Chit-chat about the Chinese

Author: Yi Tianzhong
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2000-01-01
Features: When Chinese people meet, they bow and kowtow; Westerners shake hands and hug. Because the Chinese are "introverted," and Westerners are "extroverted." Extroverted, so they extend their hands to shake hands with others; introverted, so they extend their hands to hold their own. This is just like the Chinese using chopsticks to pick up food, which is "introverted force"; Westerners using forks to stab food, which is "extroverted force." One is extroverted, and the other is introverted, so the symbol of Western culture is the "cross," and the symbol of Chinese culture is the "Tai Chi diagram." Food, clothing, units, families, human relationships, and face are the basic contents of people's lives. Because they are basic, people become accustomed to these phenomena that are everywhere, even numb to them; few people delve into why they are this way and what their relationship is with Chinese culture? The author of Talking About the Chinese, Yi Zhongtian, however, has a unique ingenuity. In his research on Chinese and Western cultures, he systematically studies these life phenomena from the accumulation of thousands of years of Chinese culture, from the concrete to the abstract, and from the abstract to the concrete, striving to uncover the core of the culture and providing theoretical elaboration, pointing out that everything is "this way" rather than "that way" because the core of Chinese culture is "group consciousness." It starts from the close and extends to the distant, elucidating the essence of Chinese culture in detail. One of the features of this book is writing "main points" with "idle strokes." It is a work on Chinese culture, but it is not as abstract, theoretical, or dry as general monographs. The entire book tells the stories of ordinary people (of course, not just ordinary people), with a relaxed attitude, making it easy and pleasant to read, yet profoundly hitting the mark, often leaving readers with the feeling, "That's really the case." Another feature of the book is its ability to explain profound things in simple language. When analyzing the myriad life phenomena, whether interpreting words or citing classics, it moves from the original meaning to the broader meaning, from phenomena to essence, like chatting with you, revealing the profound social nature of these phenomena. A third feature of the book is its fluent and vivid writing style. Since it is "idle talk," it cannot be formal. The author often uses colloquial language to describe habits, making it witty and humorous. A fourth feature of the book is its tightly interconnected structure. From food to clothing, from units to families, from face to human relationships to friendship, it connects seemingly unrelated aspects from one to two, and from two to three, making readers want to continue reading the next chapter after finishing each one. In a nutshell, Talking About the Chinese is like a pot of fragrant Biluochun tea, offering endless aftertaste. Friends who love traditional culture must read it. Food, clothing, units, families, human relationships, and face are the basic contents of people's lives. Because they are basic, people become accustomed to these phenomena that are everywhere, even numb to them; few people delve into why they are this way and what their relationship is with Chinese culture? The author of Talking About the Chinese, Yi Zhongtian, however, has a unique ingenuity. In his research on Chinese and Western cultures, he systematically studies these life phenomena from the accumulation of thousands of years of Chinese culture, from the concrete to the abstract, and from the abstract to the concrete, striving to uncover the core of the culture and providing theoretical elaboration, pointing out that everything is "this way" rather than "that way" because the core of Chinese culture is "group consciousness." It starts from the close and extends to the distant, elucidating the essence of Chinese culture in detail. One of the features of this book is writing "main points" with "idle strokes." It is a work on Chinese culture, but it is not as abstract, theoretical, or dry as general monographs. The entire book tells the stories of ordinary people (of course, not just ordinary people), with a relaxed attitude, making it easy and pleasant to read, yet profoundly hitting the mark, often leaving readers with the feeling, "That's really the case." Another feature of the book is its ability to explain profound things in simple language. When analyzing the myriad life phenomena, whether interpreting words or citing classics, it moves from the original meaning to the broader meaning, from phenomena to essence, like chatting with you, revealing the profound social nature of these phenomena. A third feature of the book is its fluent and vivid writing style. Since it is "idle talk," it cannot be formal. The author often uses colloquial language to describe habits, making it witty and humorous. A fourth feature of the book is its tightly interconnected structure. From food to clothing, from units to families, from face to human relationships to friendship, it connects seemingly unrelated aspects from one to two, and from two to three, making readers want to continue reading the next chapter after finishing each one. In a nutshell, Talking About the Chinese is like a pot of fragrant Biluochun tea, offering endless aftertaste. Friends who love traditional culture must read it.