The National Image Of China From The Perspective Of Multimodal Metaphor And Metonymy

Metaphor and metonymy are pervasive in our daily life. In traditional rhetorical study metaphor and metonymy are regarded as a figure of speech. From the perspective of cognitive linguistic, metaphor and metonymy are not only a matter of language, but also a matter of thought. specifically, they could define the way we perceive the world, the way we think and act. As further study of metaphor and metonymy. Charles Forceville as a representative. together with other scholars, made interdisciplinary research between cognitive linguistics and mass communication. Forceville (1996) says that metaphor is realized cognitively at first. and can present itself on the pictorial and verbal level and even possibly in other ways, such as gesture. aural mode. etc. With the publication of Metaphor in Advertisement (1996) and Multimodal Metaphor (2009). the achievements of multimodal metaphor and metonymy research laid foundation for the further study.This paper aims to study the international image of China in the eyes of the West by analyzing the front covers of The Economist from2003to2013through the theory of multimodal metaphor and metonymy, in the process of which, multimodal metaphor plays a vital role in analysis, while multimodal metonymy plays a helpful role. By using Panther (2006)’s multimodal metaphoric/metonymic relation mode, we identify and interpret the multimodal metaphor and metonymy in the front covers, and then we explain the analysis to discuss China’s image in the eyes of the West.The conclusion of this research is that the Western media tend to build a negative image of China through focusing on bad news or dark side of China so as to advocate "China threat", which can be seen apparently from the chosen source domain appearing the prejudice and misunderstanding of the West to China. At the end of this study, we propose some suggestions to improve China’s image. First, our government should change the way we communicate to adapt this communication to what the westerners and others’cultures can apprehend and understand. Second, we should promote our peaceful diplomacy all over the world. Third, our people should contribute to build our country’s image.