Abstract: Based on the comparison of character choices, plot conflicts and ending designs between Chinese and western tragedies, it is found that the differences in Chinese and western tragic spirits mainly lie in the following aspects: Chinese tragedy originated from tragic drama and is to focus on the ethical relations of the people and to pursue the harmony between human and nature, which shows weak individual self-determination consciousness; while western tragic spirit develops from dithyramb and is to emphasize harmony at the expense of sacrificing individuals, which shows strong individual self-determination consciousness and the introspected contradiction between the historical relation and ethical perception.