​美论坛热议：中国和西方文化的主要差异是什么？

美论坛热议：中国和西方文化的主要差异是什么？

对于文化的定义从广义说，指人类社会历史实践过程中所创造的物质财富和精神财富的总和。狭义说，指社会的意识形态以及与之相适应的制度和组织机构。有“六分说”，将文化划分为物质、社会关系、精神意识、艺术、符号、风俗习惯等六个层面。

中西方文化的差异包括思维方式、价值取向、伦理道德等。东西方文化从现象上看，显然有很大差异，从本质上看，东方属于整体文化，而西方是个体文化。但东西方文化的互补和融合也是一个漫长的渐进的过程。

在美版知乎论坛话上就有网友发出这样的提问：中国和西方文化的主要差异是什么? 让我来看看各国网友的见解吧。

论坛话题

美国网友的观点

Having lived in China for about 4 years now and in the USA for over 14 years I think I’m well qualified to shed some light on this matter.

我在中国生活了4年，在美国生活了14年，我认为我完全有资格对这个问题做出解释。

And since I’m neither Chinese nor a Westerner, you can be assured I won’t be sugar-coating anything or favor one over the other. These are simply my observations.

因为我既不是中国人也不是西方人，你可以放心，我不会粉饰任何事情，也不会偏袒任何一方。这些只是我的观察。

The biggest difference I discovered between the two, at a fundamental level is their priorities. Chinese culture tends to prioritize the result or the end whereas Western society prioritizes the process or the means.

我发现这两者之间最大的区别，在最基本的层面上是他们的优先级。中国文化注重结果或目的，而西方社会注重过程或手段。

China is Outcome-Driven

中国以成果为推动力

To put it very bluntly, China cares more about money than the west. The ideal outcome that every Chinese person strives for is to have more money. Yes, money is EXTREMELY important in Chinese culture because it guarantees security for the family. They have no social safety net to fall back on. And the memories of the difficult times is still fresh in the minds of the older generations.

说白了，中国比西方更在乎钱。每个中国人追求的理想结果是拥有更多的钱。是的，钱在中国文化中非常重要，因为它能保证家庭的安全。他们没有社会保障网络可以依靠。老一辈人对那段艰难时期的记忆仍然记忆犹新。

This is why it is extremely important in Chinese culture to have your own house and car to show people that you have wealth. You’ve made it. How you attain that wealth is not really important or up for discussion, as long as you reach that status or checkmark. Life is brutal and unforgiving. It is a culture where they respect power and money more than anything else.

这就是为什么在中国文化中，拥有自己的房子和汽车是极其重要的，可以向人们展示你有财富。你已经做到了。你如何获得财富并不重要，也不值得讨论，只要你达到了那个地位或标记。生活是残酷和无情的。这是一种尊重权力和金钱胜过一切的文化。

Chinese are also more productive and industrious at the business level. There is less red tape or regulations to deal with so they get $hit done. Competition is fierce because everyone is hustling to outgrow and out-compete and out-produce you. The Chinese are remarkably pragmatic and solution-oriented people.

中国人在商业层面上也更有效率、更勤奋。他们需要处理的繁文缛节或规章制度更少，所以他们可以完成任务。竞争是激烈的，因为每个人都急于超越你的成长、竞争和生产。中国人是非常务实和以解决方案为导向的人。

Since Chinese culture focuses on results, people tend to be more successful in life. They are good at “obtaining” things like permits, quotas, meeting deadlines or requirements, etc.

由于中国文化注重结果，人们往往在生活中更成功。他们擅长“获得”诸如许可、配额、满足期限或要求等东西。

The West is System-Driven

西方是制度驱动的

While China is an outcome-driven culture, the west is a system-driven one. The outcome is important, but what’s more important in western culture is the processes and the art that you use to reach that outcome.

