Chinese Proverbs in Chinese Media in English Intercultural Communication Perspective
Abstract
The study of ethnic proverbs in intercultural communication in English has recently become a promising research perspective. Chinese media in English, which communicate China’s message to the world, abound in native proverbs. In media coverage of international issues Chinese proverbs present an effective tool of China’s interaction with other countries. Proverbs convey China’s standpoint indirectly but firmly and may be viewed as China’s discursive strategy in media-based international discourse. The research deals with the questions of intercultural and international pragmatics of Chinese proverb quotations in Chinese media in English. The analysis was done on China’s intentions with native proverb quotations and other countries’ reactions to the proverb utterances.
Full text article
References
A Big Dictionary of Chengyu (1985). Zhengzhou: Henan renmin Press. (in Chinese)
Adegoju, A. (2009). Rhetoric in conflict-related Yoruba proverbs: Guide to constructive conflict resolution in Africa. African Study Monographs, 30(2), 55–69.
Ademowo, A. J. & Balogun, N. (2014). Proverbs and conflict management in Africa: A study of selected Yoruba proverbs and proverbial expressions. International Journal of Literature, Language and Linguistics, 1(1), 039–044.
Almajir, T. Karin Magana Proverb as a Conflict Resolution Mechanism in Hausa Society. Available at: http://www.academia.edu/7782441/ Accessed December 30, 2014.
Brosh, H. (2013). Proverbs in the Arabic language classroom. International Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 3(5), 19–29.
Bradbury, N. M. (2002). Transforming experience into tradition: two theories of proverb use and Chaucer’s practice. Oral Tradition, 17(2), 261–289.
Cartoon commentary Xi-Ma meeting: New chapter in history of Cross-Straits relations. (2015). China Daily, November 8. http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2015-11/08/content_22402508.htm Accessed December 5, 2015.
Chen, P. (2015). Tensions with Japan unlikely to ease further. TheGlobal Times, May 4. http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/920056.shtml Accessed May 10, 2015.
Chinese spokeswoman blames Japan for tension. (2013). TheGlobal Times, March 04. http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/765667.shtml Accessed May 11, 2015.
Chinese proverbs (Yanyu) dictionary. (1981). Nanjing: Jiangsu Renmin Press. (in Chinese)
Deng, Y. (2010). A wrong hit at a wrong beat. Xinhuanet, June 2. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/indepth/2010-06/02/c_13329462.htm Accessed September 5, 2015.
Elliott, J. (2013). China turns friendly with India but why. The Foreign Desk: blog independent http://blogs.independent.co.uk/2013/05/21/china-turns-friendly-with-india-but-why Accessed September 14, 2015.
Gardiner, H. (2013). In New Delhi, Chinese Prime Minister promotes trade ties. New York Times, May 21, 2013. http://www.nytimes.com/2013/05/22/world/asia/in-new-delhi-chinese-leader-promotes-trade-ties.html Accessed September 14, 2015.
Gotlib, O. M., Mu Huangying (Ed.). (2007). Chinese-Russian Phraseological dictionary. Moskow: East-West. (in Russian)
Guthrie, G. P. (2003). 1,600 Quotes & Pieces of Wisdom That Just Might Help You Out When You're Stuck in a Moment (and Can't Get Out of It!). iUniverse.
Hall, E. (1989). Beyond culture. New York: Anchor Books.
He, Ch. (Ed.). (1988). Dictionary of Ancient Sayings. Guiyang: Guizhou renmin Press. (in Chinese)
Honeck, R.P. (2013). A Proverb in Mind: The Cognitive Science of Proverbial Wit and Wisdom. Psychology Press.
Hong, C. (2014). Japan, China can share the same boat. The China Daily, October 21.http://africa.chinadaily.com.cn/opinion/2014-10/21/content_18774650_2.htm Accessed December 15, 2015.
India, China have far more common interests: Li Keqiang. (2013). Indian Broadcasting Network (CNN-IBN). May 21. http://www.ibnlive.com/news/india/china-li-in-mumbai-610557.html Accessed September 12, 2015.
Jiao, L., Stone, B. (2014). 500 Common Chinese Proverbs and Colloquial Expressions: An Annotated Frequency Dictionary. Routledge.
Karl, D.J. (2013). India: Asia’s Geopolitical Sweetheart. Foreign policy blog. June 17, 2013. http://foreignpolicyblogs.com/2013/06/17/india-asias-geopolitical-sweetheart Accessed September 12, 2015.
Kassis, R.A. (1999). The Book of Proverbs and Arabic Proverbial Works. Brill: Leiden-Boston Koln.
Language, Cultural Exchange Warm up China-US Strategic, Economic Dialogue (2009). The Global Times, July 28, 2009. http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/451813.shtml Accessed September 10, 2015.
