TheDifferencesofFriendshipBetweentheWestandChinaPresenter1XiaoZhang2XiaoWangTheDifferencesofFriendshipB1Proverb“沒有真摯朋友的人，是真正孤獨(dú)的人。”Withoutafriend,theworldislikeawilderness.Proverb“沒有真摯朋友的人，是真正孤獨(dú)的人。”2GeneralitySocialcultureinChinaandtheUnitedStatesisnotthesame.Collectivistcultureisplayingadecisiveroleinthesociety.Meanwhile,theAmerican

communityisleadedbyindividualism.Thedifferencesofvaluesresultinvariousattitudesandunderstandingtowardsfriendship.

GeneralitySocialcultureinCh31.personyoulike;

2.supporter;3.notenemy;4.sillyorannoyingperson------OxfordEnglishDictionary“彼此有交情的人或戀愛的對象。”——《現(xiàn)代漢語詞典》1.personyoulike;2.supporte4ThefriendshipandfriendsintheeyesofChineseandwesternpeopleWhatcanyouexpectfromyourfriends?Howlongcanfriendshiplast?Howmuchcanyoudependonyourfriends?Howmuchcanyouexpectfromyourfriends?

Thefriendshipandfriendsin5TheFriendshipandFriendsintheEyesofChineseandWesternPeopleAlthoughChinesearemoregentleandhumble,thedefinitionoffriendandfriendshipisquiteclear.Weregardthetwoinaveryseriousway.Chinesefriendmustsharesimilarinterest,similarpersonalities.Otherwisetheyarejustacquaintance.TheFriendshipandFriendsin6TheFriendshipandFriendsintheEyesofChineseandWesternPeopleFriendandfriendshipintheeyesofwesternpeoplearequitedifferentfromthatofChinese.Thosepeoplewhowerechancedonlikepatchesofdriftingduckweedcanbefriends.Furthermore,forthefriendship,thewesternpeoplearemorecasualcomparedwithourChinese.TheFriendshipandFriendsin7WhatCanYouExpectfromYourFriends?AfriendinChinaissomeonewhocanfeelthatyouareintrouble,andofferassistancebeforeyouaskfor.InChinatherearefewlimitsonwhatyoucanaskorexpectfromafriend.Youfeelfreetotellyourfriendswhathe/shecanorshoulddotohelpyouorpleaseyou.WhatCanYouExpectfromYour8WhatCanYouExpectfromYourFriends?Inwesterncountries,youcancertainlyaskafriendtodosomethingforyou,butyouwouldnotexpectafriendtorecognizeandrespondyourwillwithoutstatingthemexplicitly.Therearelimitsonwhatyoucanexpectfromafriend.Whenyouaskforhelpinwesterncountries,youshouldrecognizethatthefriendmaysayno.WhatCanYouExpectfromYour9Howlongcanfriendshiplast?Chineseseemtoexpecttheirfriendshiptostaythesameoveralongperiodoftime,maybeforalifetime.Atruefriendshipisarelationshipenduresthroughanychanges.

Inwesterncountriesanindividuallikelytochangeeventheir‘’bestfriend’’.Thereasonisthatfriendship,likemanyotherrelationshipsinwesterncountries,especiallythecountryliketheUnitedStates,wouldencounterfrequentalteration.Ifpeopleinvolveddon’tseeeachotherandinteractregularly,therelationshipisprobablywither.Howlongcanfriendshiplast?C10Howmuchcanyoudependonyourfriends?Chinesefriendsgiveeachothermoreconcretehelpandassistancethanwesternfriendsdo.AChinesewillusepersonalnetworkingtohelpafriendtogetsomethinghardtoobtainsuchasajob.Wewillevenhelpourfriendgetoutoftheireconomichardshipbylendingthemmoneyandrequirenointerest.Howmuchcanyoudependonyou11Howmuchcanyoudependonyourfriends?Peopleprefertobeindependentratherthaninvolvedwitheachotherinthewest.Sotheymayfeeluncomfortableinarelationshipinwhichonepersonisconstantlygivingandtheotheroneonlydependonwhat’sbegiven.Howmuchcanyoudependonyou12Howmuchcanyouexpectfromyourfriends?

Chinesetendtocommunicatewithothersinanindirectway.Butinclosepersonalrelationshipssuchasfriendship,weusuallyperformanoppositeway.ThetalkbetweenChinesefriendswouldprobablysoundtoodirecttowesternears.Howmuchcanyouexpectfromy13Howmuchcanyouexpectfromyourfriends?

Americansapologizetotheirfriendsforminorinconveniencessuchastelephoninglateatnight.Eveninclosefriendshiptheychoosepoliteformsincommunicationlike‘’Couldyou…’’and‘’Wouldyoumind…’’Howmuchcanyouexpectfromy14中國——朋友的朋友=朋友，朋友的敵人=敵人TheWest------friendsofmyfriends=?Foesofmyfriends=?中國——朋友的朋友=朋友，朋友的敵人=敵人TheWest-15Becauseofthedifferencesamongthedefinitionoffriendship,theattitudestowardsthetreatmentoffriend

andhowtomaintainafriendshipvaryfromChinaandthewest.AndthedifferentlyexpectedreturnbetweenChineseandthewestwouldmisleadourinterculturalcommunication.Therefore,thepeopleofChinaandthewestshouldpromotetheirculturalexchanges.Wemustun