinese people have multi-dimensional views of time, and use time considerably arbitrarily. When others praise the Chinese people, they often express some self-deprecation about it, to show their modesty and politeness. Western countries have no such cultural practices, when they are to be commended, they always feel glad and say loudly "Thank you" to accept your comments. At a banquet of Chinese people, the owner often take their food to the guests' bowl with their chopsticks, persuade guests with a variety of ways to more than a bite, and drink more alcohol. In Western countries, the owner would not insist hard to add food to your bowl, and let you decide to eat whatever you want as they think it's up to the guests to make their choice and determine how much to eat, as different people have different dietary habits and restrictions. The Chinese people would express friendliness by patting a child's head, while in Western countries, this is a highly non-respectable for the child, and the parents would become very angry. In China, when someone spits or litters, not many people would come out with accusations, while in the West, this behavior is considered highly rude and improper in the public.
 
跨文化交际与中西文化冲突

【摘要】在中西跨文化交际中,文化冲突的事例屡见不鲜,严重影响了交往的顺利进行,因此我们很有必要找出其深层次的原因,并采取一定的措施来培养跨文化交际的能力,避免文化冲突。
【关键词】跨文化交际、文化差异、文化冲突
随着中国对外开放程度的逐渐深入,西方社会的人和事物越来越多地走进了我们的视野,在这种情况下,跨国域、跨民族、跨文化的经济社会交 往将会与日俱增,这就为我们提供了许多与西方人接触和交往的机会,这对于加深我们的西方社会的理解是一件好事,但这并不是一件简单的事情,因为我们所面对 的是来自陌生的文化和国家,思维方式、生活习惯和行为方式与我们迥然不同的人,在与之交往的过程中不可避免的会出现文化冲突的现象。
1.中西跨文化交际中经常出现的文化冲突
在中西跨文化交际中会出现的文化冲突有很多种,在这里我们不可能一一叙述,只能列出比较常见的几种。
1.1隐私方面的冲突
中国人的隐私观念比较薄弱,认为个人要归属于集体,在一起讲究团结友爱,互相关心,故而中国人往往很愿意了解别人的酸甜苦辣,对方也愿意坦诚相告。而西方人则非常注重个人隐私,讲究个人空间,不愿意向别人过多提及自己的事情,更不愿意让别人干预。因此在隐私问题上中西双方经常发生冲突,例如:中国人第一次见面往往会询问对方的年龄,婚姻状况,儿女,职业,甚至收入,在中国人的眼里这是一种礼貌,但在西方人眼里则认为这些问题侵犯了他们的隐私。
1.2时间观方面的冲突
西方人的时间观和金钱观是联系在一起的,时间就是金钱的观念根深蒂固,所以它们非常珍惜时间,在生活中往往对时间都做了精心的安排和计划,并养成了按时赴约 的好习惯。在西方,要拜访某人,必须事先通知或约定,并说明拜访的目的、时间和地点,经商定后方可进行。而中国人则属于多向时间习惯的国家,在时间的使用 上具有很大的随意性,一般不会像西方人那样严格的按照计划进行,西方人对此往往感到不适应。
1.3客套语方面的冲突
中国人注重谦虚,在与人交际时,讲求“卑己尊人”,把这看作一种美德,这是一种富有中国文化特色的礼貌现象。在别人赞扬我们时,我们往往会自贬一番,以表谦虚有礼。西方国家却 没有这样的文化习惯,当他们受到赞扬时,总会很高兴地说一声“Thank you”表示接受。由于中西文化差异,我们认为西方人过于自信,毫不谦虚;而当西方人听到中国人这样否定别人对自己的赞扬或者听到他们自己否定自己的成 就,甚至把自己贬得一文不值时,会感到非常惊讶,认为中国人不诚实。
1.4餐饮习俗方面的冲突
中华民族素有热情好客的优良传统。在交际场 合和酒席上,热情的中国人常常互相敬烟敬酒。中国人宴客,即使美味佳肴摆满一桌,主人也总习惯讲几句“多多包涵”等客套话。主人有时会用筷子往客人的碗里 夹菜,用各种办法劝客人多吃菜、多喝酒。而在西方国家,人们讲求尊重个人权益和个人隐私,所以他们不会做强人所难的事。吃饭的时候,绝不会硬往你碗里夹 菜,自己想吃什么就吃什么,他们也不会用各种办法劝客人喝酒,不会非要你喝醉了为止。
2.造成文化冲突现象的原因探究
造成中西文化冲突现象的原因多种多样,究其根本,就是因为中西双方有着不同的文化、不同的历史背景,必然带来人们思想、行为等多方面的差异,甚至是冲突,下面我们就来具体看一下有哪些主要的原因。
2.1思维模式存在差异
文化会影响人们对外界事物的看法和认识,不同的国家存在不同的文化,因此在思维模式方面必然存在差异,这一点在东西文化之间表现得尤为明显。西方文化的思维模式注重逻辑和分析, 而东方文化的思维模式则表现出直觉整体性,这一点也是中国传统文化思维的特征。由于这种传统文化的影响,中国人往往特别重视直觉,注重认识过程中的经验和 感觉,在交往中也往往以这种经验和感觉去“以己度人”。与西方人的思维模式相比,中国人的这种思维模式具有明显的笼统性和模糊性,久而久之,会形成一种思 维定势,可以解释为识别和简化对外界事物的分类感知过程。从本质上说,思维定势往往忽视个体事物的差别,夸大与另外某一社会群体相关的认知态度,常常带有 感情色彩,并伴有固定的信条。在所有的定势中,有些定势是正确的,而有些则是错误的,会直接影响跨文化交际,造成交际失误。
2.2行为规范各不相同
行 为规范的具体含义就是指被社会所共同接受的道德标准和行为准则,简单的说,就是告诉人们该做什么和不该做什么的一种规范。不同文化背景的人们在交际时,经 常出现的一个现象就是套用自身所在社会的行为规范来判定对方行为的合理性,由于双方的行为规范存在差异,常常会产生误解、不快甚至更坏的结果。比如说中国 人轻拍小孩子的头部表示一种友好,而在西方国家,这是一种极不尊重小孩子的做法,父母会对此非常愤怒。所以说在跨文化交际中是否能够正确地识别和运用行为 规范是保证跨文化交际顺利进行的重要因素。要保障跨文化交际的顺利进行,就必须理解对方的行为规范,尤其是什么行为是被禁止的,最好的办法就是遵循入乡随 俗的原则。
2.3价值取向不同
人们的交际能力是在社会化的过程中产生的,必然与价值观念联系在一起。每一种文化都有自己特有的价值体系,这套体系能够帮助人们区分美与丑、善良与邪恶,这就是人们的处世哲学、 道德标准和行为规范。但是它不能脱离具体的文化而存在,每一种文化的判断标准是不同的,这种文化认为是好的,另一种文化可能认为不好,但是它们在自己的文 化体系内都有其存在的合理性,绝不可以理解为一种价值标准先进,而另一种价值标准落后。以中西文化为例,在中国文化中,人们推崇谦虚知礼,追求随遇而安, 不喜欢争强好胜,同时社会风气也往往封杀过于突出的个人,正所谓“行高于众,人必非之”。在中国文化中,集体取向占据主导地位,追求个人发展被 视为是一种严重的个人主义,必然会受到谴责。而西方文化则非常崇尚个人主义,“随遇而安”被看作是缺乏进取精神的表现,是懒惰、无能的同义语,为社会和个 人所不取。人本位的思想根植于他们心中,人们崇尚独立思考,独立判断,依靠自己的能力去实现个人利益,并且认为个人利益至高无上。

