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1、,The Comparison of Number Culture in English and Chinese,-Designed by Jeremy Wang from Central South University,Number 1,The meaning of“1”is almost the same in both Chinese and English culture.1.It is the starting point of all things all over the world.In Huai Nanzi,it says:“1”is the root and nature
2、 of everything.(淮南子有语“一也者，万物之本也。)In western culture,“1”represents the originality instead of the produce.And it belongs to the field of Sun(属于太阳的领域).,2.It is the symbol of our achievements,status and honor.No.1 is the target of many successful people who wants to stand at the pinnacle(顶点)of career a
3、nd life and always be the blessed one of God(天之骄子).For example,the Olympic Games,the gold medal means first,thus all the athletes spend countless efforts for it regardless of their nationality;it not only represents the participants highest ability and the achievement,but also brings great glory to
4、the winners country and people.,Number 2,In Chinese culture,“2”is an even number,conveying the meaning of the“double”.Chinese people always expect good things to come in pairs(好事成双),so“2”is a popular and auspicious（吉利的）number.For example:1.“喜喜”will be posted on the walls and rooms during marriage da
5、ys,which means“happiness comes in company”.2.When we praise others,we will say she is endowed with both beauty and talent(才貌双全)or he is an expert in both literature and military realms(文武双全).,In the west,2 is the first even number with negative nature or qualities(阴性)as it belongs to the field of th
6、e moon(属于月亮的领域).This is the first number related to three-dimensional space.“2”is divisible and cannot symbolize the soul or spirit except material or physical things.,Number 3,“3”has been attached great significance in Chinese culture.From our ancient Chinese perspective,the character“三”means the h
7、armony of the heaven,the earth and human beings.(在汉语中上横代表天，下横代表地，中间代表人，即天地人为一体。)Ancient people thought that all the numbers are generated from one,ended with ten,and fulfilled by three.(数字始于一，终于十，成于三。),Besides,we have many ideas about three.Such as:the three lives(the previous life,this life,and the
8、 afterlife(前生、今生、来生为三生)；2.three moral principles(三纲):ruler guides subjects,father guides son,husband guides wife.3.three generations:father,son,and grandson(父子孙为三族)4.three religions(三教):Confucianism(儒教),Buddhism(佛教),and Taoism(道教).,5.it has the meaning of auspiciousness and longevity as a lucky numb
9、er,such as:1)Three Rams Bring Bliss(三羊开泰);2)Three durable plants of winter(岁寒三友)-pine,bamboo and plum blossom.However,the pronunciation of“三”is similar with“散”(separation),we should be cautious to use it in many happy situations,especially wedding occasions.,“3”is respected in western culture.It is
10、an odd number with positive nature or qualities(阳性).It is the symbol of reproductive ability and belongs to the field of Mars(属于火星的领域).Pythagoras,the philosopher of ancient Greece,called 3“the perfect number”.According to the ancient Greek Mythology,the universe is governed by three Gods,namely,Jupi
11、ter(the Main God),Neptune(God of the Sea),and Pluto(God of Death)。The trinity（三位一体）in Christian refers to the union of the Father,the Son and the Holy Spirit.,“4”in Chinese culture contains conflicting cultural meanings,we say:1.“Men will not be confused in his forties”,which associates age with wis
12、dom;2.The seniors expect four generations under the roof together(四世同堂);3.Cities seek for a transportation system extending in all directions(四通八达)。,Number 4,Most of the time,however,the Chinese the number“4”is a taboo(禁忌)due to its similar pronunciation with“死”(death).So hospitals do not arrange be
13、ds numbered“4”;the hotels have no room and floors labeled number“4”.,“4”conveys some bad meanings in most cases in western culture,such as:1.“the fourth”is the euphemistic expressions of the toilet.2.“four-letter words”means vulgar words in America.3.“404”refers to people who is confused and knows l
