When Chinese meets English: Surprising similarities

Mel Patching (British)

We have written much on the differences between English and Chinese, not just the language structure but the mannerisms and culture that form the essence of it. 

In Britiain we write the date dd/mm/yyyy. In China it is yyyy/mm/dd. 

In Britain the given names come before the surname. In China the surname comes first. 

In Britain people value individualism. In China they value community.

The list goes on.

It is endlessly fascinating to me to see how two civilisations can express themselves in such polar opposite ways. 

During my first year in China, these differences felt kind of overwhelming – that's what they mean when they talk about cultural shock I guess. From the smooth, spacey tube in London, straight to the crowded jerking madness of Chinese buses, my head was left reeling for a few months. 

Fitting in has continued to be a struggle, due to the fact that in such a homogenous society, any foreigner stands out like a sore thumb. And people notice. And people comment. 

It seems as if a hard line has been drawn in society between China and the outside world. Like everyone outside China is lumped together as "外国人" (wàiguó rén – their word for "foreigner"). Isn't this the same in every country, you ask? True, but I have lived in many countries as a 'foreigner' and it is only in China that I have noticed this tendency to divide the whole world into two. 

I hear, "你们外国人比较喜欢喝啤酒，对吗?" 

"nǐmen wàiguó rén bǐjiào xǐhuān hē píjiǔ, duì ma?"

"You foreigners prefer drinking beer, right?" 

Yes, British and German maybe, but Malaysian? Probably not so much.

"外国人很有钱。"

"wàiguó rén hěn yǒu qián."

"Foreigners are very rich."

Wow. Really?

But, there is hope. And I found it when studying Chéngyǔ (成语) in class. These are set expressions and sayings in Chinese, usually 4 characters long. Little pearls of wisdom that have been passed down from generation to generation. And what astounds me more than any polar opposites, is how exactly identical some sayings are in both languages. 

It is amazing that people on opposite sides of the world with little to no interaction with each other in the early days, drew the same conclusions about life and found the same wisdom. 

Have a look at the following:

When in Rome, do as Romans do.

入乡随俗

rù xiāng suí sú

Blood is thicker than water.

血浓于水

xuè nóng yú shuǐ

Make one's hair stand on end.

毛骨悚然

máo gǔ sǒng rán

Love at first sight.

一见倾心

yī jiàn qīng xīn

Strike while the iron is hot.

趁热打铁

chèn rè dǎ tiě

Two birds with one stone.

一石二鸟

yī shí èr niǎo

The walls have ears.

隔墙有耳

gé qiáng yǒu ěr

Be on thin ice.

如履薄冰

rú lǚ bó bīng

Looking at these, almost word for word identical expressions, it is comforting to know that even though we may say and do things differently, we are all inherently the same: we are all human.