Chinese Worldview Research Articles

The Chinese Exclusion Act and The Late Qing Chinese Cosmopolitanism

Abstract This article examines a specific set of literary texts, both in English and Chinese, produced by a few Chinatown leaders and some Chinese writers as they protested against the anti-Chinese sentiments and the Chinese Exclusion Act in the second half of the nineteenth century and the first decade of the twentieth century. Those Chinese-authored texts resisted the homogenizing view of the Chinese people by the Westerners, advocating a cosmopolitan class above race, and used commercial amity to assert the Chinese people's cosmopolitan right. The moral compass of the Chinese merchants in those literary stories also puts forward an alternative model of global capitalism that evolved from the traditional Chinese idea of tianxia. Reading these texts can help us build a more historicized view of Chineseness and the Chinese worldview prior to the rise of state-centered nationalisms in modern China, on the one hand, and understand the epistemological framework and limit of modern nationalisms, on the other.

Loan words and Internet expressions in Chinese linguistics

The article examines loan words and modern Internet language in Chinese, the method of their translation, the mechanism of their transformation into stable expressions of the normative language. With the development of globalization and information technology, some neologisms and new expressions appear in the Chinese language. The study of this problem allows us to show the dynamic nature of the language, to consider the interaction of language and the development of society. The goals and objectives of the study are to identify the semantic volume of some loan words in the Chinese language, to analyze the impact of translation on the linguistic picture of the world, to explore new expressions associated with information science. For the study, an associative experiment is carried out among Chinese respondents, language fragments from the media and the corpus of the modern Chinese language are analyzed. It is indicated that when entering into the Chinese linguistic composition, foreign-language words and the Internet language are often given a Chinese mentality and worldview. Different translation methods will have a certain impact on the cognition and world outlook of native Chinese speakers.

Specificity of representation of the dichotomy “young age – senior age” in the Russian and Chinese worldviews

The goal of this research is to determine the specificity of representation of the dichotomy “young age – senior age” in the cultural-linguistic space of Russia and China. The article explores the peculiarities of the representation of the dichotomy “young age – senior age” in the Russian and Chinese folk tales as the texts that reflect mentality and folk traditions. In the context of dynamic globalization processes, increase of migration processes, and development of the new transcultural linguistic personality, which encompasses ethno-linguocultural distinctness of both countries, the author determines the specificity of representation of the dichotomy “young age – senior age” in the Russian and Chinese languages within the framework of lexical-semantic space of phraseology. Special attention is given to synergy of the linguistic and cultural worldview. This is the first comparative analysis conducted on the topic that allows revealing the specificity of representation of the dichotomy “young age – senior age” in the Russian and Chinese worldviews, which defines the novelty of this work. It is proven that the reflection of the dichotomy “young age – senior age” in the worldview of both nations (Russian and Chinese) was largely affected by folk and historical tradition. In the Chinese worldview, a senior person is much regarded, while in the Russian language it is more commonly to come across such representations as worsening of mental and physical abilities, as well as uselessness of senior people.

Методология исследований картины мира китайцев

An analysis of modern studies of the Chinese worldview allows us to highlight the general positive and negative trends in modern sinology. The author notes the wide coverage of various fragments of the world’s picture, which allows creating a language base for modeling as well as identifies the main problems associated with the insufficient attention of researchers to the features of the Chinese language and Chinese culture.

