美联英语提供：美联英语：中西文化差异之中国文化的50个主题
小编给你一个美联英语官方试听课申请链接：http://www.meten.com/?tid=16-73374-0 1. The Monkey King vs. Harry Potter 孙悟空PK哈利·波特
A：I read in the press that some people are thinking of making Sun Wu Kong, the Monkey King, an international star, just like Harry Potter. Their argument is that the Monkey King is a lot more talented and capable than Harry and could be a big hit for audiences outside China.
B：In China, the Monkey King is a household name. Everybody knows he uses a magical golden stick as a weapon and can be transformed into 72 alter egos. A：But many young people seem to like Harry Potter better. Harry is real and shares a lot of things in common with them. For example, he has conflicts with his teachers and classmates and he has his own best friends. The Monkey King, on the other hand, is born out of a stone. He doesn’t feel happy like an ordinary person, nor get angry like them. He doesn’t interact with other people either. He does not have the familiarity which people find in Harry.
B：That’s an interesting observation. Western characters like Superman, Spiderman and Batman, all have the qualities of an ordinary person. Even Tarzan has a sweetheart and friends. Those characters are very brave and always ready to help. In comparison, the Monkey King is a lone ranger. His only job is to protect his master, a saint. Although he rebels against the authority, the character lacks the worldly conflict between good and evil. As a result, he seems less approachable than Harry.
A：Many students told me that they like Harry because he has a girlfriend. The same is true of Superman and Spiderman. The girls are the source of their courage. The Monkey King doesn’t have love. Of the four characters in the novel Pilgrimage to the West, only Zhu Ba Jie has some interest in women but as a consequence he is always scolded and scorned. Most female characters in this novel are evil incarnations, being portrayed as temptations for the saint and his disciples. In traditional Chinese culture women used to be considered a source of evil.
B：So it seems that an intimate understanding of a worldly life and the righteousness of the superhero are the deciding factors in the popularity of these characters.
A：It certainly makes it easier for people to identify themselves with those super characters. A monkey born out of a stone doesn’t seem to resonate with the vibes of modern society.
A：我在报上看到，有人计划把孙悟空打造成一个国际明星，因为孙悟空的本领比哈利?波特大得多，在世界范围内一定能更火。
B：在中国，孙悟空是个家喻户晓的名字。谁都知道他手中的金箍棒和七十二变本领。 A：但是许多年轻人似乎更喜欢哈利?波特。哈利?波特是个活生生的人，他有一般孩子的特点。比如他也和老师、同学发生冲突，有自己最好的朋友。孙悟空则是从石头中诞生的，缺乏常人的喜怒哀乐和人际交往。他没有人们在哈利?波特身上发现的相似性。
B：那倒是一个有趣的看法。西方的超人、蜘蛛侠、蝙蝠侠等形象都具有普通人的特征。既便是人猿泰山，也有他的恋人和朋友。他们非常勇敢，并且随时准备出手相助。相比较而言，孙悟空是一个孤胆英雄。他肩负着护卫圣人取经的职责，虽然他也反叛权威，但是缺少
了俗世常有的善恶冲突。孙悟空的形象与哈利?波特比，少了亲近感。
A：许多学生告诉我，他们喜欢哈利?波特，因为他有女朋友。超人和蜘蛛侠的故事也如此。这些女性给予英雄们力量。但孙悟空没有爱情。《西游记》中的师徒四人，只有猪八戒对女人有兴趣，却总是被其他人嘲弄或斥责。这部小说中的女性多数是妖怪，是用来诱惑圣人和他的徒弟们的。她们是中国古人观念中的祸水。
B：看来，决定一个超级英雄能否被更广泛接受的主要因素，是他们易于亲近的特性和崇高的品行。
A：超级英雄因为与人类的相似而易于被接受，石头缝里生出来的猴子似乎很难与人产生共鸣。
2.Yellow: China’s Favorite Color 黄，中国人崇尚的颜色
A：Chinese people seem to like the red and yellow colors a lot. The two colors are used for the Chinese national flag. They are also the predominant colors for the cover design of some important books, as well as in the decorations for major events, such as the flower display in
B：The color preferences of the Chinese people are influenced by the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire and earth, in addition to geographical locations and weather. China is a huge and geographically diversified country. It is cold in the north so people there like warm colors. But it is just the opposite in the south. Of all the warm colors, the Han people like yellow especially.
