Abstract:Now that the communication between China and other countries is getting more and more important, many researchers at home and abroad tend to study the cultural differences between west and east. These studies focus on the reason of the form and influence of Chinese collectivism and American individualism. 

　　　 In this study, we can see the cultural, or narrowly speaking, value differences of Chinese and American from the study of words. Though the usage, definition and function of relevant words of “self”(自我), we can see the Chinese Collectivism and American Individualism respectively. Then by collecting relevant material, this study attempts to reveal the connections between words and culture. The usage of the words can reveal different ethnic values. Only we master words, can we know other races better and express ourselves better. This study temps to let the English learners keep the value difference in mind and be cautious in using words in the communication with Americans and they can pay more attention to the cultural meanings of different words to understand others’ thoughts and values.

Key words: words; self; culture；Chinese Collectivism; American Individualism

摘要:由于国际交流变得越来越重要，许多国内外的学者倾向于研究东西方文化的差异。这些研究大多集中于中国集体主义和美国个人主义的形成原因以及影响。

　　　在本次研究中，我们能够从词语的角度来看中美的文化，或者从窄义来说，价值观的差异。通过对“self”（自我）一词的用法、定义和功能的研究，我们看到了中国的集体主义和美国的个人主义。继而通过收集相关材料，来揭示词语和文化之间的关联。词语的用法可以揭示不同种族的不同价值观以及其他文化的不同性。只有真正的掌握了词语，我们才能够更加了解其他种族，并且能够更好的表达自己。本次研究希望让英语学习者记住价值观的不同，进而在与美国人交流中注意词汇的运用。此外能够使他们更注重词语背后的文化内涵，进而更好的理解别人的想法和价值观。

关键词：词语；自我；文化；中国集体主义；美国个人主义