THE ANIMAL WORLD IN THE LIGHT OF ANCIENT CHINESE PHILOSOPHY

Ancient Chinese philosophy has a deep ontological and culturological character. This philosophy is characterized by its symbolic and spiritual meaning, which consists in certain ways of understanding the essence of the world and the place of man in it. This world is inseparable from the feeling of being nature and its perception as one of the foundations of the existence of living things. The embodiment of the natural essence of the world is the flora and fauna, with which man has many relationships - from practical utilitarian to symbolic and cultural. The very cyclical existence of the world is measured in the Chinese socio-cultural space through the existence of the animal world - each year of existence of Chinese civilization, which is more than 5,000 years old, is marked by a certain animal symbol. These symbols have a deep meaning in the sense of human perception of natural attributive phenomena in their cyclicity and immutability. On the other hand, through dichotomous pairs - living - inanimate, light - dark, black - white, female - male, Chinese mythology, philosophy, in general, culture, express a specific vision of the world and human attitude to this world. Regarding the animal world, Chinese culture has its own specific vision, which is expressed through an understanding of its origins and course of life. Animals for the Chinese are not so much exotic at the level of zoos and tourism, as the practical plane of existence of Chinese society. From the domestication of wild animals and their transformation into the first helpers in the economy, Chinese civilization has come a long way, which today is embodied both at the level of people’s lives and everyday life, and at the level of the most thorough and meaningful gaps in cultural life.These gaps are realized through mythology, religion, philosophy, art, education and upbringing. From the point of view of the holistic perception of Chinese culture, it is difficult to separate scientific and non-scientific elements, especially in the field of attitude to the animal world - wild and domesticated. The traditional Chinese worldview is broad and diverse in terms of the ratio of rational and non-rational, mystical, elements. The cult of flora and fauna is for Chinese culture is perfectly embodied in Chinese culture at the level of mentality, emotional and cognitive perception. Recreational lacunae of Chinese life completely reproduce the life of nature - this is health practices, and cultural leisure areas, especially represented in mass forms - in the form of festivals “snakes”, “dragons”, tigers”, this is the cult of pandas, this is the daily economic occupations of the Chinese, in which animals and plants are present, it is also restaurant business, it is also ecological tourism, etc. These traditions, recorded at the level of cults, rites, rituals, also have a philosophical basis in certain philosophical disciplines: in ontology, in epistemology, in anthropology, social philosophy, especially philosophy of culture, art, literature and education.

Modernization of Chinese Philosophical Methodology

The present paper aims to shed light on certain methodological challenges that Chinese intellectuals faced in the process of coming to terms with Marxist thought. Even at the beginning of these processes, i.e., in the first decades of the 20th century, Chinese theorists faced several difficulties regarding the issue of cross-cultural philosophical syntheses. Thus, in their endeavours to adapt Marxism to the specifically Chinese worldview, they sought suitable adaptations of traditional philosophical methodologies that would enable them to fruitfully integrate classical Chinese and modern Marxist discourses. Zhang Dainian 張岱年 (1909–2004) has played a particularly prominent role in this process. Therefore, this paper aims to shed light on his contribution to the establishment of new Chinese and cross-cultural philosophical methodologies. In terms of exploring general philosophical issues, Zhang established a unique philosophical system known as “neo-materialism” in which he attempted to integrate Marxist materialism with some basic approaches of traditional Chinese philosophy. The crucial features that defined this philosophical system were based on his innovative methodology, which is critically presented in this paper.

The study of Chinese opera culture on the example of the genre palette

The purpose of the article is to study the problem of Chinese opera culture on the example of the genre palette. The methodology is to use the historical method in the study of this topic. It is thanks to this method that genre genres of Chinese opera are revealed in the work. Information on roles and make-up is provided, based on the historical method. The scientific novelty of the article is to study the feasibility of the issue of Chinese opera culture, drawing on the country's musical traditions. The historical names of the philosophers who influenced the development of the musical arts and education system, which affected the cultural traditions of China, were highlighted. The scientific novelty of the article is the study and study of Chinese opera culture on the example of the genre palette. Based on the country's musical traditions, we single out important factors of opera genres, including Tibetan opera, Shaoxing, Sichuan, Henan, Guangdong, etc. Conclusions are based on the study of the problem of Chinese opera culture on the example of the genre palette, revealed the original culture of the country, its worldview system. The problem of the genre palette of Chinese opera culture has interested many scholars, among which we single out scientific works: L.S. Vasiliev, Hou Jiang, U Gen-Ir, and others. This question highlighted the philosophical trends that underpin China's traditions. The problem of studying the worldview system of ancient China as the basis for the emergence of the musical tradition has interested many scholars because it influenced the cultural life of the countries of the East. Based on the study of the problem of opera culture, they discovered the original art of China. Philosophical views influenced both theatrical life and the country's musical art. Special attention was paid to the issue of education, in particular aesthetics, in China. Music education has played an important role in China's culture. Confucius emphasizes the comprehensive development of humans while emphasizing the morality of the individual. The opera culture of the country is peculiar. Musical load played a big role. The Chinese worldview is based on a vision of nature as a living organism. The first sprouts of musical and theatrical art emerge. XII-XIII centuries marked the birth of Chinese opera. The Chinese theater was in full understanding of the people. The article highlights the types of opera genres. The musical side of classical theater is characterized by an unbroken unity of sound, words, and dance. The circle of images, moods, techniques of acting is characterized by a certain type of melody, rhythm, composition of the orchestra. The study of this issue regarding the opera culture of China is interesting and not fully understood, which necessitates further development in the study of this issue.