作者:谭维, 广州暨南大学外语学院
出处:中国论文下载中心,2004年1月14日。


Differences between Chinese and Western Culture (in Chinese, ZT)

 
 

  楚地端午魂 
   
     In China, the older you are, the more you will be respected when other things are equal, and there is the saying "the older the ginger, the hotter". In the Anglo-American countries, between the elder and the younger generation people do not care about the boundaries between the old and the young, and they are regarded more or less equal. The traditional concept of the Chinese people has always been advocating the "four generations family reunion ". Since ancient times, there is the old saying "when parents are alive do not travel to distant lands"; in Anglo-Saxon countries, it is unthinkable if the 18-year-old children are still living at home and relying on parents to live, for they must rely on their own hands to make an independent living. Similarly, even if older parents lost their living skills, they generally will not drag their children and tend to be admitted to a home for the elderly, and taken care of by social care. The Anglo-American people do not like to be old, let alone be proud of it. In Western culture, the age is an extremely private thing to talk about, and women would regard it as taboo. 
 
            The Chinese people contempt dog"s, hence "such descriptions in Chinese beginning with "gou"(dog) meaning "flunky", "henchman", "such an animal as a dog", "shameless dog", "even a dog (worm) will turn", "the dog will be louder when his master is around" and "the seeing dog is low". In Western countries, people appreciate the courage and loyalty of the dog, and the dog's praise is not uncommon, and sometimes people are likened to a dog, such as "a lucky dog", "love me, love my dog", and "every dog ​​has his day". Chinese people are very fond of cats, and would describe a gluttonous person as a "greedy cat"; in Western culture, "cat" is used as a metaphor for an evil conspicuous woman.         Buddhism was introduced into China more than a thousand years ago, and the Chinese people believe that the Buddha controls everything in the human world, so there are such sayings as "present a flower gift to the Buddha " and "leisure time no incense burning, crisis time holding onto the Buddha's leg. In many Western countries, especially in Britain and the United States, Christian people have such sayings as "God helps those who help themselves" and curse like "go to hell".         In China, the dragon is the spiritual totem, a symbol of good fortune and power, and the Chinese people also feel proud as descendants of the dragon; in the eyes of Westerners, however, this special Dragon has no emotional attachments, and the "dragon" can be understood as a monster with claws and often described as a negative character in short stories and novels. 


            English kinship terms are not widely used for social networking. When those elder people whose mother tongue is English hear you call them "Uncle Smith" or "Auntie Brown", they would not feel very comfortable. In the English culture, only in a very close relationship can such appellations be used and only with the given names, such as "Uncle Tom". Another example is that students call someone Teacher Wang if he is a teacher. So are Secretary Tang, Nurse Zhang used, whereas in the English-speaking countries this sounds incredible. English people greet people in general with Mr, Miss, Mrs, etc.

             The Chinese
  daily greeting would begin with: "Have you had your meal?" If you talk to the English people this way, they would think you want to invite them to dinner. English-speaking countries greet people starting usually with the weather, health, transportation, sports or any interest or hobby.

             As to the color red, in English-speaking countries or in China, red is often associated with celebrations or festive days, like "red-letter days" (holidays) in English. In China, red symbolizes the positive significance of the revolution and socialism, etc., but in English the "red" also means a dangerous state or even anger, such as the "red flag" (introduction of angry things). In business English "in the red", do not think that there is a profit, on the contrary, there is a loss due to the liabilities.


