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A Cognitive Linguistic Study on Modern Chinese Person-Referring Nouns Based on Cognitive Evaluation ― Focusing on Metaphor

  • The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China
  • Abbr : JSLCKC
  • 2025, (77), pp.91~121
  • DOI : 10.16874/jslckc.2025..77.004
  • Publisher : Korean Society of Study on Chinese Languge and Culture
  • Research Area : Humanities > Chinese Language and Literature
  • Received : July 10, 2025
  • Accepted : August 20, 2025
  • Published : August 31, 2025

Gijeong Jeon 1

1선문대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

In this paper, we examine person-referring nouns extensively used in modern Chinese from a cognitive linguistic perspective. Based on an investigation of the “Modern Chinese Dictionary (7th Edition)”, one of China's most representative dictionaries, a total of 528 person-referring nouns, identified based on cognitive evaluation, were extracted. These nouns were created through processes such as metaphor, metonymy, and conversion of parts of speech. In this paper, we focused our discussion on person-referring nouns created through the method of metaphor. The conceptual metaphor is a cognitive strategy that utilizes familiar source domains from our experiences to conceptualize unfamiliar target domains. This cognitive strategy is actively applied in the formation of person-referring nouns based on cognitive evaluation. Various source domains are utilized to understand the target domain of people, including animals, plants, natural objects, artifacts, and supernatural beings, according to our investigation. We examined the cognitive linguistic characteristics represented by each type and discussed the types and variations of metaphors related to person-referring nouns based on cognitive evaluation. Most of these nouns fall into the category of one-correspondence metaphors, as a prominent attribute is projected onto the target domain of people while other attributes are concealed. Due to space limitations, our discussion was limited to person-referring nouns based on cognitive evaluation formed through the mechanism of metaphor. Since metonymy also plays an important role in the semantic expansion of words, we plan to address this in future research.

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