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This paper aims to analyze cultural differences between Chinese and English from the angle of university mottoes. Through careful study, better understanding of the cultural connotation in Chinese and English university mottoes can be obtained by people, which can not only contribute to the better construction of better university culture, but also help to create better atmosphere of cultivating students.
The purpose of this paper is to probe into the cultural differences between China and Britain through analysis on university mottoes of the two countries. By comprehensive comparison, strengths and shortcomings of university mottoes can be distinguished, and university leaders may establish more favorable university climate of cultivating students through prudent absorbing and averting.
II. Motto culture
A university motto reflects the history and educational goals of this university intensively. A good university motto is significant to the development of the university and the whole society. A university motto represents the spiritual essence of a university and also reflects the connotation of a nation’s culture.Motto is the soul of the university. Culture of university mottoes, the ideal pursuit of the university for the teachers and students, symbolizes the whole orientation of pursing value and unique characteristics of the university, which is the essence of humanistic spirits and the deposit of the school’s history and culture.
2.1 Definition and Functions of University Mottoes
University motto is one of the basic brands which reflects universities’ value orientation and academic characters. Although there appears no exact definition of university motto until now, many experts have expressed their personal views about university mottoes in many argumentatives. Books as Wang Zhiping and Li Jianmin’s A Theory of University Culture, Cai Jinsong’s University Culture, and A. Flexner’s Universities: American, English, German all provide different definitions of university motto. Liu Fasheng and Xie Xiaogang maintain that university mottoes have great influence on the development of universities; meanwhile, university mottoes have obvious impact on shaping students’ personalities and can enrich the cultural system of society.
Xiang Peng and Chen Feng declare in their thesis that universities’ thinking model and values are embodied in their university mottoes, which are also core reflection of campus culture. What’s more, Wang Gang draws a conclusion in his expertise that a university motto is a concise expression based on the university-running practice according to the educational objectives endowed by the society; it represents independent ideology, historical styles and characteristics of the university which all serve as direction guidance, value standard and encouragement for the behavior of teachers and students.
2.2 Characteristics of Motto Culture
In this section, analysis of characteristics of university motto culture will be made and the analysis will be explained in four parts: historic significance, national character, educational meaning and the expressivity.
2.2.1 Historical Significance
The historical significance of university motto refers to the motto’s meaning and connotation, word selection, educational effectiveness, process of formulating and other aspects, which changes over time. Educational system education ideology and educational structure will affect university motto culture, it is also influenced by mainstream culture of the era, political power, ideological factors and other various factors. The change of these factors is the power and source to promote the change of university motto.
The motto of Peking University drew lessons from The Doctrine of the Mean. At first it used “Study Extensively, Inquire Prudently, Think Carefully and Distinguish Clearly”, and later it adopted “Democratic, Scientific, Patriotic and Progressive” to symbolize its historical status and enlightenment image. The motto of Renmin university of China is “seeking truth from facts”, which was formed on the basis of combination of the former northern Shanxi public university’s ethos “Loyalty, Solidarity, Tension, and Lively” and the university motto of North China United University “Unity, Forward, Hard, Firm” in the period. The mottoes of Fudan University is “Rich in Knowledge and Tenacious of Purpose, Inquiring with Earnestness and Reflecting with Self-practice”. The meaning of “Rich in Knowledge” also advances with the times. That is to say, the previous “Learned” meant reading various classic books. The interpretation of Gu Yanwu was “study cultural knowledge extensively, and constrain his own behavior with sense of shame,” and “Rich in Knowledge” now includes learning various human knowledge and scientific knowledge (Wang 6).