14、ittle of a particular thing.e.g.He is a total 404 and dont talk to him.,Number 5,In the Chinese culture and life,5 is an widely-applied number owning to its extending cultural value.1.“the five elements:gold,wood,water,fire and earth(五行).2.“the five ethical relations:monarch and his subjects,father
15、and son,brothers,husband and wife,and friends(“五伦”：封建礼教指君臣、父子、兄弟、夫妇、朋友五种伦理关系).,在中国古代，“五”指金、木、水、火、土；与此同时，“五”也与中国传统文化密切相关，诸如五行、五福临门、五方保护神、五湖四海等等。进一步说，用数字“五”代表东西南北中五方，是中国一项非常悠久的文化传统。现在，北京奥运吉祥物选择五个福娃，既可与奥运会标志五环相呼应之外，又符合中国人口众多、历史悠久、文化丰富的国情。,“5”=3+2.In the West,“3”is the number of positive qualities and“2
16、”of negative qualities.“5”belongs to the field of Jupiter(5属于木星的领域).Friday has long been considered unlucky as it has some bad associations.1.According to the Bible,the Lord God created the first man Adam.And he took a rib from Adam to create Eve-the first woman.And it is said that Adam was created
17、on Friday.Besides,he and Eve ate the forbidden fruit-the apple on Friday as well.3.Jesus was also persecuted on Friday.,Number 6,In Chinese culture,“6”is widely used and carries great value and lucky connotations.（内涵）1.“the six linear relatives(六亲)”:in the ancient times,this refers to the father,mot
18、her,brother,sister,wife and son.2.“six flavors(六味):the bitter,sour,sweet,spicy,salty,and light flavors.,3.The emperor has six big palaces for her concubines of high status(皇上的后宫有六宫或六苑).4.The pregnant women are called“身怀六甲”.5.The sixth,sixteenth,and twenty-sixth day on Lunar calendar are all good day
19、s for marriage.,我国自古以来就有崇尚“六”的观念。考古发现秦始皇的铜马车皆以“六”及其倍数为度。先秦时期六部儒家经典称为“六经”或“六艺”，诸子中最著名的阴阳、儒、墨、名、法、道德总称为“六家”，皇后的寝宫称“六宫”。古代把亲属关系归纳为“六亲”，天地四方合称为“六合”或“六幽”。妇女怀孕也称为“身怀六甲”.民间有“六六大顺”的吉语，农历初六、十六、二十六被视为举行婚礼的吉日。,In the West,“6”symbolizes love,fertility,peace and abundance,belonging to the field of Venus.(它象征爱、生殖
20、力，以及和平与丰饶，属于金星的领域.)However,“6”in English is an unpopular number,which is viewed as a sinister omen.For example,1.sixes and sevens（乱七八糟）,2.Hit somebody for six knock somebody six(给某人致命的 打击)3.Six penny(不值钱)4.six of the best（以藤鞭击六下学校的一种惩罚手段）,As for Chinese culture,“7”is a number of great value and diff
21、erent meanings.1.“the seven valuable things”:the gold,the silver,the colored glaze,the giant clam,agate，the pearl,and the rose stone(“七宝”指金、银、琉璃、砗磲、玛瑙、珍珠、玫瑰石。).2.“Magpie Festival”(七夕节):Chinese Valentines Day on July 7th,Number 7,3.“seven steps for a poem”:this phrase can commend people for his or he
22、r quick mind(a story of Cao pi created a famous poem within a very short time of seven steps.,7也有神圣的意蕴，古人将日、月、金星、木星、水星、火星、土星归纳为“七政”；又如东、南、西、北各有7位神灵，合称二十八宿，玉皇大帝有7个仙女，太上老君炼丹需要七七四十九天。佛教认为，万事由地、水、火、风、空、识、根七种本原生成；佛寺由七种厅堂组成；佛塔共有7层，所以有救人一命胜造七级浮屠；释加牟尼面壁七天则修成正果，他在菩提树下冥思四十九天则佛身显现。,But sometimes people are cau
23、tious with its uses.For example:1.we do not serve guests with“7”dishes;2.the day with seven in lunar calendar will not be chosen by people for marriage;,7在汉语中却是被人们常常忌讳的数字，“七与丧事有关”自古汉人对去世的人每七日祭拜一次,直到七七四十九天为止“；给人送礼时忌7件或7样；饭桌上的菜决不能是7盘；人们挑选良辰吉日不挑7，17，或者27。,3.people usually pay respects to their dead rel
24、atives every 6 days for 7 times.,The number seven exerts a great influence on the western culture.In the westerners eyes，seven is a mysterious and sacred number.According to the Christianity，God creates all the creatures in seven days.Hebrews often use seven while swearing,such as“to come under the
25、influence of seven things.希伯来人喜欢用“七”起誓,1.The seven virtues(七大美德):faith,hope,charity,justice,fortitude,prudence,temperance 2.The seven gifts of the spirit(神的七大礼物):wisdom(智慧),understandings(理解),counsel(忠告),fortitude(毅力),knowledge(知识),righteousness(正义),and fear of the Lord(畏上帝),3.In ones seventh heaven
