中西方餐桌礼仪对比分析.docx

中西方餐桌礼仪对比分析.docx

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中西方餐桌礼仪对比分析

ComparisonofTableMannersbetweenChinaandtheWest

ComparisonofTableMannersbetweenChinaandtheWest

Abstract

Intoday’sworld,withtheglobalizationofeconomy,internationalbusinessactivitiesareincreasinglyfrequent.Withtheincreaseofcross-bordercommunication,thedifferencesbetweenChineseandWesternetiquetteculturearemoreandmoreobvious.

ChineseandWesternfoodcultureshaveexperiencedalonghistoryofdevelopment,andallkindsofeatinghabitshavealsoformeditscharacteristics,whichalsobringsinconveniencetothecross-culturalexchangesbetweenChinaandtheWest.UnderstandingthedifferencesbetweenChineseandWesterntablemanners,andtheculturalfactorsbehindthemisconducivetomaintainingagoodimageininternationalexchangesandpromotingmutualunderstandingandcooperationbetweenChinaandtheWest.ThispapertakesChineseandWesterntablemannersastheresearchobjectandcomparesthedifferencesintermsofbanquets,seatingarrangement,theuseoftableware,theuseofnapkins,orderofmeals,anddiningatmosphere.Besides,theauthordiscussesthereasonsforthedifferencesbetweenChineseandwesterntablemanners.

Theconclusionisthatintoday’sincreasinglyglobalizedworld,ChineseandWesterntablemannershavebecomeanimportantsubjectinglobalcommunication.EvenifChineseandWesterntablemannersaregraduallyintegrated,therestillremaindifferencesbetweenChineseandWesterntablemanners.UnderstandingandlearningthesimilaritiesanddifferencesbetweenChineseandWesterntablemannersisveryimportantfortheexchangeandreferenceofChineseandWesterncultures.

Keywords:

interculturalcommunication,tablemanners,differences

中西方餐桌礼仪对比分析

摘要

当今世界，随着经济全球化，国际商务活动日益频繁。

随着跨界交流的增多，中西礼节文化的差异越来越明显。

中西饮食文化有着悠久的发展历史，各种饮食习惯也已经形成，这给中西之间的跨文化交流带来了不便。

了解中西餐桌礼仪的差异及其背后的文化因素，有利于在国际交流中保持良好的形象，促进中西之间的相互了解与合作。

本文以中西餐桌礼仪为研究对象，对宴会，座位安排，餐具使用，餐巾使用，就餐顺序，就餐氛围等方面进行了比较，并讨论了造成中西餐桌礼仪差异的原因。

结论是：

在当今日益全球化的世界中，中西餐桌礼仪已成为全球交流中的重要主题。

即使中西餐桌礼仪逐渐融合，中西餐桌礼仪之间仍然存在差异。

了解和学习中西餐桌礼仪的异同对于中西文化的交流和借鉴非常重要。

关键词：

中西方跨文化交际；餐桌礼仪；差异

Contents

AbstractⅠ

摘要Ⅱ

Introduction1

1OriginofChineseandWesternTableManners2

1.1OriginofChineseTableManners2

1.2OriginofWesternTableManners2

2SimilaritiesbetweenChineseandWesternTableManners4

3DifferencesofChineseandWesternTableManners5

3.1Banquets5

3.2SeatingArrangement5

3.3TheUseofTableware6

3.4TheUseofNapkins7

3.5OrderofMeals8

3.6DiningAtmosphere9

4ReasonsfortheDifferencesbetweenChineseandWesternTableManners10

4.1DifferentAgricultureStructures11

4.2DifferentWaysofThinkingbetweenChinaandtheWest12

4.3DifferentConceptsof“Dignity”inChineseandWesternCulture12

Conclusion13

References15

Acknowledgments16

Introduction

Withtheaccelerationofeconomicglobalizationandinformationexchange,thecollisionbetweenChineseandWesternculturesisparticularlyfrequent,tablemannerplaysanimportantroleininternationalexchangeandcooperation.Chinapaysmuchattentiontoetiquette,andtheculturaldifferencesbetweenChineseandwesterntablemannersareanimportantpartoftheculturaldifferencesbetweenChinaandWesterncountries.OnlybythoroughlyunderstandingthedifferencesinattitudesbetweenChineseandWesterntablescanpeoplebetterpromoteexchangesandcooperationbetweencountries

ThepurposeofthispaperistointroducetheoriginandsimilaritiesanddifferencesofChineseandwesterntablemanners,summarizethereasonsforsuchsimilaritiesanddifferencestohelppeoplebetterunderstandeachother’sculturaldifferences,andenhanceculturalexchangesbetweenChinaandtheWest.ThispapertakesChineseandWesterntablemannersastheresearchobjectandcomparesthedifferencesintermsofbanquets,seatingarrangement,theuseoftableware,theuseofnapkins,orderofmeals,anddiningatmosphere,anddiscussesthereasonsforthedifferencesbetweenChineseandwesterntablemanners.

Throughresearchandcomparison,thispaperfindsthatintoday’sincreasinglyglobalizedworld,ChineseandWesterntablemannershavebecomeanimportantthemeinglobalexchanges.Eventoday,withincreasingglobalization,therearestilldifferencesinChineseandWesterntablemanners.TounderstandthedifferencesbetweenChineseandWesternculturescanbetterpromotetheexchangeandintegrationofthetwocultures.

