中西方文化禁忌

注意，笔画的中英文名称并无公认体系。

点——dot，即tiny dash。

横——horizontal，即rightward stroke。

竖——vertical，即downward stroke。

提——rise或rising，即flick up and rightwards。

尾部变尖锐（taper）。

捺——press down或right-falling，即falling rightwards，flattening at the bottom。

撇——throw away或left-falling，即falling leftwards，with slight curve，not very curved。

折——break或turning，即90de gre e turn，going down or going right only。

钩——hook，即appended to other strokes，going down or goingleft only。

弯——bend，即usually concave 凹的on the left。

斜——slant，即usually concave on the right。

笔画stroke点、横、竖、撇、捺、折、钩、提dot stroke, horizontal stroke, vertical stroke,left-falling stroke,right-falling stroke, turning stroke, hook stroke,raising stroke复杂笔画可以从上述基本笔画组合而来，例如，竖钩即可为…vertical‟+…hook‟。

每个汉字不同笔画书写顺序是固定的，即笔顺。

在不同书体中，或在不同地区（中国大陆、台湾、香港、澳门、日本、韩国、朝鲜、越南），笔顺可能不同。

永字八法（Eight Principlels of Yong；见篇首图）包含了八种基本笔画的写法与笔顺。

顺便说一下，部首叫radical；音调叫tone。

拇指 Thumb, often considered not to be a finger食指 Index finger, also called'pointer finger', or 'forefinger'中指 Middle finger, often the longest无名指 ring finger, also known as fourth finger小指 Little finger, also known as 'pinky'中国民间禁忌——节日禁忌春节是新年之始，禁忌较多。

如忌打碎器物，打碎了要说“岁岁（碎碎）平安”或“越打越发”之类的吉利话，还有忌遇殡葬，忌丧家拜年，忌吵架骂人，忌请医生，忌迁居、剃头理发等。

正月初一是新年的第一天，禁忌更多。

如吃年饭忌无鱼，有鱼也忌全部吃光，是为了讨个“有余（鱼）”的吉利。

吃有骨头的食物忌说:“骨头”，要说成“财喜坨”。

吃饱了不能说：“我不吃了。

”这是很不吉利的话。

初一这一天忌动刀、斧、剪之类的器物，忌挑水、下地干活，忌借火种，忌讨债，忌购物，忌针线活，忌杀生，忌啼哭，忌说一切不吉利的话，凡“破、坏、死、光、鬼、输、穷、完了、背时、病”等一些不好的字眼都要避免。

