论东西方龙的文化差异

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1、本本科毕业论文 本科毕业生论文The Cultural Differences BetweenEast and West on Dragon论东西方龙的文化差异院 系： 人 文 社 会 科 学 系 专 业： 英 语 学生姓名： 学 号： 指导教师： 2008年6月ContentsAcknowledgements.IAbstract.II摘要.III1 Introduction.12 The Cultures in the East and West on Dragon.5 2.1 The Cultures in the East on Dragon.5 2.1.1 Chinese Dragon

2、.5 2.1.2 Chinese Dragon in Popular Culture.62.2 The Cultures in the West on Dragon.92.2.1 Dragon in the Western Culture.92.2.2 The Bible.103 The Cultural Differences Between the East and West on Dragon.11 3.1 The Contrast about the Origin of Dragon.12 3.2 The Contrast about the History of Dragon.14

3、3.3 The Contrast about legends on the Dragon.163.3.1 Legend of the Yellow Emperor.163.3.2 Legend of the Carp.163.4 Mentions of the Cultural Differences on Dragons in the Bible.174 The Reasons for the Cultural Differences.225 Conclusion.25References.27AcknowledgementsI would like to express my sincer

4、e gratitude to my supervisor Mr Zhou Changjun who has advised and encouraged me during the whole process of writing the paper, showing great patience and insight. Without her guidance the thesis would be simply impossible.Likewise, my sincere thanks should be also given to the teachers who have inst

5、ructed my courses and who have offered me great help during my study in Wanfang Institute of Science and Technology, Henan Polytechnic University. They are Li Aiqin, Pang Mixiang, Yan Lige, Huo Hongtao, Li Mingxin, Li Dongfeng, Zhu Baofeng, Yang Guoqi, and Chang Jianruo. I would also like to express

6、 my heartfelt gratitude to my friends for their kind help. They are my brothers forever. Last bust not least, hearty thanks should be conveyed to all the authors from whom I have cited in this thesis.My heartfelt thanks also go to my parents for their great love and earnest concern for me. AbstractT

7、here are many cultural differences between East and West, and the dragon cultural differences are one of them. Eastern people think that the dragon is holy and mascot, but Western people think that the dragon is evil or not good creature, so the differences views often make our communication in the

8、state of tension if we do not know something about them. In this thesis I will talk about the East dragon and the West dragon. At last I will contrast the differences about it. I will quote some age-old legende to talk the dragon how to come into being people s mind, and affect peoples action. We ca

9、nnot deny any of the cultures. Every nation has its own characteristics and its mainly through its culture that we first begin to know the nation and its characteristics. So we cannot say that this culture or custom is right and that is wrong. Equal respect should be attached to every culture in the

10、 world, even to those that are not in existence any more. We should get to learn how to coordinate the different cultures. We say the world is becoming smaller and smaller. More foreigners come and go everyday. When it is in the same country, the same city, the same neighborhood, the cultural collis

11、ion is expected to be more serious. So we should try to avoid this happening. One important thing is to get some basic knowledge about the other cultures so as not to misunderstand some actions or habits of the foreigners. Key words: dragon; Beolwulf; The Bible; rian; Chinese new year; imperial auth

12、ority. 中西方龙的文化差异摘要东方和西方国家存在着很多文化的差异，然而龙的文化差异只是其中的一种差异，东方人认为龙是神圣不可亵渎的，然而在西方的文化中龙却又扮演着另外一个角色，西方有的人认为龙是不好的是邪恶的，是有魔法的，如果我们不清楚这种文化差异，在我们同西方的客人交谈之中会产生各种各样的问题。在本文当中我涉及到了东西方龙的文化知识并进行了对比，同时引用一些古老的传说来说明文化在人们大脑中是如何形成的，如何来影响人们的行为。我们不能去否认任何文化，每一种文化都有自己的特点，文化本身没有对错好坏之分，我们能做的就是尊重彼此之间的文化。我们应该学习如何合作面对不同的文化差异，我们说现在世界

13、越来越小了，许多外国人来往穿梭于每一天。当我们生活在同一个国家，同一个城市，甚至邻居，文化冲突就是一个很严重的问题了。唯一的办法就是我们要学习一些其他文化的知识，这样不至于造成误解和不理解外国人的行为和习惯。关键词：龙；贝奥武甫；圣经；雨水；中国新年；皇权。IV本科毕业论文1 IntroductionThe C-shaped jade dragon of Hongshan Culture is considered the prototype of Chinese dragon.The origin of Chinese dragon is not certain, but many scho

