摘 要

中西方的礼仪规范有着不同的文化背景和历史渊源，并以不同的方式呈现。中国素称“礼仪之邦”，“礼”是我国传统文化中的重要内容，《论语》是中国人类文化史上最具影响，最具价值的著作之一，对礼仪的影响也颇为重要。与之相对，《圣经》在西方文化的形成中也起着举足轻重的作用，对西方礼仪文化产生了重要的影响。《论语》及《圣经》这两部巨著对中西方文化的形成及后世人类思想意识层面的发展有着重要影响。从礼仪规范的视角来对比分析《论语》《圣经》是本文的一个新的研究视角。本文着重研究了宴饮，祭祀礼仪上论语和圣经的相同与不同点，及其原因。本文在实践上有利于推进日常的跨文化交流，在理论上可以增强两种文化礼仪的深刻认识，探寻中西方礼仪文化的起源。

关键词：宴饮礼仪；祭祀；论语；圣经

Abstract

As we all know, Chinese and western etiquette have different cultural backgrounds and historical origins. China is known to be “a land of ceremony and propriety. “Etiquette” is the core factor in traditional Chinese cultures. The core of the Chinese culture is its way of thinking, ancient Chinese thought is extensive and profound. And The Analects of Confucius is one of the most valuable books that have ever greatly had influences on Chinese cultures in history and also in etiquette. In contrast, The Bible has also exerted extreme effects on western cultures. The topic is a novelty perspective of the study in the comparison of etiquette. This paper mainly does the research on the catering etiquette and sacrifice etiquette, and compares their similarities and differences and analyzes the reason. In reality, the paper can refine the consciousness and the ability of cross cultural communications in our daily life. In theory, it can build a better understanding of the two kinds of etiquette, and search into the origins of the etiquette.

Key Words: The Analects, The Bible, Sacrifice etiquette, Catering etiquette

Contents

1 Introduction 1

2 Literature Review 3

2.1 The Analects of Confucius 3

2.2 The Bible 4

3 The Etiquette on Chinese and Western Culture 5

3.1 The Etiquette in The Analects of Confucius 5

3.1.1 Treating Etiquette 5

3.1.2 Catering Etiquette 5

3.1.3 Sacrifice Etiquette 6

3.2 The Etiquette in The Bible 6

3.2.1 Treating Etiquette 6

3.2.2 Catering Etiquette 7

3.2.3 Sacrifice Etiquette 7

4 The Comparison 8

4.1 The Similarities 8

4.2 The Differences 9

5 Conclusion 12

References 13

Acknowledgments 14

The Comparison of Etiquette in the

Bible and the Analects of Confucius

1 Introduction

What is etiquette? Etiquette is a code of behavior that delineates expectations for social behavior according to contemporary conventional norms within a society, social class, or group. (Wikipedia)

China is an ancient civilization with a long history of five thousands years. Through these years it had created a splendid culture and formed a country with a noble code of ethics and the integrity of the rules of etiquette. So it has long been known as the “land of ceremony and propriety”, as a corollary of this, etiquette takes a vital status in Chinese culture. The Analects of Confucius, is a collection of sayings and ideas attributed by the Chinese philosopher Confucius and his contemporaries. (Xie Y, 2013) By the early Han dynasty the Analects was considered to be merely a “commentary” on the Five Classics, but later the status of the Analects turned to be one of the central texts of Confucianism by the end of that dynasty. During the late Song dynasty (960-1279) the importance of the Analects as philosophy work was raised above that of the older Five Classics, and it was recognized as one of the “ Four Books”. The Analects has been one of the most widely read and studied books in China for the last 2000 years, and continues to have a profound influence on Chinese and East Asian thought and value until now. The Analects is very important for China’s overall morals and its etiquette is still advocated today. ( Liu Hongzhang，1989）

The Bible, with estimated total sales of over 5 billion copies, is considered to be the best-selling book of all time in western countries. It has estimated annual sales of 100 million copies, and has been a major influence on literature and history. The Bible is a collection of scriptures written at different times by different authors in different locations. Jews and Christians consider the books of the Bible to be a product of divine inspiration. People in western countries consider the Bible as a guide book in their life. In the west, The Bible has also been named “the only book” and “the king book” since the Middle Ages. (Lu Yang，2008) The Bible contains many aspects, although etiquette is not its focus, it does have it. The Bible is a book closely related to religion. When there is religion there is ritual. And ritual is one part of etiquette. As a result, the etiquette in the Bible mainly represent in a religious way.