一般来说小儿无忌，但有的地方在初一早晨家长要用干净草纸揩一揩小孩的嘴巴，意思是把小孩的嘴当屁股，即是说了不吉利的话，也当是“放屁”，不算犯忌。

另外，许多地方还忌吃豆腐，因为按习俗办丧事时才吃豆腐，老人寿终正寝的叫做“倒了豆腐山”。

还忌扫地，扫了地也不能把垃圾倒掉，认为会把财气扫掉；过去还忌讳初一早上倒夜壶，也认为会破财。

又忌条凳（长板凳）倒地，因为人死停柩是搁在两条长板凳上的，出殡时抬起棺材，踢倒板凳才起步。

总之，正月特别是初一禁忌一切认为不吉利的事情。

其它节日也多有禁忌，如二月二古称“中和节”，俗称“龙抬头”，忌动剪刀针线，忌推磨，汲水忌碰井沿，都是怕伤了龙。

清明节前一二日为“寒食节”，禁忌烟火。

七月“鬼节”忌晚间外出，以免惊动鬼神而遭殃。

八月中秋节忌阴雨，否则来年年景不好。

九月重阳节有的地方忌讳出嫁不到三年的女儿回娘家，有所谓“回家过重阳，死她婆婆娘”的说法。

另外，一些节令也有忌讳，如立秋忌无雨，认为该日雷鸣下雨则预示丰收，有所谓“雷动秋，狗儿猫儿不吃粥”的俗语。

但也有相反的禁忌，认为该日雷鸣主稻秀不实，有谚语“秋毂碌，收秕谷。

”立冬也有忌雷鸣的，俗语说“雷打冬，十个牛栏九个空。

”大概是说牲畜会死亡。

Chinese Culture Taboo #1: Take credit for achievements - 受到表扬后不谦虚One of the first things most foreigners in China learn about cultural differences is the way to reply to compliments. In America if someone says you have a nicecar or keep up your yard wellyou would most likely say, "Thank you. I have worked hard for it." To respond to a compliment like that in China would be considered very prideful. It is almost like there are set rules for what is right to say in certain situations. Say for example, you are visiting a friend who has recently moved to anew house. When you enter you are expected to make some positive remarks about his house. “It is spacious.” “The lighting is good.” “It faces the correctdi rection.” “No, it is small.” “The lighting is not very good, especially in the afternoons.” “Alot of noise drifts up from the street.” You are never supposed to directly accept the praise. There is a Chinese phrase that is basically an all inclusive "divert praise" conversation tool. That is "na li, na li". The direct English translation is "Where, where?" Whenever people compliment my Chinese, and it doesn't take much language prowess to draw compliments, I use this phrase and people know that since I didn't say "Thank you" I must have been in China a while.I heard of a story of a foreigner who complimented a Chinese woman by telling her she waspretty. She had practiced a bit of English and knew how to translate some Chinese phrases directly into English. So she said, "Where, where?" The foreigner was quite taken aback, but assumed she just wanted a bit more praise. He said, "Umm, uh, your face is quite attractive." By now she was blushing. "Where, where?" This time the foreigner thought she was pretty presumptuous to keep demanding more praise, butdidn't want to offend her. "Well, your nose is quite graceful and your eyes have a sparkle to them."" This time her whole facewas bright red as she stammered one more time, "Where?"Chinese Culture Taboo #2: Showing the bottom of your shoes -被人看见鞋底In China, people walk almost everywhere. Shoes tend to collect more dirt and junk than in Western countries. Showing someone the bottom of your shoes is considered very rude. It is rude even when it happens in natural situations such as crossing your legs or putting your feet up on a coffee table. Like many rooted customs, this is slowly changing .The youngergeneration would not get as upset if this were to happen as an elderly person would. Also, when you enter someone's house you are supposed to take offyour shoes first. Most homes have a set of "house shoes" for wearing inside and which they offer to guests. Although the home owner might protest and tell you it is not necessary to take off your shoes, you should do it anyway unless you are very close to the host. He is also being polite by saying "no need, no need", but actually there is a need. When my family first arrived in China, my father rode on the subway and crossed hislegs in the seat. The gentleman sitting next to him took out a pad and paper and wrote something intently on it. Then he showed the paper to my father. It said, "The action which you are taking is impolite." Needless to say, we think twice before crossing our legs in public now!Chinese Culture Taboo #3: Major on one food and skip the others -只吃一种食物，其他的不吃The rights and wrongs of food etiquette could be an entire article in and of themselves. Iwill briefly summarize the "dos" and "don'ts" here. Traditional Chinese serve the bowls ofguests. It is considered rude to help yourself to the food you want when at someone's house. The proper way is to wait until the host serves your bowl. Don't be afraid that you will go hungry because good hosts take it as their personal mission to make sure your bowl is completely full all the time. Even after you have eaten 3-4 bowls full of food they will continue to scoop it for you and say "Don't be polite. Eat up. You haven't eaten anything yet." In the process they will give you what they consider to be the very best food, which might or might not be what you like.In other less traditional homes, you might have freedom to serve some of your own food. If you do, beware. Reaching across thetable for another dish is a big no no. So is using your chopsticks to pick out the meat or food from a dish you like the best. If you do seem to eat one thing more than another, it is likely that they will serve you more of that. My mother went to a guest's house where she was served a kind of boiled greens. They weren't her favorite so she ate them first to save the best for last. They saw saw her quickly eating them up and interpreted that to mean she loved them. The hostesspromptly got her bowl, went to the kitchen, and gave her another scoop. It is often advisable to leave a little bit of food left in your bowl or the host might think you are still hungry and fill it up again. Then again, in some regions it is considered very wasteful to leave any food. Sound complicated? It is. Accept a dinner invitation at your own risk. No, in seriousness most