Reflection of Family Relations in the Russian and Chinese Languages (Based on Frames husband's mother – daughter-in-law, wife’s mother – son-in-law, husband's sister – sister-in-law)

Propositional frame-based modeling is one of the most effective methods of cognitive linguistics. This method considers the interaction between the semantic and cognitive aspects of units of two typologically different languages, e. g. Russian and Chinese, in order to study the way language structures and reflects human knowledge and experience. Propositional structures are the same for all languages, but they are implemented differently in every language. The authors used the propositional frame-based analysis to identify universal and specific aspects in the semantics of proverbs based on frames husband's mother – daughter-in-law, wife's mother – son-in-law and husband's sister – sister-in-law, which are important fragments of the Russian and Chinese linguistic world view. The cognitive potential of paroemiological units is enormous: proverbs reflect historical, cultural, linguistic, and extralinguistic cognitive experience. The propositional-frame analysis of the semantics of Chinese and Russian proverbs made it possible to distinguish the following logical-thematic classification: 1) features of the character and behavior of each relative; 2) the relationship between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, mother-in-law and son-in-law, between sisters-in-law; 3) the family status of the mother-in-law, daughter-in-law, mother-in-law, son-in-law, and sister-in-law; 4) family traditions, way of life; 5) sources of family conflicts; 6) ways of solving conflict situations.

Propositional Frame-Based Analysis of the Semantics of Proverbs of the Russian and Chinese Languages (Based on Frame Father – Son)

Propositional frame-based modeling is one of the most effective methods of cognitive linguistics. This method considers the interaction between the semantic and cognitive aspects of units of two typologically different languages, e.g. Russian and Chinese, in order to study the way language structures and reflects human knowledge and experience. Propositional structures are the same for all languages, but they are implemented differently in every language. The authors used the propositional frame-based analysis to identify universal and specific aspects in the semantics of proverbs based on frame father – son, which is an important fragment of the Russian and Chinese linguistic world view. The cognitive potential of paroemiological units is enormous: proverbs reflect historical, cultural, linguistic, and extralinguistic cognitive experience. Cognitivists define experience as one’s knowledge about stereotypical situations, stored in one’s mind as frames. A frame is a collection of vertex ("top") and terminal ("low") components. Vertex components are formed by concepts that are valid in relation to the stereotypical situation of the frame. As a result, they are clearly structured and constant. The "low level" is not constant, and its terminals are variable. The semantics of the proverbs in question were represented by frames. The meanings of their components formed a common and complex situation. Knowledge about this situation made it possible to perceive the meaning of each proverb in a holistic way. The proverbs could be interpreted as units that activate a certain cognitive context about the content and structure of the concepts father and son in Russian and Chinese.

ВОСПРИЯТИЕ СВОБОДЫ В КИТАЙСКОЙ ЯЗЫКОВОЙ КАРТИНЕ МИРА: ТРАДИЦИЯ И СОВРЕМЕННОСТЬ

This article examines the changes in the linguistic and cultural concepts of freedom (自由 zìyóu) in the Chinese linguistic worldview, which have occurred as a result of extralinguistic and socio-cultural transformations brought by globalization processes between the 20th and 21st centuries. The starting point of the research is the traditional ideas about freedom, rooted in Confucianism and the Taoist worldview, according to which disobedience and self-will of the individual can lead society and the country to chaos, so freedom should be limited by norms and prohibitions. By studying empirical data with the help of definitional, quantitative, interpretative, and contextual analysis, a total of more than 1000 phrases with the lexical unit of interest were gathered. Thus, the idea of freedom in modern Chinese society was described in great detail. The results obtained were accompanied with the data of the quantitative analysis of the most frequent collocations based on the materials of the Balanced Corpus of Modern Chinese in Peking University. The article provides many examples that prove that the lexeme 自由 zìyóu occurs in phrases that describe numerous and diverse spheres of human activity. The conclusion was made that it has expanded its combinability capabilities as a result of the semantic shift that took place with the penetration of liberal ideas into China from the West. The research is of great importance and benefit for Chinese philologists, as well as for anyone interested in studying globalization processes and their impact on the traditional cultures of the East.