   
    语文是社会的产物,是人类历史和文化的结晶。它凝聚着一个民族世代相传的社会意识,历史文化,风俗习惯等各方面人类社会所有的特征。不同的文化背影和文化传 统,使中西方在思维方式,价值观念,行为准则和生活方式等方面也存在有相当的文化差异。语文是文化的载体,词汇是文化信息的浓缩,是语言的重要组成部分, 它反映着文化的发展和变化,同时也直接反映着文化的差异。
在中国两千多年的封建社会历史的过程中,儒家思想一直占据着根深蒂固的弦统治地位,对中国社会产生了极其深刻而久远的影响。中国人向来以自我贬仰的思想作为 处世经典,这便是以儒家的“中庸之道”作为行为的基本准则。“中”是儒家追求的理想境界,人生处世要以儒家仁、义、礼、智、信的思想道德观念作为每个人的 行为指南,接人待物,举止言谈要考虑温、良、恭、俭、让,以谦虚为荣,以虚心为本,反对过分地显露自己表现自我。因此,中国文化体现出群体性的文化特征, 这种群体性的文化特征是不允许把个人价值凌驾于群体利益之上的。
西方国家价值观的形成至少可追溯到文艺复兴运动。文艺复兴的指导思想是人文主义,即以崇尚个人为中心,宣扬个人主义至上,竭力发展自己表现自我。“谦虚”这 一概念在西方文化中的价值是忽略不计的。生活中人们崇拜的是“强者”“英雄”。有本事,有才能的强者得到重用,缺乏自信的弱者只能落伍或被无情地淘汰。因 此,西方文化体现出个体文化特征,这种个体性文化特征崇尚个人价值凌驾于群体利益之上。
正因为如此,中西两种文化在对某些单词所带有褒贬色彩上有差异。如:ambition一词,本身具有褒贬两种含义。中国人用其贬义,表示“野心勃勃”,而英美人则取其褒义,表示“雄心壮志”。Aggressive一词,中国人常用来形容某人“挑衅”“好斗”,而美国人则用来形容某人“进取上进,有开拓精神”。
中国的群体性文化,非常重视家庭亲友关系,把它视为组成社会的细胞;而在西方国家,崇尚独立自主自强自立。中国人重视传统的君臣,父子,论资排辈,等级森 严,而在英美国家,长辈与晚辈间地位平等,不计较老少界限,多以朋友相处。中国人的传统观念历来崇尚“四世同堂”“合家团圆”,自古就有“父母在,不远 游”的良言古训;而在英美国家,18岁的子女仍住在家里依靠父母生活是不可思议的事情,他们必须依靠自己的双手去独立生活。同样,年龄大的父母即使失去了生活自理能力,一般也不会拖累子女,他们往往要住进老人院,由社会关照。
文化的不同带来价值观念的在不相同。如lod一 词,中国人历来就有“尊老敬老”的传统。“老”在中文里表达尊敬的概念,如老祖宗,老爷爷,老先生等。“老张”,“老王”,透着尊敬和亲热,“张老”“王 老”更是尊崇有加。中国人往往以年龄大为荣。和别人谈话时,年龄越大,资格越老,也就越会得到别人的尊敬。“姜还是老的辣”。在我们看来,长者不仅是智慧 的化身,也是威望的象征。然而,西方国家极少有人愿意倚老卖老而自称”old”。在他们看来,“old” 是“不中用”的代名词,是和“不合潮流”“老而无用”的含义连在一起的。英美人不喜欢别人说自己老,更不会倚老卖老。在西方文化中,他们把年龄作为个人极 为重要的隐私看待。尤其是女士,更忌讳别人问自己的年龄。即使愿意谈论自己的年龄,也要别人猜测其年龄,而此时,他们的真正目的的期望别人恭维他们看上去 比实际年龄小,是多么年轻。又如,英美人忌讳莫深的fat一词,见人说fat会令人沮丧不快而且反感。说到fatmeat(肥肉)多半会被认为是毫无价值的该扔掉的废物。而中国人见了小孩子说“胖嘟嘟”“胖乎乎”,表示对孩子的喜爱,对成年男子说fat有“发福”之义,对成年女子讲fat有“丰满”之义,都有赞美恭维之意。日常生活工作中,也经常听到人们说某种东西是块“肥肉”或某差使是个“肥缺”的话语,言下之意是不可多得的东西或是求之不得的位置。中国人不但不讨厌fat,而且对其赞美有加。
同样的一件事物,不同的文化背影,看法大相径庭。中国人蔑视狗,因而有“走狗”“狗腿子”“狗东西”“赖皮狗”“狗急跳墙”“狗仗人势”“狗眼看人低”等说法。而在西方国家,人们则欣赏狗的勇敢和忠诚,对狗的赞誉也屡见不鲜,并把人比作狗。如aluckdog(幸运儿),loveme,love my dog(爱屋及乌),Every dog has his day.(凡人皆有得意日)。形容人“病得厉害”用sickas a dog.。“累极了”是dog—tired.与此相反,中国人十分喜爱猫,用“馋猫”比喻人贪嘴,常有亲昵的成份,而在西方文化中,“猫”被用来比喻“包藏祸心的女人”。
中西方的文化差异除了表现在价值观,习俗差异等外,还与生存环境,宗教信仰,历史典故的不同有关。
1、生存环境方面:
语文的产生与人们的劳动和生活密切相关。英国是一个岛国,历史上航海业曾一度领先世界;而汉民族在亚洲大陆生活繁衍,人们的生活离不开土地。比喻花钱浪费,大手大脚,英语是spend money like lvater,而汉语是“挥金如土”。英语中有许多关于船和水的习语,在汉语中没有完全相同的对应习语,如to rest on one’s oars(暂时歇一歇),to keep one’s head above water(奋力图存),all at sea(不知所措)等等。
在 汉语的文化氛围中,“东风”即是“春天的风”,夏天常与酷暑炎热联系在一起,“赤日炎炎似火烧”,“骄阳似火”是常被用来描述夏天的词语。而英国地处西半 球,北温带,海洋性气候,报告春天消息的却是西风,英国著名诗人雪莱的《西风颂》正是对春的讴歌。英国的夏季正是温馨宜人的季节,常与“可爱”“温和” “美好”相连。莎士比亚在他的一首十四行诗中把爱人比作夏天,shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?/Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
2、宗教信仰方面
佛教传入中国已有一千多年的历史,人们相信有“佛主”在左右着人世间的一切,与此有关的语言很多,如“借花献佛”“闲时不烧香,临时抱佛脚”等。在西方许多国家,特别是在英美,人们信奉基督教,相关的有“God helps those who help themselves(上帝帮助自助的人)”Go to hell(下地狱吧)这样的诅咒。
3、历史典故方面
英汉两种语文中有大量的由历史典故形成的。这些习语结构简单,意义深远,往往是不能单从字面意义去理解和翻译。如“东施效颦”“名落孙山”“叶公好龙”等等。英语中Achilles’heel(唯一致使弱点),meet one’s waterloo(一败涂地),Penelope’s web(永远完不成的工作),a pandora’s box.。(潘多拉之盒――灾难,麻烦,祸害的根源)等。