Chinese know that Westerners will not know all the rules or customs. They will give you some leeway, but try to be sensitive and navigate the system as well as you can. Just like in the States, do be graciousand rave over every good thing you eat. Cooks enjoy the attention worldwide.Chinese Culture Taboo #4: Hug a member of the opposite sex as a greeting -问候时拥抱异性In the US, it is very common for guys to hug girls and vice-versa as a friendly greeting. During my church fellowship time back in the States I can see guys and girls hugging across the entire auditorium. In some areas of the South it feels weird to offer your hand. Believe it or not, social customs in China are not the same as America's South. If youare a guy and want to make a Chinese girl feel extremely awkward and uncomfortable, offering a hug as a greeting is the way to go. She will likely offer a nervous laugh and attempt to escape as soon as possible. I have seen this happen several times with unsuspecting foreigners. Meanwhile, theydidn't have any idea how uncomfortable the girl felt. As weird as that is, it might be even more weird for a girl to initiate the hug. I have been in China for almost nine years and can't recall seeing that happen. So if it hasn't happened yet, don't bethe first try. There doesn'talways have to be a first for everything. So what is the appropriate way to act when meeting someone or introducing yourself? If you are a guy meeting a guy you can offer a warm handshake. It is not so common in China still, but it will probably be accepted. However, it is more normal when meeting someone to exchange verbal greetings, but not any physical contact. If you are unsure what to do, a good rule of thumb is always to wait and see how the other person responds. More than ninety percent of the time they won't offer their hand, so you don't need to either.Chinese Culture Taboo #5: Ask a member of the opposite sexhis/her birth date -问异性的生日In the West, this is generally an innocent question. You could have a hundred reasons for asking such as planning a party or event, preparing a gift, or simple banter. In China, it could be much more than an innocent question and cause you a load of trouble. Asking someone his birth date often signals a romantic interest. Why? Traditionally China has complex rules for making the perfect match of husband and wife. It is not necessarily based oninterests, hobbies, or even love. It is based on calculations by fortune tellers or feng shui specialists who have professional careers in matchmaking. Parents will often submit the birth date (down to the minute and second) of their child and their child's significant other. These specialists are paid big bucks to somehow determine if they match and if the marriage will be "lucky" or "prosperous." So if a guy asks a girl for her birth date it could be interpreted as, "I am interested in marrying you and want to see if we are a match." Again, this is not as important to the youngergeneration as the elder generation. Many traditions like this are gradually waning in importance. But if you want to avoid any confusion it is better to stick to safer topics. And if someone asks you your birth date, watch out!Western taboos:1 Social TabooIn English speakingcountries, you should makean appointment before paying a visit to sb. Sudden visit must be avoided, otherwise, the host will feel unhappy, becausethe unexpected visit will disrupthis original schedule and lead him to great inconvenience. Usually an appointment should be on time, but according to the habit, Americans are accustomed to be late for 3 or 5 minutes, 10 minutes late is also ok, especially for the dinner or party, inorder to give the hostessmore makeup time. Ofcourse, there is one of the biggest taboos in English speakingcountries, that's individual privacy. Just as an English saying goes: A man's home is his castle. That is to say: a man's home is sacred and inviolable不可侵犯的, no one can enter without permission. Personalthing is also like this, they do not have to let others know, let alone to interfere. Askingabout the age of theindividual, property,income, marriage, love, religion, politics, business is another way of invadingsomeone's "castle". Therefore, questions like " How old are you? "," What' syour income?"," How much did that dress cost you?"," Are you married orsingle?"," Are you a R epublican or a Democrat?"," Are you Catholic?" mustbe avoided. If you really wantto know the other's situation of this respect, you can talk about yourself, and then lead the other to talk about his condition. In addition, peoplein English countries are accustomed to send flowersas gifts, there are tabooshere. First of all, avoidsending even numbers of flowers, for they believe it brings bad luck. Also avoid sendingwhite flowers, such as the white lilies, for it is seen as a harbinger of doom or a symbol of death. In addition, avoidsending white or red and white flowers to patients.2 Holiday TabooChristmas is a great western festival, taboos in this festival are mainly contacted to the Christmas pudding. Many westerners think that the stir of the pudding can makeoneself good luck in the coming year. Therefore, when they're making Christmas pudding, each member of the family at least stir pudding and make a wish,for they believe that wish is very likely to achieve. But becareful, the pudding can only be stired in a clockwisedirection, not anti-clockwise; they can't tell the wish to anyone. In the western Christiancountries, most people believe the story that Jesus was betrayed, and was crucified on the cross. To commemorate him, people set up" passiontide", which is theannual Friday beforeEaster. Westernersgenerally regard thisas unauspicious不吉利的. So on this day, one must not be engaged in things with the symbolic link. Such as haircutting, shoeing修蹄 a horse, as well as nailling nail.3 Superstition and TabooThere're somecommon superstitions and taboos in American society, such as follows: 1 ) get out of bed from the wrong direction, you will have a bad day. 2) to have a black cat cross the road in front of you is unlucky. 