中西方文化差异_color_and_number.ppt

Color and Number

China
Western
countries
Due to geographical location and natural phenomena and historical background, psychology, China and the vast majority of English speaking countries vary widely from color to number. Similarly, the symbolism of colors and numbers in between Chinese and Western cultures will make a great difference.
So ,I will show you some examples to say that.
Colors??
From cultural and anthropological standpoint, Red in Chinese es from the Sun, because the burning like fire and symbols luminosity( [,lju:mi‘nɔsəti] 光明). Our ancestors in sacrificing to the Sun has an instinctive attachment and worship. And then to white, for example, in the initial stages of human beings, our ancestors, the weak and the powerless, cannot resist the fierce beasts attack, in the daytime they were fully exposed, and readily eaten by wild beasts .So they had instinctive fears to white. In this way, white in Chinese culture became a color taboo.
white and red
Same point :White is usually associated with pure, clean and honorary in English and Chinese.
Different point :But it has some different meanings between English and Chinese. White is often a taboo([tə‘bu:]禁忌) word in china . In ancient China,the west side is said to be the White Tiger, west is xingtian (刑天杀神), often in autumn he crusaded([kru:‘seid]) unrighteousness and executed prisoners. So white is meaning exhausted , the shite and no life, symbolizing the death and ill omen ([’əumən ]预兆)。But in English,it ofen symbols good things.
white
It symbols purity.
a white soul 纯洁的心灵
White wedding 新娘穿白色礼服的婚礼
It symbols upright,honesty .
A white spirit 正直的精神
white men 高尚、有教养的人
white hand 廉洁、诚实
And it symbols lucky.
one of the white days of somebodys' life
某人生活中的吉日之一
white magic有天使相助的
It also symbols ignorance and legal.
whitemarket合法市场,
white list经过批准的合法名单
a white lie 无恶意的谎话
As we all know, red is the basic color in Chinese culture.
It symbolizes good luck and happy.
we call the person who lead o