由于各种各样的原因,导致了中西方有诸如此多的文化差异,而文化差异又是跨文化交际的障碍。现代化的进程加速了精神和物质产品的流通,将各个民族纳入到一个 共同的“地球村”中,跨文化交际成为每个民族生活中不可缺少的部分。一个企业若想让自己的产品畅销国际市场,不仅需要高超的经济和技术手段,而且需要深入 了解对象国的文化,使该产品在包装设计和实用性方面符合对象国民众的心理需求。如,在中国,“龙(dragon)” 是我们的精神图腾,是吉祥和权力的象征,中国人也以作为龙的传人而倍感自豪,然而在西方人眼中,对“龙”就没有这份特殊的情感,甚至将“龙”理解为一种张 牙舞爪的可怕怪物。如果某一企业家对此不甚了解,将印有“龙”图案的产品推向国际市场,试想这种产品能否刺激西方人的购买欲?能否给企业创造高效益。所 以,克服文化差异造成的交际障碍已经成为整个世界共同面临的问题。作为中学阶段的英语老师,在英语教学中应重视语言能力的教学,特别要注意在日常教学中发 展学生的交际能力,将语言的文化差异在英语教学中的作用作为一个重要问题对待。
中西方的文化差异在中学阶段英语学习给学生带来的干扰主要表现在以下几个方面:
1、称呼语
汉语中的亲属称谓有泛化使用的倾向,常用于非亲属之间:年轻人对长辈称“叔叔”“阿姨”;对平辈称“大哥”“大姐”。但在英语中,亲属称谓不广泛地用于社交。如果我们对母语是英语的长辈称“Uncle Smith”“Auntie Brown”,对方听了会觉得不太顺耳。英语文化中只有关系十分密切的情况下才使用此类亲属称谓且后面不带姓,只带名,如“Uncle Tom”。
又如学生知道teacher的含义是“老师”,也就相应地把“王老师”称为“Teacher Wang”。其实,英语中teacher只是一种职业;汉语有尊师的传统,“教师”已不仅仅是一种职业,而成为一种对人的尊称。由于这种文化上的差异,造成学生的简单理解:王老师=Teacher Wang.此外还把汉语中习惯上称呼的“唐秘书”“张护士”称为Secretary Tang, Nurse Zhang, 英语国家的人听起来感觉不可思议。英语中称呼人一般用Mr., Miss,Mrs.等。
2、感谢和答谢
一般来说,中国人在家族成员之间很少用“谢谢”。如果用了,听起来会很怪,或相互关系上有了距离。而在英语国家“Thank you.”几乎用于一切场合,所有人之间,即使父母与子女,兄弟姐妹之间也不例外。送上一瓶饮料,准备一桌美餐,对方都会说一声“Thank you.”公共场合,不管别人帮你什么忙,你都要道一声“Thank you..”这是最起码的礼节。
当别人问是否要吃点或喝点什么时(would you like something to eat / drink?),我们通常习惯于客气一番,回答:“不用了”“别麻烦了”等。按照英语国家的习惯,你若想要,就不必推辞,说声“Yes,please.”若不想要,只要说“No,thanks.”就行了。这也充分体现了中国人含蓄和英语国家人坦荡直率的不同风格。
3、赞美
在英语国家,赞美也常用来作为交谈的引子。赞美的内容主要有个人的外貌,外表,新买的东西,个人财物,个人在某方面的出色的工作等。通常称赞别人的外表时只 称赞她努力打扮的结果,而不是她的天生丽质。因此赞美别人发型的很多,赞美别人漂亮头发的很少。对别人的赞美,最普通的回答是:Thank you.如,A: Your skirt looks nice. B: Thank you.
4隐私
中国人初次见面问及年龄,婚姻,收入,表示关心,而英语国家却对此比较反感,认为这些都涉及个人隐私。如在JEFC Book 1 Lesson 16 中有这样的对话:“How old are you,Mrs Read?” “Ah,it’s a secret!”为什么Mrs Read不肯说出自己的年龄呢?因为英语国家人都希望自己在对方眼中显得精力充沛,青春永驻,对自己实际年龄秘而不宣,妇女更是如此。再如中国人表示关心的“你去哪儿?”“你在干什么?”在英语中就成为刺探别人隐私的审问,监视别人的话语而不受欢迎。
5、打招呼
中国人日常打招呼习惯于问:“你吃饭了吗?”如果你跟英语国家的人这样说,他们认为你是想请他们吃饭,英语国家人打招呼通常以天气,健康状况,交通,体育以及兴趣爱好为话题。
6、节日
中国和英语国家的文化差异还显著地表现在节日方面。除中国和英语国家共同的节日(如,New Year’s Day)处,双方还各有自己独特的节日。中国有the Spring Festival, the Dragon Boat Festival, Mid—Autumn Day.等,英语国家有”Valentine’s Day(情人节),Easter(复活节),April fool’s Day(愚人节),Thanks Giving Day(感恩节),Christmas Day(圣 诞节)等。中西方节日的风俗习惯也很不相同。在节日里,对于别人送来的礼物,中国人往往要推辞一番,表现得无可奈何地接受,接受后一般也不当面打开。如果 当面打开并喜形于色,可能招致“贪财”的嫌疑。而在英语文化中,人们对别人送的礼品,一般都要当面打开称赞一番,并且欣然道谢。
7、词汇的文化内涵
英语词汇在长期使用中积累了丰富的文化内涵,所以在教学中要注意对英语词汇的文化意义的介绍,以防学生单纯地从词汇本身做出主观评价。比如red一词,无论在英语国家还是在中国,红色往往与庆祝活动或喜庆日子有关,英语里有“red—letter days”(节假日)。尤其在中国,红色象征革命和社会主义等积极意义,但在英语中“red”还意味着危险状态或使人生气,如“red flag”(引人生气的事)。还有当看到商业英语中的“in the red”,别以为是盈利,相反,是表示亏损,负债。
在教学中,文化教育的方法是多种多样的,教师应该采用灵活多变的方法提高学生对文化的敏感性,培养文化意识,使他们能主动地,自学地吸收并融入新的文化环境 中。比如:加强中西方文化差异的比较,将中西文化在称呼,招呼语等等谈话题材和价值观念等方面的差异自觉自然地渗透到教学中。又如:利用多种渠道,多种手 段,吸收和体验异国文化。可以收集一些英语国家的物品和图片,让学生了解外国艺术,历史和风土人情等。
总之,中西方的文化存在着很多差异,在英语教学中不能只单纯注意语言教学,而必须加强语言的文化导入,重视语言文化差异对语言的影响。只有这样,才能在实际中正确运用语言。