Психолингвистические исследования фрагментов картины мира китайцев

At present, fragments of the Chinese worldview are studied on the basis of theoretical and practical research developed by the Moscow Psycholinguistic School. In Russian and Chinese psycholinguistics, sufficient material has been accumulated to determine the main advantages of the free associative experiment. The problems of identifying stimulus words and interpreting reactions reflecting the Chinese picture of the world are also obvious. The free associative experiment allows us to determine the deep mental connections of the phonetic and graphic appearance of the Chinese word, represented by graphemes different from those of the Russian language, the latter having their own lexical and additional “graphic” meaning. The difficulties in learning languages of different typological systems are associated with the problems of compiling a vocabulary of stimulus words and the possibility of a multivalued interpretation of Chinese recipients’ reactions, reflecting the images of the Chinese consciousness. For this reason, it is unacceptable to transfer the “reification” of fragments of the Russian worldview to the fragments of the Chinese worldview. When compiling a vocabulary of stimulus words, one should take into account the structural and grammatical features of the Chinese word, the structure of Chinese characters and their origin, the frequency in the speech of native speakers, etc. To interpret the reactions of a free associative experiment, in addition to bilingual dictionaries, it is advisable to use various dictionaries of the Chinese language, including etymological ones. Based on the established tradition of analyzing the results of associative experiments, the author typologizes the reactions of Chinese speakers, which allows to establish the dynamics of the Chinese worldview.

On the Influence of Translations of Religious and Philosophical Texts of Buddhism on the Literature and Art of Medieval China

The era of the Tang dynasty (618-907) was a period of great flourishing of all aspects of Chinese culture, when changes covered the most diverse spheres of philosophy, art and literature. The article examines the role played in this cultural transformation by translations from Sanskrit into Chinese of the religious and philosophical texts of Indian Buddhism. The specificity of the Chinese approach to the translation of Indian texts is demonstrated, when, at the initial stage, many works were translated in a rather free style due to the lack of precisely established correspondences between Sanskrit and Chinese philosophical terms. The authors identify two additional factors that influenced the nature of the translations. Firstly, this is the requirement of compliance with the norms of public, mainly Confucian, morality. Secondly, the adaptation of the Indian philosophical context to the Chinese cultural and worldview traditions, which led to the emergence of new schools of religious and philosophical thought that were not known in India itself, such as Tiantai, Jingtu or Chan, each of which in its own way influenced the art of the Medieval China. Special attention is paid to the activities of the legendary translator, Xuanzang, whose travel to India gave a huge impetus to the development of Chinese philosophy in subsequent centuries, as well as to the contribution to Chinese culture and art, which was made by the translation activities of the three great teachers of the Tang era Shubhakarasimha, Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra.

Confucius doctrine as a leading phenomenon of Chinese civilization (theory and history)

The article is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the doctrine of Confucianism. The author outlines the figure of Confucius, analyzes the historical background of the initial stage of the formation of Confucianism and the place of this period in the history of China, the main components of the Confucian Canon, principles and categories, the internal logic of the doctrine, the significance of the doctrine for the formation of an integral system of Chinese worldview, moral, ethical and political judgments, attitudes and norms.Against the background of the study of a significant monographic literature, conclusions are drawn about the nature and features of the value core, the principles of China’s national identity.China is a country with an ancient almost continuous history. Throughout the historical period of its existence, it has exerted a huge influence not only on neighboring countries, but also on the world as a whole. Almost by the end of the XVIII century. China had the largest GDP and was one of the leading cultural centers. At the present stage, China has a significant economic, political and cultural impact even on fairly remote regions. Today, there is a great return of this country-civilization, on the one hand claiming world leadership in the XXI century, and on the other, it stands for a multipolar world.According to economic indicators, China is one of the three leading countries in the world and offers the world its model of globalization through the so-called One belt one road project.Confucius is a representative of the traditional Chinese ethical and legal paradigm, a brand that China offers to the world as part of its own globalization strategy, which provides for the creation of institutions that bear the name of this first sage of the middle Kingdom