1OriginofChineseandWesternTableManners

1.1OriginofChineseTableManners

AccordingtoWang（2006,p.5）,theoriginofChineseculturewasinitiallyreflectedintheShangandZhouDynasties,especiallyaftertheappearanceoftheRitesofZhou,Chinesesocietyhaspreliminaryethicalnorms,whichwasembodiedinChinesetableculture.

Wang（2006,p.6）alsonotesthatritesofZhouisastandardofetiquetteforthehierarchy.“Rites”referstothepoliticalandmoralstandardsformaintainingthehierarchyoftherulingclass.Therefore,inChinesesociety,especiallyatthedinnertable,thefirstconsiderationissocialstatus,followedbytheethicsoffatherandson.

TablemannersplayaveryimportantroleinChinesepeople’slife.Underthehistoricalbackgroundofbackwardproductivity,peoplebelievedinsupernaturalpower,andtheyexpressedtheirbestwishestolifethroughtheworshipsofGod.Therefore,thesacrificialutensilsforofferingsacrificestothegodsgraduallyappeared,mostofwhichwerefoodutensilsandwineutensils,suchastherepresentative“Ding”（鼎）.InSpringandAutumnperiod,therelevanttheoriesofConfucianismwerealsointegratedintotablemanners,suchasseatarrangement,tableware,utensilsused,relatedtaboos,andsoon.Withthestrengtheningofdespotism,hierarchybecomesmoreandmoreobviousintablemanners.Inafamily,peoplewhowereatlowstatusdidnotevenhavetherighttoeatatthetable.BytheQingDynasty,autocracyhadreacheditspeak,andtherequirementsfortablemannershadbecomemorestringent.Peopleofdifferentlevelsenjoyeddifferentkindsoffood.Ifanyonebroketherules,hewasconsideredtobedisrespectfultohissuperiors.（Wang,2006,p.6）

ThereisanoldsayinginChina:

“foodisthemostimportantthingforthepeople”.InthehistoryofChina,tablemannershavedevelopedfromverbalrestrainttopresentetiquettesystem.Asalifeskill,tablemannershavegraduallyenteredpeople’slifeandpenetratedintotheirdailythreemeals.

1.2OriginofWesternTableManners

AccordingtoWang（2006,p.5）,originatedfromtheMerovingaDynastyinFrance,thewesterncountries’tablemannerswereinspiredbyByzantineCultureatthattime,anddevelopedaseriesofetiquette.BythetimeoftheRomanemperor,etiquettewasmorevariedandcomplicated.Thepersonwiththehigheststatussatonthehighestchairtoshowtheemperor’sdistinguishedstatus.Whenthemusicrings,thenobleministersshouldpersonallypassthedishestotheemperortoshowtheirrespecttotheemperor.Intheearlywesterncountries,theemperorwasthesymbolofsupremepower.Wang（2006,p.5）alsonotesthatdifferentnationalitieshavedifferenteatinghabits:

Gaulpeoplesatandate,Frenchpeopleputtheirhandsonthetable,Romanpeoplelaytoeat,andBritishpeopledidnotputtheirhandsontheirthighswhentheywereeating.Nomatterwhichwayofeating,itisthetraditionofallnationalities.ThestricttablemannerscreatethenoblesenseofWesternaristocrats.

TablemannersinEuropeevolvedfromchivalry.Inthe12thcentury,whenItaliancultureinfluencedFrance,tablemannersandmenutermsbecamemoreelegant,andbooksonetiquetteteachingcameoutoneafteranother.Tothisday,tablemanners,toacertainextentandwithinacertainrange,arestillpreservedinEuropeancountries.（Zhang,2009,p.7）

2SimilaritiesbetweenChineseandWesternTableManners

AlthoughthedevelopmentoftableetiquetteinChinaandtheWestisdifferent,therearestillsomesimilartablemannersbetweenthem.

Intermsofseatingarrangement,Yi（2010,p.22）notesthatinbothChineseandwesterncultures,theleftseatisasymbolofhonor,thatistosay,theleftseatintheeyesoftheguestsortheseatontherightofthehostbelongstotheguestofhonor.

Besides,intheprocessofeating,ChineseandWesterntablemannersalsohavesomesimilarities.AccordingtoHan（2019,p.32）,forexample,bothChineseandwesternpeopletendtoreducethesoundofchewingasmuchaspossibletoshowrespectforothers.Additionally,wheneatingfoodwithbones,peopleshouldspitthebonesonthenapkinandputthemontheplate,insteadofspittingthemdirectlyontheplateoronthetable.Whatismore,wheneatingfish,bothChineseandwesternpeopledonotturnthefishover,butremovethefishboneinthemiddleandeattheotherside.

Furthermore,Yi（2010,p.22）notesthatnomatterwhetheritisinChinesetablemannersorWesterntablemanners,peoplearenotallowedtoleavethetableduringthemeal.Ifsomeonehasanemergencyandhastoleavethedinnerearly,itisnecessaryforhimtowhispertothehostandtheguestsonbothsidestoshowapology.

3DifferencesofChineseandWesternTableManners

3.1Banquets

AccordingtoZhang（2009,p.3）,inChina,thekeytotreatguestsistoprovideheartydishes.Thefoodandwineonthebanquetshouldnotonlyberich,butalsoconformtotheguests’taste.Forguests,itisbesttoleavesomeleftovers.Otherwiseitwouldlookasifthehostwerestingy.

However,Li（2009,p.6）notesthatinthewest,thereareusuallyfourorfivedishesonthetable,andthebestquantityofdishesistobefinishedorhavelittlesurplus.Forguests,ifeatingathome,itisbesttofinishallthe