14、lars agree that it originated from totems of different tribes in China. Some have suggested that it comes from a stylized depiction of existing animals, such as snakes, fish, or crocodiles. For example, the Banpo site of the Yangshao culture in Shanxi featured an elongated, snake-like fish motif. to

15、 be the location of the Dragon Gate. This legend is used as an allegory for the drive and effort needed to overcome obstacles and achieve success. Jade-carved dragon garment ornament from the Warring States period (403 BC-221 BC).An alternative view, advocated by He Xin, is that the early dragon dep

16、icted a species of crocodile. Specifically, Crocodylus porosus, an ancient, giant crocodile. The crocodile is known to be able to accurately sense changes in air pressure, and be able to sense coming rain. This may have been the origin of the dragons mythical attributes in controlling the weather, e

17、specially the rain. In addition, there is evidence of crocodile worship in ancient Babylonian, Indian, and Mayan civilizations. The association with the crocodile is also supported by the view in ancient times that large crocodiles are a variety of dragon. For example, in the Story of Zhou Chu, abou

18、t the life of a Jin Dynasty warrior, he is said to have killed a “dragon” that infested the waters of his home village, which appears to have been a crocodile.Others have proposed that its shape is the merger of totems of various tribes as the result of the merger of tribes. The coiled snake or drag

19、on form played an important role in early Chinese culture. Legendary figures like Nwa , Fuxi are picted as having snake bodies. Some scholars report that the first legendary Emperor of China Huang Di (Yellow Emperor) used a snake for his coat of arms. Every time he conquered another tribe, he incorp

20、orated his defeated enemys emblem into his own. That explains why the dragon appears to have features of various animals.“Coiled dragon” forms have been attributed to the Hongshan culture. Why the Hongshan peoples “coiled” their dragon motifs while other cultures did not? Possibly the sleeping dinos

21、aur fossil may offer a suggestion, because it was discovered within the same province, Liaoning. Perhaps Hongshan peoples found additional “sleeping dinosaur” fossils.There is no direct connection between the East dragon and the Western dragon.In European folklore, a dragon is a serpentine legendary

22、 creature. The Latin word draco, as in constellation Draco, comes directly from Greek , (drkn, gazer). The word for dragon in Germanic mythology and its descendants is worm (Old English: wyrm, Old High German: wurm, Old Norse: ormr), meaning snake or serpent. In Old English wyrm means “serpent”, dra

23、ca means “dragon”red. Finnish lohikrme means directly “salmon-snake”, but the word lohi- was originally louhi- meaning crags or rocks, a “mountain snake”. Though a winged creature, the dragon is generally to be found in its underground lair, a cave that identifies it as an ancient creature of earth.

24、 Likely, the dragons of European and Mid Eastern mythology stem from the cult of snakes found in religions throughout the world. In the obove books they introduce a lot of things about the dragon cultures between the East and West, but they dont contrast the differences culture each other and not to

25、 introduce the reasons how to produce the differences, and how to face the cultural differences between East and West. I will introduce about these things in the thesis.There are many cultural differences between East and West, and the cultural differences on dragon is one of them. Chinese people th

26、ink that the dragon is holy and mascot, but western people think that the dragon is belial and wick, so the different views often make our communication in the state of tension if we do not know something about them. If we want to have a good communication between East and West，We have to know somet

27、hing about the cultural differences. It will help us to understand western peoples action. The cutural differences come from the age-old legend. The differences old-legend create differences entironment and made the people s mind . In this thesis I will talk about the Eastern dragon and the Western

28、dragon. At last I will contrast the differences about them. I will quote some age-old legendes to talk the process that the dragon come into being to peoples mind, and affect peoples action. It would make our communication easily.Through introduce the differences cultural on dragon between East and

29、West , we can find that there are many differences between the East and West. So when we communicate with the foreigners we must know about the cultural differences, the drgon in the China is good and has the high position in social, but in the West country they have different views to the dragon, s

30、omebody even think that the dragon is evil. So we cannot say that this culture or custom is right and that is wrong. Equal respect should be attached to every culture in the world, even to those that are not in existence any more. The structure of the thesis:The first part is introducing the base in

31、formation and study on dragon about demostic and abroad.The second part is introduing the culture on dragon in the East and in the West.The third part is introduing the differences between East and West on dragon.The four part is introduing the reasons of produing the differences beween East and Wes