 http://www.bxjyw.com/jypd/xspd/1750.htm, 2008年4月14日

参考书目(文献)
邓炎昌,刘润清,《语言文化即英汉语言文化对比》外语教育与研究出版社,1994
方文惠主编,《英汉对比语言学》,福建人民出版社,1990年福州

14 Foods that Fight Inflammation and Pain

 14 Foods that Fight Inflammation and Pain

Some of the best healing remedies to overcome inflammation also taste fabulous (I can’t say that about any prescription medications). Plus, foods won’t cause the nasty side effects common to most pain medications.

1. Blueberries: Blueberries are also excellent anti-inflammatory foods. They increase the amounts of compounds called heat-shock proteins that decrease as people age.  When heat-shock proteins are in short supply inflammation, pain and tissue damage is the result.

2. Cayenne Pepper: Ironically, cayenne pepper turns DOWN the heat on inflammation due to its powerful anti-inflammatory compound capsaicin.

3. Celery and 4. Celery Seeds: James Duke, Ph.D., author of The Green Pharmacy, found more than 20 anti-inflammatory compounds in celery and celery seeds in his research, including a substance called apigenin, which is powerful in its anti-inflammatory action.  Add celery seeds to soups, stews or as a salt substitute in many recipes.

5. Cherries: While many people opt for aspirin as their first course of action when they feel pain, Muraleedharan Nair, PhD, professor of natural products and chemistry at Michigan State University, found that tart cherry extract is ten times more effective than aspirin at relieving inflammation.

6. Dark Green Veggies: Veggies like kale and spinach contain high amounts of alkaline minerals like calcium and magnesium.  Both minerals help balance body chemistry to alleviate inflammation.

7. Fish: According to Dr. Alfred D. Steinberg, an arthritis expert at the National Institute of Health, fish oil acts directly on the immune system by suppressing 40 to 55 percent of the release of cytokines – compounds known to destroy joints and cause inflammation.

8. Flax seeds and Flax Oil: Flax seeds are high in natural oils that convert into hormone-like substances in the body to reduce inflammatory substances. Add ground flax seeds to smoothies, atop pancakes or French toast, and many other foods.  Do not heat.

9. Ginger: Dr. Krishna C. Srivastava at Odense University in Denmark found that ginger was superior to non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) like Tylenol or Advil at alleviating inflammation.

10. Raspberries, 11. Blackberries, and 12. Strawberries: In Dr. Muraleedharan Nair’s later research she discovered that these berries have similar anti-inflammatory effects as cherries.

13. Turmeric: Research shows that the Indian spice frequently used in curries suppresses pain and inflammation through a similar mechanism as drugs like COX-1 and COX-2 inhibitors (without the harmful side effects).

14. Walnuts: Like flax seeds, raw, unsalted walnuts contain plentiful amounts of Omega 3 fatty acids that decrease pain and inflammation.