中国是一个结果驱动的文化，而西方是一个制度驱动的文化。结果很重要，但在西方文化中更重要的是达到结果的过程和艺术。

That is why in the west it’s taboo to ask someone how much he/she makes. What’s more important is what the person does for a living.

这就是为什么在西方，问别人挣多少钱是禁忌。更重要的是这个人靠什么谋生。

In business, the Chinese will focus on reducing costs and increasing efficiency while Westerners, especially Europeans, will care more about how that product is made and provide valuable experiences with that product.

在商业上，中国人将专注于降低成本和提高效率，而西方人，尤其是欧洲人，将更关心产品是如何制造的，并提供有价值的产品体验。

To illustrate this let’s look at watches. The Quartz watch was perfected by the Japanese, an eastern culture similar to the Chinese. It was revolutionary because it was more precise than mechanical watches. A perfect example of focusing on the outcome. The desired outcome of the watch is to tell the time as accurately as possible at the lowest cost. Japan delivers. However, can a Casio G-Shock watch evoke the same kind of experience and emotion as a Rolex or a Vacheron Constantin can? Probably not. Even though they are less accurate, there’s something special about these mechanical watches in how they are made and the history that a Casio can never compete with.

为了说明这一点，我们来看看手表。石英表是由日本人完善的，这是一种类似于中国的东方文化。它是革命性的，因为它比机械表更精确。这是一个关注结果的完美例子。手表的理想结果是以最低的成本尽可能准确地显示时间。日本提供。然而，卡西欧G-Shock腕表能像劳力士或江诗丹顿腕表那样唤起同样的体验和情感吗?可能不会。尽管精度不高，但这些机械表的制作方法和历史有一些特殊之处，是卡西欧手表永远无法与之匹敌的。

In western culture feelings or experiences are important while they are suppressed in eastern cultures. Westerners will say things like “how are you feeling today?” “how do you feel about bla bla bla?” etc. This is rare in China. The west has a more literary and artistic output from the west.

在西方文化中，情感或经验是重要的，而在东方文化中，它们是被压抑的。西方人会说“你今天感觉怎么样?”“你觉得bla bla bla怎么样?””等。这在中国很少见。西方有更多来自西方的文学和艺术作品。

Living in Asia I noticed how westerners are just wired differently from East Asians. They will have tons of small talk even at work, talking about the news or some difficulties they encountered on their way to work that day, trivial affairs that are never really the topic of conversation among the Chinese. For the Chinese, they made it to work on time, there’s nothing more to say on the matter.

生活在亚洲，我注意到西方人和东亚人是如何不同的。即使在工作中，他们也会有大量的闲聊，谈论当天上班路上的新闻或遇到的困难，这些在中国人中从来不会真正谈论的琐事。对中国人来说，他们按时上班了，在这个问题上没有什么可说的了。

Since western culture focuses on the how, it is an extremely legalistic or litigious society. In the west, a company must abide by certain regulations or codes. For example, they have to follow specific animal protection laws when making leather products. So generally it’s more costly to get things done in the west. That’s why so many businesses have moved their productions to China where the regulations are lax.

由于西方文化注重“如何”，所以它是一个极其法律化或诉讼化的社会。在西方，公司必须遵守一定的规章制度。例如，他们在生产皮革制品时必须遵守特定的动物保护法。所以一般来说，在西方做事情的成本更高。这就是为什么如此多的企业将生产转移到监管宽松的中国。

Westerners also tend to be more inquisitive. Science has traditionally been a forte of western culture. And science is really about taking things apart and learning how they work, learning the processes and the mechanics. While westerners are very good at discovering new ideas, the theoretical department, the Chinese are experts at commercializing those ideas and implementing them in a practical setting.

西方人的好奇心也更强。科学一直是西方文化的强项。科学其实就是把东西拆开，了解它们是如何工作的，了解过程和机制。西方人非常擅长发现新的思想，理论部门，而中国人擅长将这些思想商业化并在实际环境中实施。

To sum up the global economy today: The west supplies the designs, China implements those designs. Be it iPhones or Shanghai skyscrapers.

