中西方时间观念差异_英文

Compared with America being slaves to nothing but the clock .Chinese care a little about time going by .

The concept of time（时间观念）

①In china，words and phrases about time are very general. For example，if you date with someone, most of Chinese used to answer: in the afternoon /at night/after a while and so on.

But in western, people have a very strong concept of time. If you date with a foreigner, they will ask you the Specific time, such as: what time should we meet?

②In Chinese dating, people would like to come in advance and they think its represent respect and politeness.

Westerners like come to the dating place on time or a few minutes late, which can give each other fully time to prepare and the enough private space. They think that arriving on time shows people have good education. Otherwise he will be regarded as unreliable or is not responsible for the other people.

Most Americans place a strong emphasis on being on time. They tend to organize time by means of schedules. Time is highly valued and treated as something real in American culture because it conveys different meanings to American people. In their eyes, “Time and tide wait for no man”and “Time lost is never regained”. As a result, they want every minute to be important and meaningful, and they firmly believe that no time should be wasted.

Not surprisingly, the new comers to America find the Americans seem always in a hurry and do everything at a running pace.So what makes the new comers embarrassed is to have no opportunity to smile, converse or have a short exchange with strangers because the Americans regard such practices as a waste of time.

Keeping Appointments and Dates

It is considered impolite and inconsiderate to fail to keep an appointment or date without giving prior notice to the other person. If you do not plan to meet the person, then you should decline the invitation.