Adapted from Arthritis-Proof:  The Drug-Free Way to Beat Pain and Inflammation by Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD.  Subscribe to my free e-newsletter World’s Healthiest News to receive monthly health news, tips, recipes and more. Follow me on Twitter @mschoffrocook and Facebook.Copyright Michelle Schoffro Cook, PhD.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/14-foods-that-fight-inflammation
and-pain.html#ixzz24wn6WRXm
  

Monday, August 27, 2012

Roles Played by Acupuncture in Medical Treatment









Based on TCM theory of acupuncture and moxibustion for guidance, acupuncture is a clinical discipline using acupuncture and moxibustion in prevention and treatment of a disease. It is an important part of traditional Chinese medicine. Acupuncture has such advantages as wide indications, significant efficacy, easiness in operation, and being economical and safe, welcomed by the majority of people for thousands of years. Different in treatment meausres, acupuncture treatment focuses on points while Chinese medicine focuses on drugs.

Acupuncture still owns a unique addition to the basic theory of TCM, which is meridian theory. Meridians is the internal and external communication throughout from top to bottom for the body to run blood and contact organs. It "belongs to the organs from the inside and links to the limbs from the outside in the body network." The place where meridians and organs in special parts of the body are infusion acupoints, commonly known as acupuncture points. Doctors advice to patients, according to the diagnosis and treatment to determine the reason and law, party, points and acupuncture means to achieve the yin and yang, rouse and clear the meridians leaving patients recovered.

Modern research shows that acupuncture treatment has effects in: the analgesic effects of (A): (1) the role of peripheral nerve; (2) the role of central nervous system; (3) spinal cord level; (4) the hypothalamic level; (5) cerebral cortex level; (6) central neurotransmitter role. (B) the regulatory role of the various systems of the body functions: (1) acupuncture can adjust the functions of the cardiovascular system; (2) Acupuncture has a two-way adjusting effect on blood pressure regulation; (3) acupuncture can treat respiratory diseases; (4) the more obvious regulatory role of acupuncture on the digestive system; (5) acupuncture has a regulatory role of the kidney and bladder functions; (6) acupuncture can regulate the functions of the uterus; (7) acupuncture also has a regulatory role of the nerve functions; (8) acupuncture has a regulatory role in adjusting the blood components. (C) defense and immunization functions. This shows that the acupuncture treatment has specific substantial foundations.

针灸学是以中医理论为指导,运用针刺和艾灸防治疾病的一门临床学科,它是中医学的重要组成部分,针灸具有适应证广,疗效明显,操作方便,经济安全等优点,数千年来深受广大人民的欢迎。针灸治病与中医药的区别只是治疗手段的不同,一者为药,另一者为穴。

针灸除了基本的中医基础理论外尚有自己独特的经络理论。经络是人体运行气血,联络脏腑,沟通内外,贯串上下的经路,它“内属于府藏,外络于肢节”。经络和脏腑之气在体表输注的特殊部位即腧穴,俗称穴位。医生在诊视患者后,根据辨证论治确定理、法、方、穴及具体的针灸手段,以期达到调和阴阳、扶正祛邪、疏通经络的作用而使患者痊愈。  

针灸治疗作用现代研究表明其有:(一)镇痛作用:①外周神经作用;②中枢神经的作用;③脊髓水平;④丘脑水平;⑤大脑皮层水平;⑥中枢神经递质作用。(二)对机体各系统功能的调节作用:(1)针灸可调节心血管系统功能;(2)针灸对血压的影响具有双向性调节作用;(3)针灸可治疗呼吸方面的疾病;(4)针灸对消化系统的调节作用较为明显;(5)针灸对肾与膀胱功能具有调节作用;(6)针灸可调节子宫的功能;(7)针灸对神经功能亦具有调节作用;(8)针灸对血液成分的调节。(三)防御免疫功能。由此可见针灸治病是有着具体的物质基础的。

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Fruits and Vegetables Not to Eat Freely

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[Fruits and vegetables not to eat freely, you know? ] 1. Mangoes are effective in hemostasis, and those with menstruation should not eat; 2. Leeks cure impotence, and children should not eat; 3. Pumpkin boosts your blood pressure and stops asthma, and those with hypertension should not eat; 4. Yam tonifies qi, and those with insomnia should not eat; 5. Mushrooms and black fungus trigger diarrhea, and those with diarrhea should not eat; 6. Parsley leads to sweating, and those with sweat should not eat; 7. Taro, bitter gourd, and potherb clear away the heat, and those with impotence should not eat! 

 【不能随便吃的蔬果,你懂吗?】1.芒果止血,来月经的人不要吃;2.韭菜壮阳,小孩子不要多吃;3.南瓜升压、止喘,高血压的人不要吃;4.山药补气,失眠的人不要吃;5.蘑菇、黑木耳泻下,腹泻的人不要吃;6.香菜发汗,汗多的人不要吃;7.芋头、苦瓜、雪里红清热,阳痿的人不要吃!!

Blessings of the Ultimate Gift (in Chinese, ZT)

 
 

      

                In the Ultimate Gift, through a billionaire inheritance story of 12 super gifts, the biblical concept of life in wealth and happiness is expressed  in a way of fairy tales, encouraging millions of people, also selling for an endless time. I heard that the overseas Chinese returnees put up a sentence, that is, the Americans are silly, easily moved, easily deceived. Where did their smartness come? I asked. Without a foolish side seen from the others, in fact, it is difficult to have a real savvy.  Jason was indignant, saying, "Why can not he, like others, directly leave the money to me"? The executor answered, "because Mr. Reid loved you so much that he will not do that," I like this sentence, which is a real sense of humor, because this is a really honest saying. 
           