Lee, J. F. K. (2015). Chinese Proverbs: How are Women and Men Represented? OS –Multidisciplinary Journal of Gender Studies, 4(1), 559–585.
Li, L. (2000). Intercultural comparison of English and Chinese proverbs (suyu). Lianyungang Technical College Journal, 1, 73–76. (in Chinese)
Li, Y. (2013). Promote common development through greater openness and cooperation: speech at the third China-Eurasia economic development and cooperation forum, Urumqi, September 2, 2013. Xinhuanet,September 3, 2013. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-09/03/c_132688515.htm Accessed September 10, 2015.
Liu, J. (2013). A comparative study of English and Chinese animal proverbs – from the perspective of metaphors. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 3(10), 1844–1849.
Liu, Y. (1992). Chengyu and Shuyu Dictionary. Taibei: Shangwu. (in Chinese)
Li Yuanchao's speech at the Commemoration of the International Day of Peace 2013 & China-South Asia Peace and Development Forum. (2013). Xinhuanet, September 21, 2013. http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/china/2013-09/21/c_132738196.htm Accessed September 12, 2015.
Ma, L. (2011). The Word and the World: Exploring World Views of Monolingual and Bilingual Chinese Through the Use of Proverbs. Available at: Open Access Dissertations http://scholarlyrepository.miami.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1561&context=oa_dissertations Accessed December 15, 2015.
Makamani, R. (2013). African proverbs and conflict management: a study of selected Shona, Oshivambo, Yoruba and Swahili proverbial expressions. African Journal of Rhetoric, 4, 122–149.
Mieder, W. (1997). The Politics of Proverbs: From Traditional Wisdom to Proverbial Stereotypes. Univ of Wisconsin Press.
Mieder, W. (2005). Proverbs are the Best Policy: Folk Wisdom and American Politics. Utah State University Press: Logan, Utah.
Mieder, W. (2010). The Golden Rule as a political imperative for the world. President Barack Obama’s proverbial messages abroad. Millî Folklor, 22(85), 26–35. http://www.millifolklor.com Accessed January 20, 2015.
Nikolaeva, O., Yakovleva, E. (2015). The pragmatics of Chinese proverb quoting in the English- and the Russian-language mass media of PRC. Asian Social Science, 11 (15), 211–220.
Piirainen, E. (2005). Europeanism, internationalism or something else? Proposal for a cross-linguistic and cross-cultural research project on widespread idioms in Europe and beyond. Journal of Linguistics, 35, 45–75.
Rohsenow, J. (2003). ABC Dictionary of Chinese Proverbs (Yanyu). University of Hawaii Press.
Speech by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Indonesian Parliament(2 October 2013, Jakarta, Indonesia). (2013). Available at: http://www.asean-china-center.org/english/2013-10/03/c_133062675.htm Accessed October 9, 2015.
Sun, Zh, Yao Ch. (2014) China champions new Asian security concept: Xi. Peoples’ Daily, May 21, 2014.http://en.people.cn/n/2014/0521/c90883-8730684.html Accessed September 21, 2015.
Weng, L. (2008). Revisiting Chinese values through self-generated proverbs and sayings. Intercultural Communication Studies, 17(2), 107–121.
Vital Greek solution can only be found through European compromise: commentary of the Xinhua News Agency. (2015). TheGlobal Times, June 9. http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/931304.shtml Accessed September 21, 2015.
Wen, D. (Ed.). (2004). Chinese Idioms (Guanyongyu) Dictionary. Shanghai: Cishu Press. (in Chinese)
Wen, D. (Ed.). (1986). Chinese Proverbs (Suyu) Dictionary. Shanghai: Cishu Press. (in Chinese)
Wen, Zh. (2012). An analysis of social proverbs from the perspective of cultural semiotics. Theory and Practice in Language Studies, 2(10), 2073–2080.
Xia, Zh. & Chen, Zh (Ed.). (2009). Cihai dictionary. Shanghai: Cishu. (in Chinese)
Yang, Y. (2011) China and the U.S.: Who threatens whom after all. ThePeople’s Daily, February 21. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90780/91343/7294701.html Accessed May 1, 2011.
Yu, F., Guo, Sh. (1999). The Comparison of English and Chinese Idioms. Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press. (in Chinese)
Zhao, Z. (Ed.). (1984). Encyclopedia of Ancient Literary Quotation. Nanchang: Jiangxi renmin Press. (in Chinese)
Zhou, H. (Ed.). (1989). Dictionary of Famous Sayings. Shanghai: Shanghai guji Press. (in Chinese)
Authors
Copyright (c) 2017 Olga V. Nikolaeva, Chen Shumei, Maria Panina
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This journal provides immediate and free open access to all its content and is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This means readers are permitted to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of articles, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without asking prior permission from the publisher or the author, as long as proper attribution is given. This policy is consistent with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) definition of open access.