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Chino Alpha
Are they the same? "diversity in unity" vs "unity in diversity" This except comes from the key to a Chinese-English translation test passage. Both China and Europe enjoy splendid culture. While China advocates “harmony without uniformity”, the EU stands for “unity in diversity”. The 1.3 billion Chinese people and the 700 million European people have a common destiny and a common future. China and Europe may well take the lead in promoting mutual learning and inclusiveness between different civilizations. My question is: Can I substitute "diversity in unity" for "unity in diversity" here? Are they the same in meaning? Thank you.
Apr 29, 2017 12:58 PM
Answers · 5
Wow - if that's a model key, it's not particularly well written. "enjoy splendid culture" particularly sounds very Chinglish to me. Similarly “unity in diversity” doesn't sound particularly natural or meaningful to me, either way around. So - I guess you can, as it doesn't make it any less meaningful!
April 29, 2017
The idea is: The unity we seek is found in the diversity we already have. This may help to explain the word order. The reverse would logically also be true but would not convey the message so well.
April 29, 2017
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