Chinese Narrative Expression Strategies in Intercultural English Communication: A Framework-Based Analysis

Chinese narrative has become an increasingly important component of China’s international communication strategy in the context of globalization. However, the phenomenon of “Chinese cultural aphasia” indicates that many English learners are able to communicate in English but experience considerable difficulty when expressing Chinese culture and Chinese narrative in intercultural contexts. This challenge reflects not only limitations in language proficiency but also insufficient intercultural knowledge, cultural awareness, and communicative competence. To address this issue, the article explains the connotation of the intercultural expression of Chinese narrative from the perspective of intercultural communication. Drawing on A Reference Framework for China’s Intercultural Competence Teaching in Foreign Language Education, the study systematically analyzes the essential foundations for Chinese narrative expression in terms of knowledge, attitudes and skills. Based on the theoretical analysis, it proposes three complementary expression strategies: semantic interpretation, value mediation, and discourse reconstruction. Semantic interpretation aims to improve the comprehensibility of culturally specific concepts through contextualized explanation and adaptive translation. Value mediation facilitates dialogue between Chinese cultural values and those of international audiences by identifying shared human values while preserving cultural uniqueness. Discourse reconstruction emphasizes audience-oriented communication through narrative transformation, discourse adaptation, and contextual appropriateness to enhance intercultural understanding and acceptance. These three strategies jointly provide an integrated framework for improving learners’ ability to express Chinese narrative in English and participate effectively in intercultural communication. This study not only enriches the theoretical discussion on Chinese narrative expression and intercultural communicative competence but also offers practical implications for English language teaching and the cultivation of international communication competence, thereby contributing to the enhancement of China’s international communication competence.

Chinese narrative; Intercultural communication; Chinese cultural aphasia

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