3) in the morning before the wedding, the bride shouldn't see thegroom. 4) cattle lying down indicate rain. 5) a cricket in the house brings good luck. 6) walk under a ladder will bring bad luck. 7) lighting three cigarettes from one match brings bad luck to the third person. 8) to break a mirror brings 7 years of bad luck. 9) grab a rabbit's footbrings good luck. 10) open an umbrella in the house brings bad luck. Some ofthese superstitions havetheir accounts, but manyare groundless.4 Racial Slur种族歧视In English, the racial slur is an important partof language taboo. This phenomenon is particularly evident in the UnitedStates. American blackswere discriminatedin history, words usedto curse black racial become sensitive and taboos. For example, nigger is completely banned for it has the intenseof insulting color. Negro hasthe mean of contempt, it's alsoa taboo. Now American blacks are known as blacksor African American. In English, some words containing "black" are also regardedas taboos. In English, "white" means" innocence""pure"" clean"" char ity" --of which arethe positive meaning of the commendatory 赞赏的term; however, "black" is related to" evil " " sin" and" dirty". Such as: blackguard ( villain 坏人), blacklist ( black list黑名单 ), black mark ( stain 污点) and so on. The family call the shame of the family" black sheep",not white sheep. Whilea kind lie is calledwhite lie, not so badas ordinary lie (generally lie ) or black lie (evil lie ). The existence of taboos tend to promote the development of language,to enrich the vocabularyof language. That people wantto say someone, something without involving taboos, creates an objective andnecessary condition forthe origin of euphemism.5 Diet TabooDiet taboos includedietary rules and dietary contents. As everyone knows,the westernerseat with the separate dining system, looking for cannibalism 食人. They take little or none of the dish that theydislike to avoid wasting, so they will bevery repugnant about others giving them food. Aftersupper, they put fork in theplate according to the rules; they will not bogey to teeth; theyalso avoid spilled salt, because people think it would bring bad luck; if it is spilled, one must pick up a handful of salt to theleft shoulder throw threetimes [4 ]. About the dietary contents, westerners avoid fat, bone andpoultry skin ( except duck, chick en skin ); they avoid food made of abstain 自制from various animalheads, feet, visceral内脏的; they also avoid meat from their pets, such as dog and snake; strong flavor of condiment佐料 is also abstained避免.6 Time and Number TabooIn western culture, Friday, number 3 and 13 are the taboos.In the eyes of westerners, Friday is an unlucky day, they often say" black Friday", for Friday is Good Friday, moreover, Adam and Eve were driven out of the garden of eden伊甸园 on Friday. So westerners believe it unlucky to hold a wedding ceremony, to travel,to voyage, to start a new job, to hold a conference or do any business on Friday. Number 13 is a troubling number, so in daily life, people avoid number 13.For example, they avoid eating with 13 people sitting together or serving 13 dishes. House, floor and various serial numbers also try to avoid " 13". For when Jesus and his discipleswere having dinner, thethirteenth people was Judah who betrayed Jesus for 30 silver coins, then Jesus was crucified in the13th on Friday.7 Color TabooDue to the differences between Chinese and Western culture, even the same color in western culture has been given different meanings, red, yellow and black are the representative. Let's goin detail, red: in the west, red is often regarded as a derogatory term, it means anger, dangerous, bossy, arrogant, cruel, crazy, evil, even bloody. For example," red hands" ( the bloody hand, killinghand);" red - headed"( furious);" be caught red - handed" ( caught in the act ) etc.. Yellow: it stands for" cowardice and treason" in the west, for in the Bible it's Judah who put on the yellow dress betrayed Jesus. In addition, yellow also has the meaning of" miss", so in English," Yellow Pages" is said to be telephone book. Black: in the west, black is a symbol of the devil, evil, suffering and misfortune, therefore, it's also called" dead color black". In the modern age of European and American countries, black becomes specific to funeral, for westerners think black makesthe person serious, so as to express mourning and respect to the dead. However, in the eyesof European and American, black is also a symbol of grave,majesty and noble. In solemn occasions, dignitaries, social celebrities like to dress in black clothes. Symphony orchestra members are almost in black suit, in order to show solemn and respect.8 Animal TabooMaybe we know least about this aspect, but due to the close relationship between animal and human this appears to be particularly important. We havealready mentioned that the westerners consider dogs astheir friends, so it's taboo to kill or drown them, otherwise it will bring seven years of bad luck. But if your dog is suffering from some incurable disease, you can put it to drown in