Chinese Processual Holism and Its Attitude Towards “Barbarians” and Non-Humans

This paper argues that the ‘processual holism’ of Chinese metaphysics explains its characteristic attitude towards non-humans such as animals and demons. As all things are constantly in process and form a continuum, it follows that ontological distinctions between ‘species’ become impossible to delimit. The distinctions one makes are instead understood as perspectival and provisional. These metaphysical assumptions explain the lack of interest in the Chinese tradition for classifying the distinctions between humans and non-human. We see many examples of the different schools of philosophy espousing the view that the distinction between humans and non-humans is tenuous, precarious and subject to change. A key implication that follows is that the Chinese worldview saw no ontological distinction between those considered as ‘Chinese’ and as ‘non-Chinese.’ The unavailability of ontological distinction (in the strong sense that ontological distinctions accurately represent the divisions of reality) as an explanation for the existence of difference means that phenomena that are perceived as anomalous, such as ghosts and spirits, are attributed to the perspective of the human agent; anomaly/difference is not understood as ontological.

Exploring the term “harmony” and its practical significance in Confucian classics with examples drawn from the Liji

AbstractThe Chinese character, he (和), “harmony,” occurs more than 100 times in the Liji (禮記; the Book of Rites). This accounts for over one‐third of the term's total number of occurrences in the 13 pre‐Qin Confucian classics. In this study, we engage with existing scholarship on the concept of “harmony” in Chinese culture and contribute to the discussion by analyzing the variety of senses that “harmony” has in the pre‐Qin Confucian classics, especially the Liji. We find that usages of the term “he” (“harmony”) in the Liji fall into six categories, namely, self, external things, music, human relations, politics, and the universe. We hold that the ways in which harmony features in the Liji and other Confucian classics can help us understand the Chinese cultural presupposition that there exists “only one world,” meaning that this world encompasses both the natural and the supernatural, and that human beings are a holistic blend of body and heart‐mind, which does not give rise to any dualistic tension between body and mind. Based on our understanding of the unique Chinese worldview and the corresponding view on life, this study aims to give an account for the importance of harmony as a guideline within various areas of Chinese life.

Types of rationality and the genesis of science: comparative analysis of two worldview systems

This article examines an aspect of “Needham’s Question” related to the specificity of scientific rationality formed within the framework of new-European worldview. The research is dedicated to the comparative analysis of New-European and Chinese types of rationality. Based on studying the specificity of the dominant cultural paradigms, the author highlights and describes the features of Chinese and European worldview systems. Characteristic is given to Chinese and New-European rationality with emphasis on their essential differences, although they have some external similarities. The goal of this work consists in revelation of characteristic qualities of the European and Chinese worldview systems that predetermined the essential peculiarities of the types of rationality established in terms of these civilizations and influences the process of scientific development. The scientific novelty consists in examination of worldview components of New-European and Chinese as the particular manifestations of different types of rationality. The conclusion is made that structural elements of the two worldviews led to formation of various types of rationality. Among the fundamental differences are the discrepancies in understanding the concept of the “law of nature”, representations on uniformity of laws of the world, ontological status of a human being, purposes of cognition of the world and character of cognitive activity. The author underlines the practical nature of European rationality and mainly ethical nature of Chinese rationality. In order to explain the genesis of science, along with identification of the rationalizing component of worldview, it is necessary to clarify the nature of that rationality.

