As we know, there are differences between Western culture and Chinese culture. We can see differences when we pay attention to the way words are used. Let's look at the words about animals and plants. Most expressions in Chinese are about the dog, for example, "a homeless dog" "a mad dog" "a running dog" and "a dog catching a mouse", having negative meanings. But in Western countries, dogs are thought to be honest and good friends of humans. In English, people use the dog to describe positive things. For example, "you are a lucky dog" means "you are a lucky person". And "every dog has its day" means "each person has good luck some time". To describe a person's serious illness, they say "sick as a dog". The word "dog-tired" means very tired. However, Chinese love cats very much. But in Western culture, "cat" is often used to describe a woman who is cruel（残忍的）.
The rose is a symbol of love in both China and some Western countries. People think the rose means love, peace, courage and friendship. And the rose is a kind of important flowers in England, America and many other countries.
The words about plants and animals are used in positive or negative ways in different cultures. We can learn about many differences in culture by comparing how some words are used.