总结一下今天的全球经济:西方提供设计，中国实施这些设计。不管是iphone还是上海的摩天大楼。

Collectivism vs Individualism

集体主义与个人主义

The second biggest difference between China and the west is that the former is a collectivist or conformist society, while the latter is an individualistic society.

中国和西方的第二大区别是，前者是一个集体主义或从众主义社会，而后者是一个个人主义社会。

China as a whole is much more unified and centralized than the west. The Chinese practice conformity to a truly remarkable extent, largely due to its Confucius and Communist past. You could be thousands of miles away in a different city in China and still expect to find the same kind of architecture, shops, signage, amenities, etc. There’s both the upside and downside to this. It can be a tad boring to see the same stuff everywhere you go, but it affords a certain level of convenience. This is why I think there is a stronger sense of national identity in China.

中国作为一个整体比西方更加统一和集中。中国的实践在很大程度上是一致的，这主要归功于孔子和共产主义的过去。你可能身在千里之外的中国另一个城市，仍然期望找到同样的建筑、商店、标识和设施等。这有好处也有坏处。到处看到同样的东西可能有点无聊，但它提供了一定程度的便利。这就是为什么我认为在中国有一种更强烈的民族认同感。

The West is more individualistic and this is reflected in the political landscape. Europe is a fragmented continent. It is divided into many small countries which are in turn divided into many small regions and towns. And each of these regions and towns has its distinct culture, architecture, customs, and sometimes even languages.

西方更加个人主义，这反映在政治格局上。欧洲是一个支离破碎的大陆。它分成许多小国，小国又分成许多小地区和城镇。每个地区和城镇都有其独特的文化、建筑、风俗，有时甚至语言。

For example, Scotland has its own separate unique identity that is different from the UK or Europe. And Scotland is a country of only about 5 million people. Many medium-sized cities in China have more people than the entire country of Scotland. The same goes for regions like Wales, Northern Ireland, Cornwall, Andalucia, Catalunya, Bavaria, Veneto, Flanders, etc.

例如，苏格兰有自己独立的独特身份，这与英国或欧洲不同。苏格兰是一个只有500万人口的国家。中国许多中等城市的人口比整个苏格兰的人口还多。威尔士、北爱尔兰、康沃尔、安达卢西亚、加泰罗尼亚、巴伐利亚、威尼托、佛兰德斯等地区也是如此。

在中国留学的加拿大网友的观点

In general, the westerner is more ‘living in the moment’ and Chinese prefer to ‘saving hard for a rainy day’.

一般来说，西方人更“活在当下”，而中国人更喜欢“存钱以备不时之需”。

That explains a lot, don’t you agree?

这就说得通了，你不觉得吗?

Compare to the westerner, Chinese people care much more about the consequence. That’s the logic behind their ‘saving hard for a rainy day’. They’ll adjust their courses of action based on the result they want. Whatever they are doing, they might already have dozens of possible outcomes in their brains. And they are preparing for all of them. That’s why they have the habit of saving money, for the accidence that may not happen in the future.

与西方人相比，中国人更在意后果。这就是他们“未雨绸缪”背后的逻辑。他们会根据自己想要的结果调整自己的行动路线。无论他们在做什么，他们的大脑中可能已经有了几十种可能的结果。他们正在为所有的灾难做准备。这就是为什么他们有存钱的习惯，为了将来可能不会发生的意外。

For example, why they could build a 1000 beds hospital in 10 days? Not only because of their efficient and hard work, but they’ve been preparing since the SARS outbreak 17 years ago. Of course, they didn't know what would happen in the future, so they just assumed it would happen again.