A：Maybe because the Hans originated in the Yellow River Plateau, a region where yellow was the prevailing color.
B：You are probably right. As far as the five elements are concerned, the
corresponding colors are white, green, black, red, and yellow. Yellow is the predominant color and is situated in the center of the diagram. Yellow was also the color representing the imperial court in traditional China. It was established as the authoritative color representing the Emperor during the Han Dynasty more than 2000 years ago. During the Sui Dynasty, yellow was officially designated as the exclusive color for the imperial family. It was used in the Emperor’s clothes, the paper on which the Emperor published his decrees, and the calendar that was printed by the
A：People have a tradition of making a “longevity outfit” for the deceased. The inner side of the outfit is always yellow. The bottom of the coffin is also lined with yellow silk.
B：During the 1980s and 1990s, taxis in Beijing were all painted yellow. Those taxis were very popular because of space and low fares. However, they were considered inappropriate for Beijing and were replaced with new models. The new taxis use a standard color pattern with yellow at the bottom, which acts as a reminder of Beijing’s Imperial tradition.
A：Nowadays, people always refer to pornography as “yellow literature” and pornographic films as “yellow movies.” That reference can be traced to a newspaper from the 19th century United States, which used to print vulgar paintings in yellow.
B：The word “yellow” in the campaign statement of “Eradicate the yellow and fight against the illegal” refers to pornography. I guess we all need to be very
careful with the yellow color since it is used to represent both the
A：中国人似乎很喜欢红黄两色，你看，中国国旗就是由这两种颜色组成的。很多重大场合或重要书籍的装帧总会用到这两种颜色。国庆节天安门广场摆放的花坛，也是以这两种颜色作主调。
B：中国人对色彩的好恶除了受地理、气候的影响外，也受到传统五行说的影响。从地理方面说，中国是个地域广阔的国家，北方寒冷，人们喜欢暖色;南方炎热，人们喜欢冷色。在暖色中，汉民族最崇尚黄色。
A：这也许是因为汉民族的发源地是黄土高原，这个地域满目黄土之色。
B：可能是吧。从五行说来看，金、木、水、火、土所代表的五色分别是白、青、黑、赤、黄，其中黄为主色，位在中央。在中国古代社会，黄色是皇权的象征。在两千多年前的汉代，朝廷就规定“衣尚黄”，确立了黄色的权威地位。从隋朝起，黄色成为皇家专用的颜色。皇帝的龙袍称作黄袍;皇帝的文告用黄纸写成，称黄榜;皇帝颁发的历书用黄纸印刷，称为黄历。
A：据我所知，按照传统，死者去世后穿的衣服称作“寿衣”，它讲究双层缝制，里面那一层一定要用黄色。棺材的底部也要铺上黄绸布。
B：上世纪八九十年代，北京街头跑着的出租车就是黄色的面包车。它因为价廉且空间大而广受欢迎。后来这种车型被认为有碍京城市容而被新车型取代。现在的出租车采用统一的颜色，下半部为土黄，以体现北京皇家名城的传统。
A：现在，人们称色情文学为“黄色小说”，称色情电影为“黄色电影”。这种说法来源于19世纪美国的一家报纸，该报社以黄色印刷趣味低下的漫画。
B：现在的词汇“扫黄打非”中的“黄”就有色情的意思。这种有时贵为皇家专用，有时又表示低级趣味的颜色，用起来还真要小心。古时用错了黄色会杀头，今天错用了黄色会
美联英语：中西文化差异之中国文化的50个主题