order to relieve its pain. Ladybug is a kind of insect which Chinese dislike, but the famous international friends Epworth mentioned in happy dictionary program that ladybug is a symbol of auspicious of beneficial insects, so when the ladybug fell upon you, just don't throw it away or destroy it, otherwise, you're driving away luck. British and Americanpeople love cats, but they have taboo for the black cats. In England, people often contact black cat with the witch. The witch in the British culture is an abominable image: old woman, wearing a hat, riding a broom, flying to everywhere to " make trouble". And in legend, the witch always has a black cat company. So until today, many people still regard black cats as the augur ill.Taboo is a cultural phenomenon shared by the world various nationalities, only the form and content differ. Strictly speaking, taboo only includes people orthings of the sacred; This is caused by nature with the production; The destruction of the role through banned from the sacred (or not pure). And taboos are almost ubiquitous, so understanding the western difference is very necessary. To keep speaking, to a country whether in politics, or in economic and trade, get to know each other country's etiquette habit, will be beneficial to the interaction between countries. From small aspect, a person knows each other's etiquette folk habits, is to respect each other, it's easier to make a good impression and a bettercommunication. With the continuous development of western culture and eastern culture, western andeastern etiquette is in mutual confluence, westerners gradually accepted the eastern culture's emphasis on emotion and reasonable factor, while the oriental also gradually accept the western culture's advanced civilization etiquette and communication mode.How to make preparations for the thanks-giving daySelect the menu in advance. The traditional menu of roasted turkey, mashedpotatoes, stuffing, several typesof vegetables such as sweet potatoes and squash,cranberry sauce, different pies, and a bread is fairly standard for most families and groups of celebrators. Here are somethings you'll need to do to get ready for that meal:Select your recipes. Knowing in advance what you'll cookensures that you can shop forthe ingredients and know the timing required for each item in the lead-up to Thanksgiving and on the day itself. For menu and recipe ideas, here are some suggestions to start with: Prepare the food. Some things can be done prior to the day,such as baking cookies and pumpkin pie, while other things need to be made fresh on the day, such as roasting the turkey. Whenever you're cooking, don't be afraid to ask for help; it'llmake your life and holiday much easier. You can also consider cooking two small turkeys instead of one to simplify the process. Here are some things you'll have to do to prepare the food for your holiday:Arrange the table decorations the day before Thanksgiving if you have a separate dining table available. If not, lay out the items somewhere readily accessible for quick deployment on the day. Get the kids tohelp set the table as part of their contribution to the preparations. Here are some other ways to make your table more festive: Enjoy some traditional Thanksgiving holidaypursuits. You can do these things before, during, or after you eat your Thanksgiving meal. Thereare a few traditions associated with the Thanksgiving holiday that are enjoyed in many families, and here are a few things that you can do:∙Gather around the TV and watch football. Spending hours watching football on Thanksgiving is a holidayfavorite for many fans, and it's a great way to pass time before the meal. Alternatively, organize a backyard football game with family, friends, and neighbors for fun and a little exercise to make way for the meal.∙Watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV with the kids. Broadcast on television fromNew York City, the parade is extremely popular and viewed by millions at home. Take a break and attend a local Thanksgiving parade if time permits, or watch it on television.Spend a little time reflecting on the meaning ofThanksgiving. Thanksgiving is a chance for many families to spend time together after being apart for much of the year; it is a good time to reflect on the love that you have for one another, as well as sharing your thoughts about what you feel grateful for. Think of your family's own ways to express your gratitude on this day and in the year to follow, or be guided by some of the following suggestions:Volunteer time before or during Thanksgiving to help preparemeals at a homeless shelter, donate extra cans and packaged goods to a soup kitchen, start a food or clothing drive, make a donation. This can be anessential part of teaching your children about gratitude in action.f ind activities to do after the meal. Everyone's likely to feel a little drowsy and well fed after the meal. It's a great opportunity to settle down to some relaxing activities. Ideas to help inspire you include:Go for a walk as a family. Don't forget to take your dog for his usual walk too, especially if he's been getting snacks he'd normally not have.∙Entertain guests. Play charades, tell stories, share photos around, catch up on news, etc.∙Catch up on your reading. Thereis always something you've goton hold that you'd like to read; take this opportunity to do so.∙Watch a movie. Check out the TV guide for any suitable movies, or pull out your favorite DVDs.∙Play a board game. If the kids are still hyper, suggest thatthey make a board game and then play it!。