                险些错过 这部电影。网上不少评论说它弱智,我却喜欢它童话般的单纯。人太聪明,就把真正有智慧的看为愚拙,却把自己的愚拙反复把玩、夯实,当作灵魂的高尚 住宅区。所以我们越来越不能欣赏纯洁与敬虔的作品。我在孩子出生后,才开始喜欢动画片和童话故事,直到把他未来几年的周末电影清单都排好了。重读一遍《安 徒生童话》,天啊,我小时候怎么就读不出来这些故事的伟大呢。那分明是上帝借着安徒生的笔,写给孩子们的福音书。语文老师却骗我们,说那是安徒生借着童话 揭露资本主义的阴暗呢。
  
  
    看了电影,才听朋友说,几年前他们就出版了原著的中译本。作者史都瓦是一位传奇性的盲人慈善家,曾是奥运会举重选手。他致力于为全美1300万盲 人制作电影和电视,他的这本《超级礼物》,借一个亿万富翁的遗产继承故事,用童话的手法传递了《圣经》的财富与幸福观,人生的“12个超级礼物”,鼓励了 无数人,也在美国畅销不衰。我听到海外华人或海归派说得最多的一句话,就是美国人都傻乎乎的,容易感动,也容易受骗。那他们的精明从哪里来呢,我问。没有 被人看为愚拙的一面,其实也很难有真正的精明。
  
    是的,很难想象这样一本“弱智”的书,有可能在中国畅销。就像很难想象中国的企业里,会有原摩托罗拉中国区总裁时大鲲那样的企业家。他会在商人团 契上,谦卑地为每个人端茶送水,完全像一个服务生。他会走到每个看起来沮丧或疲惫的人面前,温柔地问,我能否和你一起牵手祷告?
  
    电影中去世的石油富翁瑞德,也是如此一位企业家。也来自“圣经带”上的德州的米德兰。当他的孙儿杰森走出米德兰机场,老大不情愿地去他爷爷白手起 家的第一家牧场,接受得到遗产之前的第一份礼物——“辛勤的工作”,我就想起去年曾在午夜12点走出米德兰机场的那一瞬间。“中土(midland),一 个多么有想象力的名字。我在那时想起布什在2 000年大选时,曾有一句著名的话,‘要了解我,就要了解米德兰’。”
  
    这部电影通常会被归为励志片。瑞德去世,留下几十亿财富。整个家族聚集在会议室,像一群准备分食羊羔的狼。遗嘱执行人说了一句很讽刺的话,“我知 道他的死对在座每个人都是一场煎熬,失去这样一位亲人,就算从遗嘱里得到大笔财富也无法弥补。”律师要求每个人听完关于自己的部分后,就必须离开。直到最 后只剩下杰森,大笔的财产还没有下落。杰森早年丧父,和母亲生活,对爷爷充满怨恨。他不奢望爷爷会留给他巨额的遗产。结果他得到了一张瑞德预先拍摄的光 碟。
  
    瑞德在里面说,“我一生寻求幸福,想用金钱为我的家人购买幸福。我用金钱来弥补我的家人。到老迈我才知道,幸福源自恩典。我们一生中所从事、所拥 有的,都是上帝良善的恩赐。他对每个人都有一个特别的计划,并赏赐每个人真正需要的一切。遗憾的是,我所给出的金钱,并没有帮助我的家人认识到这样的恩典。反而从他们身上剥夺掉了那些能使生命更加美好的事物。”
  
    瑞德制定了一个计划,要给杰森一个系列的“超级礼物”,每一关都需要得到遗嘱执行人的认同。他也希望在他死后,能最终得到杰森的谅解。电影没有一 一去拍这12样礼物,许多主题都融合在一个动人的故事里,杰森被取消了信用卡,朋友们都离开了这位前富家子弟。律师要他在一个月内带一个真正的朋友去见他。
  
    杰森流落公园,和人抢凳子,意外结识了一对母女。可爱的小女孩艾蜜莉,是去年获奥斯卡最佳配角提名的天才童星,也是这部电影的亮点。杰森先利用他们,后来知道艾蜜莉患上白血病,只剩半年的生命。这半年,他虚浮的生命被慢慢改变。艾蜜莉死后,杰森最终得到了一亿遗产。他全部捐献出去, 建立了收留孤儿和单亲家庭的“艾蜜莉之家”。超级礼物到了最后关头,遗嘱中说,假如杰森将遗产全部捐献,律师便将他祖父生前成立的10亿美元的慈善基金, 交由杰森管理。这就是真正的“马太效应”,即托管的原则,越是殷勤忠信的仆人,那主人的赏赐就越是加给他。这就是为什么,信托(Trust)制度只产生于英国,成为现代产权、金融和投资体制的一个基础,而不是产生于踌躇满志的欧陆。
  
    我在商法的第一堂课上,通常会以两段话,给学生描述清教徒的商业精神。一段是英国18世纪福音派领袖约翰·卫斯理的名言,“拼命地赚钱、拼命地省 钱,拼命地捐钱。”(Gain all you can,save all you can, give all you can.)另一段就是时大鲲先生的“5个F”,第一个是信仰的根基(Faith),第二个是家庭的合一(Family),第三个是工 作的呼召(Firm),第四个是人生的乐趣(Fun),第五个是未来的盼望(Fu ture)。
  
    其实,这样一个简单的故事,如果人被感动,是因为人心的土壤已被翻松。如果当作“弱智”,是内心的梦想尚未复苏。这半年以来,这部电影下片之后,已在美国举行了200多场慈善放映会,为现实中的“艾蜜莉之家”募捐到了上千万美元。
  
    当初杰森愤愤不平,说“为什么他不能像对其他人那样,直接把钱留给我”?遗嘱执行人回答,“因为瑞德先生太爱你了,所以他不会这么做。”我喜欢这 句话,这是真正的幽默,因为这是真正的老实话。无论你以为然否,有一种财富观是这样的,有本分才有福分,有祝福才有幸福。有盼望才有希望。
  
    而我拿什么祝福你,我的爱人,我的孩子。我有的,我怎样感恩;我没有的,我如何去给?

