跨文化交际superstition-ppt课件.ppt

1、uWhat is superstition?uWhy does superstition exist?uChinese superstitionuWestern superstitionuNow peoples view of superstition A belief, practice, or rite irrationally(不不合时宜的仪式合时宜的仪式) maintained by ignorance of the laws of nature or by faith in magic or chance. Every age pays attention to the supers

2、titions according to a certain subtle fashion, very often knowing nothing about the original resources from which they derived. Superstitions remain as outward expressions of the tensions and anxious and anxieties that hold sway over humanity as it struggles down the corridor of life from birth to d

3、eath, full of change and uncertainty.人类在从生到死的生命长廊里为充满变数而又无法预知人类在从生到死的生命长廊里为充满变数而又无法预知的一生进行挣扎的过程中，始终被紧张和焦虑困扰，而的一生进行挣扎的过程中，始终被紧张和焦虑困扰，而迷信的延承正是人类紧张和焦虑的外在表现。迷信的延承正是人类紧张和焦虑的外在表现。我们可以把迷信看作是面对人生的一种慰藉，就好像我们是一个神秘世界的一部分，而这个神秘的世界又充满着不可理喻的规则。We can see the superstition, therefore, as a kind of reassurance again

4、st fluctuation as though we are part of an impenetrable mystery with incomprehensible rules.Factors affecting peopleThe influence of friends The influence of familyExperience BooksHearsay(谣言)Tradition religion etc .Chinese superstitionsThe eight diagrams According to legend, it was created by Fuxi,

5、an ancient Chinese sage. It is written in the ancient book ZhouYi. It represents the ancient Chineses earliest knowledge of the universe, which contains a simple dialectical materialist point of view（辩证唯物主义）.The eight diagramsQian-skyKun-earthZhen-thunderXun-windKan-waterLi-fireGen-mountainFeng shui

6、 Feng shui is an ancient Chinese practice of arranging item in a room so that they are in balance and harmony with their environment.Left eye jump wealth, the right eye jump disasterPeople often think that left eye jump will bring them good luck, and in the right eye jump will bring bad luck.Stickin

7、g chopsticks uprightStick chopsticks into the rice: Do not stick the chopsticks into your food generally, especially not into your rice, because only at funerals, chopsticks are stuck into the rice which is put onto the altar.(祭坛)NumberThe word for “eight”(ba八) sounds similar to the word which means

8、 “prosper” or “wealth”(fa发).The number 2 is a good number in Chinese culture. There is a Chinese saying :“good things come in pairs”. It is common to use double symbols in product brand names, such as double happiness, double coins and double elephants. Fortune-telling & divination Pray to the spiri

9、tual being13 & FridayuJesus was betrayed by his 13th disciple(门徒） , and he was hung on a Friday.uBritain used to hang criminals on Friday , thus Friday was called “the hanging day”.uAdam and Eve ate the Forbidden fruit on Friday ; both died on Friday ; and their son Cain killed his brother Abel on F

10、riday.The 13 superstition is based on the idea that Judas , the bad disciple , was the 13th man to sit down to the table at The Last Supper . I think a more rational superstition would be to fear bad disciples .Salt is regarded as a token of friendship and trust . Spilling was seen as an intentional

11、 offense to the celestial powers.Judas knocked over the saltcellar .One can counteract the effect of spilled salt , or bad luck , by throwing a little over the left shoulder . Put salt on the doorstep of a new house and no evil can enter.Walking under a LadderIn the middle ages , a learning ladder w

12、as thought to resemble the gallows(绞刑）and so by walking underneath a ladder , you are playing out your own execution.How to avoid?1 Cross your fingers until you see a dog 2 Lick finger and make a cross on the toe of shoes , and dont look down at the shoe until the mark has dried.Umbrella Its bad luc

13、k to open an umbrella indoors .Infinite power of the sun have been a result of worship（崇拜）, indoor umbrellas were considered to be an insult to the sun ,and then everyone n the house will bring bad luck . Some of the things associated with the umbrella , all with bad luck , and therefore should not

14、be an umbrella as a gift for Westerners . To break a mirror means 7 years bad luck . Mirrors have been used in fortune-telling . Breaking a mirror is the destruction of a means of knowing the will of gods . Rabbits The superstition of rabbits in westerners originates from the famous English writer L

15、ewis Carrolls book Alices Adventure in Wonderland . Rabbits are mysterious and swift , especially good at running , so that they can escape from misfortune . Therefore , the westerners believe that the rabbit foot can drive away evil and bring about luck . Also the adults tell their children that th

16、e Easter eggs are sent by the rabbits on Easter . Knocking on WoodFinally , a commonly held superstition is that of touching wood for luck . This measure is most that often taken if you think you have said something that is tempting fate , such as “my car has never broken down , touch wood?” Nowaday

17、s , science and technology have developed rapidly ,and many people may not believe in these , but do you think the superstitions is far away from us ? As we just say , the exit of superstition perhaps is adaptive as a placebo(安慰剂) or for social bonding or maybe it really is maladaptive(不适应) today , but it is the outcome of traits that were adaptive in ancestral environment . So whether we believe it or not , Its still an essential part of culture .