1、Reflections of Time Concept,Linear extension and circular rotation 线伸环旋,Western: extension, sense of time shortage, future valued Chinese: rotation, sense of time abundance, past cherished,Time is a river, a torrent, a waterfall. Time is marching, flying and flowing.,Time is compared to water,Time and tide wait for no man,Time lost is never found again,“Time is the devourer of everything.” Ovid,Roman Poet 43 B. C.,English Poet (1608 1674),English Playwright (1564 1616),时间是一切事物的吞食者。 奥维特,“Time is
2、the subtle thief of youth.” - Milton,“Time is most brisk and giddy-paced.” - Shakespeare,时间是窃走青春的神秘盗贼 。 弥尔顿,时间步伐如此迅疾,令人眼花缭乱。 莎士比亚,Quotations from Poets,昨天,今天,明天,Times Paces When I was a babe and wept and slept, Time crept; When I was a boy and laughed and talked, Time walked. Then when the years saw me a man, Time ran. But as I older grew, Time flew. Soon, as I journey on, Ill find time gone. May Christ have saved my soul, by then, Amen.,Guy Pentreath (1902 - 1985),春与秋其代序。 (屈原:离骚) Spring alterna
3、tes with autumn.,日月光华,旦复旦兮。(尚书大传上卷) The sun alternates with the moon; Days come one after another soon.,Time is like a circle,失之东隅,收之桑榆。 What is lost at sunrise can be regained at sunset. 冯异,Idiom: 时来运转 The favor of the time cycle brings good luck.,After extreme bad luck, comes good luck,枯木逢春犹再发 A withered tree comes to life again,Americans believe time is a limited resource, they try to conserve and manage it. People do all they can to squeeze more life out of their time.,Do you love life? Then
4、 do not waste time, for that is the stuff life is made of.,Subjective time and objective time Americans see time as a valuable resource. Maybe thats why they are fond of the expression, “Time is money.“,American sense of time shortage,deadlines,plans,appointments,pocket planners,calendars,accountings,on time,in time,time managements,time tables,agendas,schedules,Americans seem tied to the clock.,The Blockbuster,American lifestyles show how much people respect the time of others. When people plan
5、 an event, they often set the time days or weeks in advance. Once the time is fixed, it takes almost an emergency to change it. If people want to come to your house for a friendly visit, they will usually call first to make sure it is convenient.,To outsiders, Americans seem tied to the clock. People in other cultures value relationships more than schedules. In these societies, people dont try to control time, but to experience it. Chinese, for example, view time as a cycle. They find it easier
6、to “go with the flow“ than Americans, who like plans to be fixed and unchangeable.,Linear time concept,Time is marching forward,Lost time is never found again,Time is a limited resource,Time is money, value it,Punctuality,Respect,Lifestyle,Cause and Effect,Chinese sense of time abundance,The Chinese nations concept of time is rooted in the culture of farming time; time has a close relation with the nature. Time is really fleeting, but it also circle like the constantly changing of four seasons,
7、and the sun and the moon cycle alternately, it will come back soon; so people usually think that the lost time could be back. This kind of view of time shaped people a sense that time is rich, and also nurtured a habit of leisure and slow living habit.,Cases,Time for Chinese is more flexible and more human-centered. They usually schedule several activities at the same time They usually put interpersonal relations above the schedule The big shot usually is late,慢走,慢用,慢慢看,慢慢做,慢慢商量,慢慢欣赏,慢慢来,America
8、n future orientation,the westerners (especially the Americans) were influenced by the Christian “original sin”, tending to believe “men at their birth, are naturally evil. So most of them choose the futuristic time orientation. Such as: A.“跟上时代”(keeping up with the time) B.“关注未来”(keeping an eye on the future) as the action guidance. C. It was widely believed that equality in opportunities for everybody, insignificance in history. If they work hard, it will be successful; Change means progress, a
9、nd new things are always better than the old things.,Chinese past orientation,China as the representative of Asians choose to look back in the time orientation Cultural factors: Asians (especially the Chinese) was influenced by traditional Confucian culture, so tending to believe “Men at their birth are naturally good”. And social guidance incline to tradition. Expressions : A. considering whether this matter has been done over the past and what the successful experience and lessons from failures is. B. worshipping of ancestors, respecting the elderly and teachers, attaching importance to experience, age, which has relation with the past.,The word “Lao” in China used to show respect to those who are more experienced and usually older, like “Lao Li”, “Lao Wang”. In this way we show respect and amity to the old people, which indicates a past time orientation.,Chinese belong to the “past time orientati
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