比如，为什么他们能在10天内建成1000个床位的医院?这不仅是因为他们高效而努力的工作，还因为他们从17年前SARS爆发以来就一直在做准备。当然，他们不知道未来会发生什么，所以他们只是假设它会再次发生。

When westerner against mask for freedom, I’m sure that 99% of Chinese don’t have a clue of why they are doing this. Yep, they couldn’t understand. Because in Chinese culture, they value family and life the most, they want to be with each other as long as they could. So, they stayed at home for the whole two months, they wear masks without any protest for freedom. What kind of result they are working for? Safe and sound, not just themselves, but everyone. Thus, they sacrificed the freedom in the present to exchange the future, where their family and people they love are all there.

当西方人为了自由而戴口罩时，我敢肯定99%的中国人不知道他们为什么要这么做。是的，他们无法理解。因为在中国文化中，他们最看重家庭和生命，他们想要和对方在一起尽可能久。所以，他们在家里呆了整整两个月，他们戴着口罩，没有任何抗议自由。他们努力的结果是什么?平安无恙，不只是他们自己，而是所有人。于是，他们牺牲了现在的自由，换来了未来，他们的家人和所爱的人都在那里。

So back to the beginning of the year, when the westerner was accusing the Chinese government was violating their citizens’ human right by forcing them to stay at home, do you know what Chinese people were thinking of that accusation? “No offence, but please, mind your own business.”

所以回到年初，当西方人指责中国政府强迫他们的公民呆在家里"侵犯"了他们的人权，你知道中国人是怎么想的吗?“无意冒犯，但请管好你自己的事。”

If the Chinese government didn’t lock down the city Wuhan and made all people across the country stay at home, the Chinese citizens would say the government is irresponsible and useless. In this case, all they want is to control or eliminate the virus as soon as possible. If stay at home and wear mask could work, then do it. Stay alive first, then we’ll have a chance to discuss other problems, like freedom. That’s Chinese.

如果中国不封武汉，让全国人民都呆在家里，中国公民会说政府不负责任，没用。 在这种情况下，他们只想尽快控制或消灭病毒。 如果呆在家里戴口罩可以工作，那就去做吧。 先活着，然后我们才有机会讨论其他问题，比如自由。 那是中国人。

The Chinese government knows Chinese people and culture better than any other governments around the world. Just a little reminder.

中国政府比世界上任何国家的政府都更了解中国人民和中国文化。只是一个小小的提醒。

Another example, the food crisis this year. For the Chinese public question “is it necessary to reserve grain in case the food crisis happens?” the government responded: not necessary, the national reserved grain we have now is enough for the whole country to eat for more than a year.

另一个例子是今年的粮食危机。对于中国民众提出的“是否有必要储备粮食以应对粮食危机?”政府回应:没必要，我们现在的国家储备粮食足够全国吃一年多。

The comments under this post: “When the government tell you one year, they mean at least two years.” They know their government as well. Because that’s what a Chinese would do. Plan for the worst situation.

这篇文章下面的评论是:“当政府告诉你一年，他们的意思是至少两年。”他们也了解自己的政府。因为这是中国人会做的事。做好最坏的打算。

That’s their “saving culture”. Whatever it is, save a little bit for the future.

这就是他们的“储蓄文化”。不管是什么，为将来留一点。

China had been experienced lots of crises in its history, they’ve learnt a lot from every single one and always being ready for another round in the future.

中国在历史上经历过很多次危机，他们从每一次危机中都学到了很多，总是为未来的另一轮危机做好准备。

They are preparing, no matter what comes next. Isn’t that tired? Of course, it’s tired, but they believe it’s all worth it.

不管接下来会发生什么，他们都在准备。那不是累了吗?当然，这很累，但他们相信这一切都是值得的。

(Btw, there is no right or wrong judgement. It’s only about what you value the most and that will determine your action now. As long as you are happy with it, go for it.)

(顺便说一下，判断没有对错之分。你最看重的是什么，这将决定你现在的行动。只要你满意，就去做吧。)