             请看电影:
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/BBn71FlGx58/

Spider-Man in Shanghai

 



To lessen the intrusion on hotel guests, management at the Shanghai Sheraton Hotel decided to put hotel window washers in the costumes of Spider-Man, and they have become so popular that everyone wants to take photos with them and their work never gets done. This shows how people wish to have sb. to achieve their desires and change the world. Where can we find a real super-man? To doubt or not to doubt, this is the question.

Love is Not Measured

 


When I passed a Salvation Army store I saw on the bulletin board the sentence: God loves you. At that very moment I was touched. You know the present society is polluted by materialism. Everything is measured. Your work performance is measured, and your salary is measured. Your role in the family is measured by how much money you have, and people respect you because you have a brand-new nice car. Well, love is not measured and cannot. God loves you not because you are rich nor because you have contributed a lot, he loves you just because he cherishes you as a member of the family. This love is boundless. This love is unconditional. This love is also not measured. As a member of the large family, I love you as God loves you. So you can rest assured that there are at least two people who love you. Also I hope that those who get married can cherish their family members as it takes a lot of courage and efforts to get together, divorce or separation is easy but it is a lot more difficult to set up a new family and to deal with psychological problems of kids left by those divorced or separate parents. Cherish the present spouse and you will reap unbounded happiness. And this is said for both man and woman as marriage takes both to contribute. Cheers.

Management as Well as Inputs Count

US Steel is a big dragon in the world steel industry. When I was a young school student, I heard my father talk about US Steel. Its production capacity and efficiency at that time was already a fine example for Asia.
However, in the fiscal year 2001 US Steel's total revenue was $6.38 billion, with a net loss of 218 million. And early in 1996, its 3rd largest customer Ford viewed USS as the worst in performance among its leading suppliers, and it threatened to end their 70-year supplier-customer relationship. Meanwhile,  POSCO rose to be the 2nd largest steel manufacturer and Indian Steel posed a potential risk with its cheap labor cost.
 
So what went wrong? There was something wrong with the supply chain management and collaborative commerce system. The former system is a close linkage and coordination of activities involved in buying, making, and moving a product while  the latter involves the use of digital technologies to enable multiple organizations to collaboratively design, develop, build and manage products through their lifecycles.
The problems were reflected especially in the order-taking process. Orders were often manual, very imprecise, and filled with errors. Secondly, the software was not integrated for each processor had its own tracking and order systems, and each assigned its own inventory codes, making tracking impossible on the whole. Thirdly, the communication process used a dial-up system which was both slow and unstable. Fourthly, when the data arrived, they had to be converted manually into a format recognizable by USS software, which took more time.
There were other problems. Some Ford plants are only 20 minutes away from the USS processors, but the shipping notices often came later than the shipment either because of recording errors or because of lag in communication time, making Ford inefficient in its production.
 
All these combined resulted in forecasting and inventory problems, causing unnecessary inventory and storage cost.
 
This was a poor picture for information management, but USS dealt with it smartly. US Steel tackled their problems in the following ways:
 
First, they improved their software system. One objective was to enable customers to electronically enter orders so that they would be accurate and easy to track and manage. Also, in this way customers would know cost and shipment dates immediately after entering the order. This was done using internet technology. In order to track orders, USS developed an event-driven system that recorded each step in processing an order and automatically triggering the nest step once the first step was finished. In order to capture information on product specifications and composition US Steel used order fulfillment and data management software supplied by the Oracle Corporation, plus its own software for capturing complex business rules and procedures. They connected three homegrown systems to track orders, record information and forecast future orders (the MOGS software). The concept of continuous flow manufacturing was thus created.

Secondly, the sales system was changed. A new division, Straightline Source, was set up to sell steel products directly to smaller customers thus bypassing service center intermediaries, enhancing interaction with customers and reducing the production cost.
 
Thirdly, a subsidiary was established to generate income from technology which is one generation behind what USS uses now. This neither weakened their competition position nor hindered development of other companies thus creating a win-win picture. In addition, this strengthened US Steel's position and extended its influence.
The information system was successively implemented to improve communication and decision-making, to strengthen customer relationship and create revenue streams. 
 
Although its labor cost remain high with huge medical and pension expenses, although its purchasing and shipping cost still occupy half of its production cost, although US Steel cannot move to a seaport to reduce the cost of shipment, although it has a large union which may prevent it from cutting the labor cost, although the raw materials it is using are more expensive than scrape steel which other companies are using, it can still take advantage of the modern technology and management methods and get to the edge of the world steel market.
Some of the things it may choose to do are: to focus more on customer services so as to differentiate it against the other steel makers, to subdivide the tasks to different divisions so as to cut more on the labor cost and increase efficiency, to take over a small motor car company to make full use of the steel capacity and gain more independence and flexibility.
 
US Steel may not have the location advantage as POSCO, it has something which POSCO does not have. Therefore, the strategy should be to bring the good side to its full stage. At the same time, more technology may be used to avoid the labor problem. Thus the outcome for US Steel to outperform POSCO becomes much brighter.