Figurative thinking requires the combination of image and meaning, which means that a concrete image carries a particular meaning and they combine to express concepts, feelings and images. To do this, abstract thinking, in contrast, usually resorts to concepts, judgments and precise reasoning. E.g.:
(1)枯藤老树昏鸦;
小桥流水人家;
古道西风瘦马;
《天净沙秋思》(元)马致远
Translated version:
O’er old trees wreathed with rotten vine fly evening crows;
’Neath tiny bridge beside a cot a clear stream flows;
On ancient road in western breeze a lean horse goes;
In the original Chinese, the "old tree(老树)”，"rotten vine (枯藤)”，"evening crow(昏鸦)”and "tiny bridge(小桥)”，etc., those images are put together, with no overt connectives in between, to present the readers with a tranquil and leisure picture. The translated version is faithful to the original poem by retaining these concrete images; however, some articles (the, a), prepositions (o’er, ’neath, with, in, etc.) and verbs (fly, flow, go, etc.) are added in the translated version to indicate the relationships among these images, to meet the requirements on rigorous abstract thinking in English as well as on syntax too.
3. 2 Comprehensive Thinking vs. Analytical Thinking
Both of the two styles of thinking are found in all nations. However, due to the impact exerted by their respective tradition of culture, the Chinese nation tends to be more comprehensive in their thinking whereas Western nations are more analytical.
As two basic forms of thinking, comprehensive thinking and analytical thinking have their respective advantages: to analyze is to break up the whole into many parts in order to get down to the core of targeted object; to synthesize is to study the targeted object in a comprehensive way by combining the parts which maybe seem isolated into the integrated whole. Analysis played a key role in the establishment and development of modern sciences, despite the fact that systemization was also in service. In a sense, modern sciences would not have come into being had it not been for analytical thinking, not to mention the prosperity of economy and flourish of science and technology of the West world.
Chinese people are more comprehensive in their thinking. In traditional Chinese philosophy, they viewed the heaven, the earth and man as a whole and the harmony between man and nature was their constant pursuit. Thus, analytical methods are less valued and the Chinese nation tends to take the whole situation into consideration and observe the universe from a comprehensive point of view.
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