26、：be in great happiness and luck（极其快乐）e.g.When she got married,she felt that she was in her seventh heaven.4.Famous brands-“Seven Up”(七喜)(a kind of beverage)and“mild seven”(柔和七星)(a kind of cigarette),which hints that westerners favor towards“7”just like we Chinese people towards“8”.,Number 8,The pron
27、unciation of“8”is similar with our character“发”(it represents the meaning of earning lots of money and having flourishing business),so the number“8”is irreplaceable and unique for Chinese people,especially for businessmen.For example:.,1.“518”represents“I will be rich”.2.Many businessmen want to end
28、 their phone number with“8”.3.Business stores with the number of“8”will be bided for a higher price.,在我国，南方经济发达区的粤语区的“八”与“发”谐音，广东人特别喜欢数字八，以求生财之道，发财致富。现在对八的爱好已经风靡全国，各行各业，男女老少对“八”可以说是特别偏爱，几乎达到迷信的程度。电话号码喜欢有八，汽车牌照最好有八，有的商店取名“518”（“我要发”的谐音）中国人把八个人坐的桌子叫“八仙桌”，功名显赫的人要坐“八抬大轿”，以显“八面威风”，会办事的人总是“八面玲珑”，关系亲密的朋友称为
29、“八拜之交”。,In the western culture,8 has double meanings.Firstly,it is also regarded as a lucky number.The ancient Greek think“8”stands for bumper harvest,achievements and longevity.,1.The story of Noahs Ark,according to Genesis,God has observed mans evil behaviors and flooded the earth.Only“8”people su
30、rvived the disaster by Noahs Ark.2.In the Gospel(福音书),Jacob,Jesus brother,had“8”children and so“8”means fertility(多子多孙).,Secondly,“8”does not enjoy such“privileges”in western culture as in our culture.For example:“behind the eight ball”:处于困境之中somebody is in a disadvantaged situation or the condition
31、s engaged are not so promising and good.,Number 9,As for nine,the Occidental and Oriental cultures share some common features:Most people in the two cultures regard nine as mysterious and sacred number;Number nine refers to the majority as well as the number itself;Number nine is often used in the e
32、ntertainment and sports activities.,在我国，数字“九”被认为是一种神秘的数字，它起初是龙形（或蛇形）图腾化之文字，继而演化出“神圣”之意，于是中国古代历代帝王为了表示自己神圣的权力为天赐神赋，便竭力把自己同“九”联系在一起,如“九五之尊”（imperial throne）；称官位仅次于皇帝的王爷为“九千岁”等。,含有数字“九”的词汇也十分丰富。如，“九州”是指传说中的我国上古行政区划，后用作“中国”的代称;“九族”（the nine degrees of kindred:either the nine generations from ones great-
33、great-grandfather down to ones great-great-grandson;or four generations of ones paternal relations,three generations of ones maternal relations,and two generations of ones wifes relations），古代有一种残酷的刑法叫“诛灭九族”；古代传说“龙生九子，各有所好”;民间传说中还有“九头鸟”（nine-headed bird:a fabulous bird whose appearance was for merely
34、 regarded as a bad omen）的故事。,此外，在文娱、体育等词汇中，数字“九”也比比皆是。如，许多歌名都以“九”开头：“九妹”、“九九艳阳天”、“九百九十九朵玫瑰”等；乐器中也有“九音锣”；在体育活动中，“九柱戏”（nine pins），兵器中有“九节鞭”但这与西方文化中的“九尾鞭”（cat-of-nine-tails:an instrument of punishment so called from the nine pieces of leather or cord which compose it）意义不大一样。地名中也有一些以“九”开头的，如“九寨沟”、“九华山”、
35、“九江”和“九龙”等。,在西方，数字“九”也是人们心目中的“神数”之一。对西方人来说，“九”的象征意义是“神性”、“神圣之至”。英语权威字典Websters Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary and Websters Third International Dictionary 中收入与“九”有关词语和成语多达近二十条。常用的有：,A nine-days wonder(an object or event that creates a short-lived sensation)【轰动一时(不久便被遗忘)的事情】Nine times out of ten(very
36、 often)Be dressed up to the nines(elaborately dressed,as for a formal occasion)In the nine holes:in the difficult situation A cat has nine lives:A cat can move so fast and jump so well that he seems to escape being killed many times.,数字“九”及其倍数在西方也被广泛运用于文娱和体育活动中。如，保龄球（bowling）中的瓶状木柱数（ninepins）为“九”；高尔
37、夫球球场有一十八个洞;跳子棋的棋板上各 方均为九个孔等。由此看来，数字“九”也倍 受西方人的青睐。,Number 10,In Chinese culture and life,10 means that things culminates with a perfect and good result or representing a success.We have the following phrases:1.“十拿九稳”：be very confident.2.“十全十美”：be perfect without flaws and weaknesses.3.“十步芳草”：it literally means that you can find vigorous plants within ten steps,suggesting there are many talents and geniuses in life here and there.,In western culture,10 is a symbol of success and perfectness.Humans have ten fingers and ten toes.As in the Bible,there are“Ten Commandments”(十诫).,谢 谢 观 赏,