CHINESE CULTURAL VALUES AS A PART OF "BELT AND ROAD INITIATIVE" PROJECT

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a global development strategy adopted by the Chinese government in 2013. Some experts believe that this project is an attempt to spread Chinese dominance in the region and adjacent territories through the economical initiative. But together with the economic purposes, the BRI aims spreading the Chinese cultural and citizenship values over the local cultures of the countries involved by forming a common cultural space. This article aims to show how the Chinese government uses the BRI Project to demonstrate the achievements of Chinese society in social and cultural life, introduce the modern China to the world, level stereotypes about the Chinese worldview and lifestyle, which were formed in the world due to a certain isolation of China, lack of reliable information about China in the world and some other reasons. At the article the following methods, typical for theoretical research, were used: observation, analysis, synthesis, analogy, comparing, narration, conclusion making etc. The result of the research is the summation of implicit information and the confirmation of the hypothesis that this project is of great cultural importance (to familiarize the world with modern China and its socio-cultural achievements more than in the opposite direction) and uses a wide range of tools to achieve goals.

Beyond Simplifications: Making Sense of Paradoxical Chinese Values in Chinese-Western Business Negotiations

Previous research has drawn attention to the coexistence of paradoxical Chinese values in modern China, which might influence Chinese-Western business negotiations. In this study, we empirically investigate this phenomenon from the perspective of Western business negotiators. In two interview rounds, 17 seasoned Dutch negotiators were asked about their experiences when negotiating with Chinese business partners. The results confirm the coexistence of paradoxical Chinese values in business negotiations and identify four patterns in which traditional and modern values may occur: random, contextual, transitional, and simultaneous occurrence. On the basis of our findings, we argue that there is a need for Western negotiators to develop a deeper understanding of Chinese culture and paradoxical values from the Chinese worldview of Yin and Yang.

Лексема танец в концептуальном поле праздник в русской и китайской лингвокультурах

This study aimed to identify similarities and differences in the functioning of the lexeme dancе in the conceptual field holiday of the Russian and Chinese linguocultures. This paper is important as there is a need for comparative studies and description of the key cultural concepts of the two actively cooperating countries – Russia and China. Such attempts have been made in a number of works by both Russian and Chinese scholars. However, the conceptual field holiday and its verbalizing units have not been previously studied. According to the methods used in the analysis, the research described in the article is interdisciplinary. This is due to the specificity of the object under study – the cultural concept holiday – which is a unit of linguocultural consciousness of the two nations. To reconstruct and analyse the lexeme dance, the author applied linguistic, psycholinguistic, linguocultural and linguocognitive methods. The article notes that the lexeme dance is, in many cases, one of the verbalizers of the conceptual field holiday. This lexeme can reflect the inner world of a person, show his/her attitude to reality, as well as become a means of social (Chinese linguistic worldview) and ethical (Russian linguistic worldview) criticism. The obtained results can be used in intercultural communication between the two countries, as well as in relevant university courses and special courses.

ТЕАТРАЛЬНЕ ЖИТТЯ КИТАЮ

Based on the study of the problem of Chinese theater and musical art of the country, the original culture of the people is revealed. The problem of studying the worldview system of ancient China as the basis for the emergence of musical tradition has interested many scholars, because it influenced the cultural life of the East. Philosophical views influenced both theatrical life and the musical art of the country. Thus, China's cultural traditions were based on ancient Chinese philosophies: Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism. Special attention was paid to education, especially aesthetics, in China. Music education played an important role in Chinese culture. Confucius emphasizes the comprehensive development of man, while emphasizing the morality of the individual. Thus, the theatrical art of China is distinguished by cultural unity and originality. Musical load played a big role. The Chinese worldview is based on the vision of nature as a living organism. The first sprouts of musical and theatrical art appear. XII-XIII centuries marked the birth of Chinese opera. Chinese theater was fully popular. The musical side of classical theater is characterized by an inseparable unity of sound, word and dance. The range of images, moods, techniques of acting is characterized by a certain type of melody, rhythm, composition of the orchestra. The subject of ancient theater and musical art of China is interesting and not fully studied, which necessitates further development in the study of this issue. Performing skills were subject to a system of vocal skills. Yes, important were: language, temperament, the nature of singing. The storyline has always been built on plots in which good always wins over evil. Thus, an optimistic mood in everything. Thus, Chinese opera singing synthesized the traditions of folk song and classical opera with European bel canto. It is also important to possess not only the voice but also the body. There were special schools that taught the culture of jumping, running, spinning wheels, and so on. Such theater groups have been involved in educating the skills needed for theater since childhood.