Chinese Proverbs

People`s understandings and feelings towards other groups/cultures differ, which is understandable.However, judging them easily without enough research or even basic knowledge is somewhat ..On the other hand, I do find some Westerners hold the same prejudice on Chinese social structure/political system. Well, the chinese government has made a very wise suggestion: Come and see it with your own eyes. Everyone knows the current system/society is not perfect, but it`s one of the best we`ve ever had, and we`re still working hard to improve it. Yesterday a Japanese friend told me she felt quite comfortable living in Beijing, but before she came here, China was a "dangerous" country in her imagination. She later find lives here are almost the same with those of her own country. When I was in Europe, I was surprised to hear some odd comments on China. I always wonder how China could be such a strange and different state in some foreigners` mind and mouth? I have a feeling that some are not against China, but just lack of information on modern China. A few people refuse to get to know the real China. MASSAGEUK is not the first person I`ve known. As for Mao,"I did not insult Mao yet - but I think most of us agree that he was in pair with stalin and hitler - dictator and murderer." do you guys really think so? Even though Mao is a historical person to young people like me, I totally disagree that he is the same type with Hitler!~No matter if his political ideas or deeds are accepted by others, he is an exordinarily remarkable one in many fields. Whoever is not a killer in the battlefield(in war or in politics)? He did some mistakes, but he did play the leading role in setting up new China. I wish I wouldn`t tell a person/nation too fast and easily. But it`s ok to speak out our ideas.That`s how we communicate and discover problems.

[quote=MASSAGEUK]tway - As you might already gathered I don't recognise 'nation' as a valid concept, coutries are purely artificial political devisions and there is only one human race.

I may be mis-reading this but this suggests to me that you are not proud of where you come from because you don't recognise that you are from any 'nation'. If i've misread you then apologies, but if i haven't then i find that a little sad.

I, for one am glad of all these political divisions because it means i can look forward to things like the Olympics, the world cup, and most importantly i get my passport stamped because there are lots of countries to visit because of these political (and religous) boundaries.

This seems to be a belief system based on paradoxes; I can't follow the logic behind it. However, we're each and every one of us entitled to our opinions, so I will respectfully cease to argue. I don't what to say in response to that, anyway.

Yo MUSSAGEUK ... Your magnanimity condescends Wocca. He/ she/it has no interest in planting seeds of hatred against such a great regional power as China: a nation which has the potential to be a great WORLD power. See you next life

Quoting daveh

I, for one am glad of all these political divisions because it means i can look forward to things like the Olympics, the world cup, and most importantly i get my passport stamped because there are lots of countries to visit because of these political (and religous) boundaries.

on the other (less bright site) there are wars, occupations, concentration camps, genocides, terrorism, warfare, ethnic discrimination etc. Not as scarring on the TV or if you are just a visiting tourist - but much more dramatic if you actually experience it on your own skin

actually - it sounds as a part of a great chinese history.

Oh, I hate all powers - even more so world powers

Quoting MASSAGEUK

Quoting Zhou

Actually we are using proverbs all the time to make our points clearer and deeper. It`s not that much to do with Mao or any person. It`s the language and culture thing that we inherite and accumulate during the past five thousand years.

zhou posts confirms that proverbs are used by chinese to support their view: "don't argue with me, I am intelectually superior to you and I learned more from the past" - instead of speaking their mind and be judged purely by that.

in a social context very much about class/group devision and nationalism of the society

I am chinese and it did offend me for what you say, especially from a mouth of a British, or someone who claim he doesnt has nationality, he doesnt have deep understanding about chinese culture and history, who never read about the "Little read book" by categorised Mao Zhe Dong with Hilter. What makes you comment so? Just from your general knowledge about chinese?

I agree with what Zhou says that foreigners have too much misunderstand about chinese, or probably china.I cant see there is anything wrong while we try to let peoples understand about our proverb that has inherited for thousand of years and be claimed that "we are intellectually superior to you."If want me to say, i would feel it is the word come out from a mouth who has bias on us.
Every culture has their special feature for others to appreciate it, and i am glad i can still see other foreigners know how to appreciate about it. Wocca, you did a great job.

I'll throw in another two phrases.
For those in the know, pardon my hanyu pinyin. I know it's atrocious.

Yi De Bao Yuan - To repay grievance by being benevolent.

Bu Zhi Zhe Wu Jue - The ignorant are forgiven.

Quoting Jared

I'll throw in another two phrases.
For those in the know, pardon my hanyu pinyin. I know it's atrocious.

Yi De Bao Yuan - To repay grievance by being benevolent.

Bu Zhi Zhe Wu Jue - The ignorant are forgiven.

sure, jared.

Da Ren Bu Ji Xiao Ren Guo- Generous person will forgive the mistake made by ignorant person.

apologies - offence not intended.

I did read about the 'Little Red Book' (but not the book itself) - and as I know it was used as a propaganda tool for the chinese state to brainwash the population. Kids had to memorise the whole paragraphs and for disagreeing with the book content you would be send to 'rehabilitation camp' (working there as a slave) for years (still about 10 milion 'unrulled' workers are imprisoned there).

Most probably Mao exterminated even more people that Hitler and Stalin did together - you might want to look at the article 'Harry Wu Exposes China's Nazi-like Genocide' http://www.newsmax.com/archives/articles/2003/1/9/202829.shtml

Once again - I think that my original original post about conservatism of the chinese society was taken took far.

MASSAGEUK,to some extent I can understand you and those people who are misled by certain articles/persons. You may be eduacated or encouraged to think in that way.I got this idea when I read all those strange comments entitled in bold black at the first page of the Wallstreet Journal which used to be a reading material offerred by my univ in Europe.I`ve never read the"little red book", but heard of some. Not all of the words are bulls**t.The "little red book"period is a very special one in China. That`s an age that people are crazy about heros.As the undoutable icon of that time, Mao is admired as a saint. Even nowadays, Mao and Beijing occupy a very special place in many Chinese hearts. ..well, speaking of this, I have to say it`s very complicated and we cannot and should not generalize in a single book. But it was not everybody forced to do so--no kids like a textbook but they read it, don`t they? And if you judge Mao without knowing enough about him, how could you believe that'Harry Wu ',whom,I guess,you are not familiar with either? Well, this thread is already very far from Wocca`s original post. oops.