A Comparative Study On The View Of Good And Evil In Russian And Chinese Folktales

The view of good and evil is a core concept in the category of ethics.It is the basic standard to judge people's behavior and the basic component to judge national sentimental value.As the literary style of folk literature,folktales are a unique inheritance mode for national culture and the gems of wisdom among the folks.It is featured by distinctive color of moral evaluation,which also bears the function of moral education while conveying aesthetic nature."Good and evil" is one of the most important themes in folktales.Thus,the description of good deeds and good people,as well as the criticism of evil,has a positive influence on the establishment of correct values in people's mind.Folktales are rooted in folk culture,which is closely connected with social system and national value system,and can well reflect the features of national thoughts.Therefore,good and evil in the folktales of different nations are of universal value and reveal the characteristics of nations,thus constituting the concepts with national features.The idea is the essence of cultural information in people's mind,which is people's cognition of the world and can realize the connection between language and culture,bearing the function of inheriting national culture.Karasik believes the idea covers three levels including concept,image and value.In this paper,first of all,by referring to etymology dictionary,detail dictionary,philosophy dictionary,ethics dictionary,encyclopedia dictionary,synonymy dictionary,antonymy dictionary and mentality dictionary,it defines the concept of "good and evil" in Russian and Chinese.Secondly,using Russian and Chinese folktales as texts,respective analysis is conducted on the images reflecting the view of good and evil,based on which an image contrast is also carried out.Finally,by respectively exploring the value level in the view of good and evil,a comparative analysis is made and the features of the view of good and evil in Russian and Chinese folktales are constructed from three levels.Russia and China are engaged in close communication and cooperation in thefields of politics,economy and culture.The analysis and study of good and evil view in Russian and Chinese folktales can not only help us have a profound reading of the similarities and differences between Russian and Chinese culture,but also deepen our understanding of Russian and Chinese national ethical concept of values.In this way,the two countries can deep understating and enhance cognition in cross-cultural communication.