A Comparison Between Conceptual Metaphors In Chinese And English Sayings Of Life And Death

Metaphor is one of the most basic phenomena in human language. The study of it has significance not only for language, but also for the research of human mind. Besides theoretical significance, this study of metaphor also sheds light on second language teaching and learning. This thesis aims to analyze metaphorical sayings of life and death from the cognitive perspective, i.e. to view the sayings of life and death from the perspective of the Conceptual Metaphor Theory. Both theoretical analysis and empirical study are made on the topic. With the support of their manifestations in both languages, English and Chinese conceptual metaphors of life and death are compared and interpreted.The current research has made a contribution to conceptual metaphors of life and death. The commonly seen conceptual metaphors of life and death are summarized and ranked according to their proportions of linguistic manifestations.In the LIFE system, the main conceptual metaphors are presented as follows:"LIFE IS A JOURNEY","LIFETIME IS A DAY / YEAR","LIFE IS PLANT","LIFE IS A PLAY","LIFE IS OBJECT"and"LIFE IS BEING PRESENT HERE". Conceptual metaphors of death have a close relationship with the LIFE system, and the ones that are most commonly seen are"DEATH IS DEPARTURE / PASSAGE","DEATH IS A FINAL DESTINATION","DEATH IS SLEEP / NIGHT"and conceptual metaphors derived from personification, such as"DEATH IS A DELIVERER","DEATH IS A GRIM REAPER"and"DEATH IS AN ADVERSARY".From the result of the data collection, two facts are revealed: firstly, conceptual metaphors in the same system have different manifestations in conventional sayings and more artistically carved languages; secondly, corresponding conceptual metaphors of life and death are not of equal proportions in their respective systems.Moreover, a cognitive comparison is made between English and Chinese conceptual metaphors of life and death. Although they are marked by different cultural backgrounds, the main conceptual metaphors of life and death in English and Chinese are roughly the same.Especially, the main frameworks of the two are similar, which both include the six life conceptual metaphor groups and corresponding metaphors of death mentioned above.