32、t.The methololgy of the thesis: contrast, quote, survey, particularize, narrate.2 The Culture in the East and West on the Dragon2.1 The Cultures in the East on Dragon 2.1.1 Chinese DragonThe Chinese dragon is depicted as a long, scaled, snake-like creature with five claws. In contrast to the Europea

33、n dragon which stands on four legs and which is usually portrayed as evil, the Chinese dragon has long been a potent symbol of auspicious power in Chinese folklore and art. The Chinese dragon is traditionally also the embodiment of the concept of yang (male) and associated with the weather as the br

34、inger of rain and water in an agriculturally water-driven nation. Its female counterpart is the Fenghuang. The Chinese dragon is the derivation of other Oriental dragons（Yan Tie, 2006: 102）.“Nine Dragons” handscroll section, by Chen Rong, 1244 AD, Song Dynasty, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.An ancient

35、 seal script form of the character for “dragon” that is now written 龙 and pronounced lng in Mandarin Chinese.The dragon is sometimes used in the West as a national emblem of China. However, this usage within both the Peoples Republic of China and the Republic of China on Taiwan is rare.Firstly, the

36、dragon was historically the symbol of the Emperor of China. Starting with the Yuan Dynasty, regular citizens were forbidden to associate themselves with the symbol. The dragon re-emerged during the Qing Dynasty and appeared on national flags.Secondly, in European-influenced cultures, the dragon has

37、aggressive, warlike connotations that the Chinese government wishes to avoid. It is for these reasons that the giant panda is far more often used within China as a national emblem than the dragon. In Hong Kong, however, the dragon is part of the design of Brand Hong Kong, a symbol used to promote Ho

38、ng Kong as an international brand name.Many Chinese people often use the term “Descendants of the Dragon” as a sign of ethnic identity, as part of a trend started in the 1970s when different Asian nationalities were looking for animal symbols for representations. The wolf was used among the Mongols,

39、 the monkey among Tibetans(Luo Erhu, 1990: 265).In Chinese culture today, it is mostly used for decorative purposes. It is a taboo to disfigure a depiction of a dragon; for example, an advertisement campaign commissioned by Nike, which featured the American basketball player LeBron James slaying a d

40、ragon (as well as beating up an old Kung Fu master), was immediately censored by the Chinese government after public outcry over disrespect.A number of Chinese proverbs and idioms also feature references to the dragon, for example: “Hoping ones son will become a dragon” ( i.e. be as successful and p

41、owerful as a dragon).2.1.2 Chinese Dragons in Popular CultureAs a part of traditional folklore, dragons appear in a variety of mythological fiction. In the classical story Journey to the West, the son of the Dragon King of the West was condemned to serve as a horse for the travellers because of his

42、indiscretions at a party in the heavenly court (Xa Yu, 2004: 100). The Monkey Kings cudgel R Y Bng was stolen from the Eastern (Donghai) Dragon King o gung. In Fengshen Yanyi and other stories, Nezha, the boy hero, defeats the Dragon Kings and tames the seas. Chinese dragons also appear in innumerab

43、le Japanese anime movies and TV shows, manga, and in Western political cartoons as a personification of the Peoples Republic of China. In the Kamen Rider series, a Chinese dragon is used as Kamen Rider Agito. Temeraire, the lead character in the series of books of the same name by Naomi Novik is a c

44、elestial Chinese dragon.Dragons are deeply rooted in the Chinese culture. The Chinese often consider themselves are “the descendants of the dragon”. Nobody really knows where the dragon comes from. The dragon looks like a combination of many animals. For the Chinese people, Dragons were described vi

45、sually as a composite of parts from nine animals: The horns of a deer; the head of a camel; the eyes of a devil; the neck of a snake; the abdomen of a large cockle; the scales of a carp; the claws of an eagle; the paws of a tiger; and the ears of an ox. The Chinese word for Dragon is spelled out in

46、roman characters as either lung or long（Su Xuelin, 2007: 106）. In China, the Dragon was credited with having great powers that allowed them to make rain and to control floods (by striking the river with its tail, causing it to open and thus divert the floodwaters) also Dragons are credited for trans

47、portation of humans to the celestial realms after death. Also, in China, Dragons are symbols of the natural world, adaptability, and transformation. When two dragons are placed together but turned away, they symbolize eternity via the famous Yin-Yang. Chinese emperors think they are the real dragons

