2006-08-24 22:02:03 · 12 answers · asked by Yup 2 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Other - Science
Sorry plp English is North/South/East/West. But Chinese is West/South/East/North. Clockwise direction running for chinese. English is in a direction of a "Cross". Does it have anything to do with religion or geographic positioning.
2006-08-28 20:02:12 · update #1
Chinese is East/South/West/North. Clockwise direction running for chinese. English is in a direction of a "Cross". Does it have anything to do with religion or geographic positioning.
2006-08-28 20:18:47 · update #2
I think because...
In English, They use the North pole as starting point....
And
In Chinese, They are in the east part of the earth... so they use it as a starting point
2006-08-25 02:50:15 · answer #1 · answered by Handsome 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
North South East West Chinese
2016-12-17 16:11:32 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Difference is the language and culture.
English > up, down, first, which is north,south
followed by right then left, which east west.
Chinese > by clockwise direction, starting from where the sun rises, the east, so which is east south west north.
2006-08-29 21:11:58 · answer #3 · answered by sugar_guy84 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think it's just a matter of habit and may not have anything much to do cultural factors.
Chinese do have idioms and expressions using East / West as a match and South / North as another, such as -
學(knowledge)貫(covering)東(East) 西(West)
describing one's profound knowledge in Chinese/Eastern and Western subjects.
大(Grand)江(river)南(South) 北(North)
describing a great journey by comparing it to a grand river running from North to South
天(Sky)南(South)地(land) 北(North)
describing experience / subject of conversation being so vast that it touches on every corner of the world
Another similar phenomenon is that when writing an address, Westerners tend to start from the block no., then street, district, province, country. But the Chinese would do the other way round.
Western address-
Unit 1, 19/F, St. John's Building, 33 Garden Road, Central, Hong Kong, China
Chinese address (in Chinese of course)-
China, Hong Kong, Central, 33 Garden Road, St. John's Building, 19/F, Unit 1.
2006-08-31 16:31:06 · answer #4 · answered by Dinner 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
All I know is that the word 'news' comes from North East West South. Hmmmmm.
2006-08-30 04:58:08 · answer #5 · answered by brainzrgood4u 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Nothing, only that Chinese has difficulty in reading and speaking the North/South/East/West pattern in english. :)
2006-08-31 01:24:40 · answer #6 · answered by sunkenme 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In part its historic.
All maps were originally aligned with East at the top. The term for East in Europe was Orient, and West was Occident. Hence we get the term "to orient a map" or "to orient oneself".
Use of magentic compasses led to maps being re-oriented to have North at the top.
2006-08-25 01:16:58 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's a cultural thang, Dawg
Doug
2006-08-24 22:45:33 · answer #8 · answered by doug_donaghue 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
No difference
We're taught one way and the Chinese are taught another.
2006-08-24 22:14:00 · answer #9 · answered by bprice215 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
In Chinnese, it has a different sound so they arranged them to call them easily like a poem.
2006-08-25 01:04:53 · answer #10 · answered by english_improve 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