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.

It is obvious that the Analects and the Bible are respectively classical books which have played a significant role in the civilization of mankind as well as the development of ideology. They are important sources of Chinese and western cultures, which have had a huge effect on the forms of etiquette both in similarities and differences.

By now it is an incontestable fact that cultural diversity is not just a marginal aspect of international communication but it does play a role in it. (Hamburg Andrea, 2012)As a result, a comparative study of this topic will be useful for people to understand Chinese and western etiquette cultures, as well as the origins of Chinese and western culture, development, present situations and differences. The comparison between Chinese and western’s etiquette is not a new area, however a comparative study on the aspect of etiquette on the Analects and the Bible is a relatively new area. It is true that some work has been conducted in this field in recent years, but most of this is limited to comparison and discussion on the theory of knowledge and the nature of human beings or filial piety.

However, with the development of global communication, there are lots of cross-cultural communications. So it is necessary for us to know the etiquette in China and the western countries in order to behave well.

2 Literature Review

2.1 The Analects of Confucius

The Analects of Confucius also known as the Analects is a collection of sayings and ideas attributed to the Chinese philosopher Confucius and his contemporaries, traditionally believed to have been written by Confucius’ followers. It is believed to have been written during the Warring States period, and it achieved its final form during the mid-Han dynasty. (Liu Sishu, 2013)

Confucius was born in the states of Lu, known for the preservation of a wealth of historical and cultural codes and records and a complete culture of etiquette and music. Confucius is a follower of past traditions and a trailblazer for future generations. The great contribution of Confucius lies in his bequeathing of the glorious cultural heritage and in particular, his collecting and compiling of historical and cultural books and records, which later known as The Five Classics. As a Chinese teacher, editor, politician, educator and the greatest philosopher whose philosopher emphasized personal and governmental morality, correctness of social relationships, justice and sincerity. (Yuhan Xie, Chen Ge 2013) Confucius founded the Confucius School, which was devoted to the preservation of traditional culture including etiquette, with the pleasant result of a complete Confucian doctrine, further developing traditional Chinese culture so does etiquette.(Yang Min, 2006) Confucius appreciates etiquette a lot, especially the etiquette of Zhou Dynasty. Without knowing the etiquette, it is not possible to establish a stand.“不学礼，无以立”(the Analects) And theories in the Analects about etiquette have a profound effect to Chinese and the East Asian countries such as Korea, Japan and etc. Confucius laid the foundation of the rationale and norms of Confucianism.

The core of the Confucius ideology is propriety and benevolence on which was built the political and ethical theory of Confucian. Because in the Spring and Autumn period, countries were in a total mess, etiquette was the normative used to guide the behaviors positively that people should do or should not do(Hong Lian, 2011). At that time, Western Zhou Dynasty declined, etiquette of Zhou was abandoned and political situation was in a total mess. There were even massacre among families. In order to maintain social order and preserve etiquette of Zhou, Confucius traveled around all the countries and tried to convey his ideas and thought to people. So the etiquette in the Analects was advocated in order to maintain the ruling of higher class. (Peitao Jia, 2016)

2.2 The Bible

In some extent, the Bible is a book related to religion. When we mention religion, the complicated rituals, the sacrifice etiquette will come to our mind. In deed, religion and religious ritual are inseparable. The Bible is a book show people’s worship to God. And the achievement of this kind of belief needs the help of ritual. If there is no ritual, no etiquette then there will be no religion. As a result, when there is religion, there is ritual. (Chen Rongfu，2004)Engels once says,“In all religions, ceremony is an important thing.”The Bible is a collection of texts sacred in Judaism and Christianity. It is a collection of scriptures written at different authors in different locations. Jews and Christians consider the books of the Bible to be a product of divine inspiration or an authoritative record of the relationship between God and humans (Lv,Y, 2008). The Bible, which has been included on the list of World Cultural Heritages, is the source of western culture, has had a profound influence on all aspects of the social life of the western countries (Qiang KANG, 2013, P56). The bible is a book with strong religious background so there is the only God in the Bible that is the Lord and it consists of lots of things from how people exist on the earth to every subject of their living. It contains a person’s whole life and tells the person what they should do and should not do. (William Franke, 2016) As a result, the etiquette in the Bible is rigorous and has s sense of religious. People would be considered to be sin if he did not follow the etiquette in the Bible. To some extent, etiquette in the Analects seems to be prepared for the people who had been well educated and wanted to be a gentleman. As for the author of The Bible, it is written by the lord’s servants. So it was written by people from various background and they have different social status and careers, for instance, kings, prophets, presbyters, pastors and so on. They describe the enlightenment from the lord and passed the instructions with their own understanding to the ordinary people. (Syphend, W, 1938) The Bible is a book about the lord and human. People have sin and the lord’s duty is to save them from their sin. So the etiquette is a thing which must be followed.