48、 and the sons of heaven. Thus the beds they sleep on are called the dragon beds, the throne called the dragon seat, and the emperors ceremonial dresses called the dragon robes. In the minds of the early Chinese people, the dragon was a god that embodied the will and ideals of the Chinese people. It

49、is said that the dragon is a large-scaled reptile, which can become dark or bright, large or small, long or short, and can fly into the sky in the spring and live under the water in the fall. It seems that the dragon is capable of doing almost anything.Traditionally the dragons are considered as the

50、 governors of rainfalls in Chinese culture. They have the power to decide where and when to have rain. They believe the kings of the water dragons live in the dragon palaces under the oceans. The Chinese sign for the dragon appears during the Yin and Shang dynasties (from the 16th to the 11th centur

51、y BC, the period of the earliest Chinese hieroglyphs), between inscriptions on bones and turtle shields. These inscriptions depicted a horned reptile, teeth, scales and sometimes paws as well(Fang Tanna, 2001: 95). In ancient China nobody had any doubts about the existence of dragons. People showed

52、great respect for any dragon depicted in pictures, carvings and writings, and as a result the dragon became the symbol of Chinese nation. All people in China, including the emperor, prostrated themselves before the image of a dragon with reverence and awe. As a result, this unreal animal became the

53、spiritual sustenance for a nation: firstly, as the totem of a tribe and then as the symbol of the nation. Eventually it became the sign on the national flag of the last feudal dynasty, the Qing Dynasty. The Chinese people regard themselves as “descendants of the dragon”.2.2 The Cultures in the West

54、on Dragon2.2.1 Dragon in Western CultureDragon is a mythical beast usually represented as a huge, winged, fire-breathing reptile. For centuries the dragon has been prominent in the folklore of many peoples; thus, its physical characteristics vary greatly and include combinations of numerous animals.

55、 The dragon has often been associated with evil. In many legends a dragon had the ability to wreak havoc upon a land and therefore had to be either propitiated by a human sacrifice, or killed; it was also often the guardian of a treasure or a maiden. The highest achievement of a hero in medieval leg

56、end was the slaying of a dragon, as in the story of St. George. King Arthur, son of Uther Pendragon (dragons head), also killed a dragon. The giant red dragon of the Apocalypse gave rise to the use of the beast as symbolic of Satan in Christian art and literature. In ancient China the dragon was ass

57、ociated with fertility and prosperity. Many of the beliefs connected with the dragon are echoed in snake worship.Western dragons have traditionally been the symbol of pure evil. They are the mindless monsters that know nothing but killing and hoarding treasures useless to themselves(Cui, 2002: 265).

58、 In myths and folklore, dragons have been monsters to be conquered and destroyed with no mercy nor were they given the chance to reform. The story of the Tarasque (Holman and Valen. The Drac: French Tales of Dragons and Demons) shows that even after the beast is tamed, its fate remains being slain.

59、One may see dragons as representing the dark side of human nature: greed, lusts, murderous inclination, etc. and the slaying of dragons as confronting and extinguishing those evil instincts.Dragons also have been interpreted as symbols of the awesome power of nature. They are often associated with f

60、ire, water (the river, the sea, and the rain), and sometimes thunder and lightning in nearly all cultures. This great power of nature frequently carries a malign or destructive quality, and for thousands of years, western dragons have been humans ultimate adversaries. The upper-handing of dragons re

61、presents humans control (or wish for control) over nature(Sleeboom, 2004: 26).2.2.2 The BibleThe history of the dragon as an evil monster in the West starts with the Bible. A search for the word “dragon” in the Bible produces 34 matches. The word is most directly translated as “sea or land monster”

62、in the Old Testament .There is also a Biblical description of Satan where hes described as a red dragon, with seven heads and 10 horns , which is ready to eat a new-born child. Common speech Expressions using “dragon” are often negative. A dragon lady refers to a powerful, domineering or dangerous w

63、oman. They call her the dragon lady because she is always yelling at children. People use “chase the dragon” to refer to smoking. Joans marriage broke up after she began chasing the dragon (C.G.Jung, 1999: 150). Another humorous but still negative usage appeared in recent years. A mouthwash ad in the US used the term “dragon breath” It refers to a man in the morning who hadnt brushed his teeth and who could knock a person over with his fierce breath.3 The Cultural Differences Between