A Cognitive Study Of “Water” Metaphors And Metonymies In Chinese

Metaphor and metonymy in traditional linguistics are seen as rhetorical devices of language. Since the 1980 s, metaphor and metonymy has been a crucial topic in cognitive linguistics. As the study of linguistic keeps going along, especially the cognitive science, the theory that metaphor and metonymy are actually a way of thinking has been accepted by more and more people. Cognitive linguists indicate that metaphor and metonymy are not merely linguistic phenomenon, they also reflects the universal law of human cognition. They have close relation with the human thinking mode and exist in every aspect of human life. Metaphor is based on similarity, involving a process of mapping between different domains, while metonymy is grounded in “contiguity”, usually taking place in the same domain.According to Conceptual Metaphor Theory, this thesis makes an analysis and study on water metaphors and metonymies in Chinese character in order to explore the following three research questions:1. What are water metaphors and metonymies in Chinese?2. How does the conception of water extended to other domains?3. What are the embodied and cultural motivations for these metaphors?Water is the key to human survival and development. And in Chinese traditional yin-yang theory, it is one of the basic elements. Thus Chinese people’s understanding of water is profound. Through analyzing the linguistic data, this study finds that the conception of water can metonymically stand for domain “nature” and metaphorically project onto a few abstract domains. Furthermore, this study finds that water metaphors and metonymies are influenced by unique Chinese culture. In conclusion, the thesis concludes the findings and explains the limitations of the thesis and anticipates the possible developmental prospect.