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@article{ART003268474},
author={Zhang Liang},
title={An Analysis of Non-Four-Character Chengyu in the Xiandai Hanyu Cidian from a Morphophonological Perspective},
journal={The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China},
issn={1738-0502},
year={2025},
number={78},
pages={191-211},
doi={10.16874/jslckc.2025..78.007}

TY - JOUR
AU - Zhang Liang
TI - An Analysis of Non-Four-Character Chengyu in the Xiandai Hanyu Cidian from a Morphophonological Perspective
JO - The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China
PY - 2025
VL - null
IS - 78
PB - Korean Society of Study on Chinese Languge and Culture
SP - 191
EP - 211
SN - 1738-0502
AB - This study aims to identify the prototypical features of chengyu (Chinese idioms) and to delineate their boundaries from closely related categories such as suyu. Taking 98 non-four-character chengyu listed in the seventh edition of the Xiandai Hanyu Cidian (Modern Chinese Dictionary) as the research corpus, the paper conducts a detailed examination of their morphophonological forms. The findings show that double four-character patterns constitute the majority of non-four-character chengyu, followed by monomorphic five- and six-syllable forms. Among disyllabic chengyu, symmetrical structures are predominant, exhibiting symmetry not only in character count but also in syntactic organization and semantic correspondence. Monomorphic non-four-character chengyu display prosodic patterns more akin to sentences than to lexical items, and many five-syllable idioms have corresponding four-character variants. In terms of semantics, non-four-character chengyu show a significantly higher tendency toward dual-layered meanings. Therefore, this paper argues that, in addition to the most essential feature—the “four-syllable form,” other aspects such as structural symmetry, semantic duality, formal stylistic register, and origin from classical allusions also constitute the prototypical characteristics of chengyu (Chinese idioms).
KW - Xiandai Hanyu Cidian;four-character chengyu (idioms);morphophonological form;suyu (proverbs);shuyu (fixed expressions);prototype
DO - 10.16874/jslckc.2025..78.007
ER -

Zhang Liang. (2025). An Analysis of Non-Four-Character Chengyu in the Xiandai Hanyu Cidian from a Morphophonological Perspective. The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China, 78, 191-211.

Zhang Liang. 2025, "An Analysis of Non-Four-Character Chengyu in the Xiandai Hanyu Cidian from a Morphophonological Perspective", The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China, no.78, pp.191-211. Available from: doi:10.16874/jslckc.2025..78.007

Zhang Liang "An Analysis of Non-Four-Character Chengyu in the Xiandai Hanyu Cidian from a Morphophonological Perspective" The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China 78 pp.191-211 (2025) : 191.

Zhang Liang. An Analysis of Non-Four-Character Chengyu in the Xiandai Hanyu Cidian from a Morphophonological Perspective. 2025; 78 : 191-211. Available from: doi:10.16874/jslckc.2025..78.007

Zhang Liang. "An Analysis of Non-Four-Character Chengyu in the Xiandai Hanyu Cidian from a Morphophonological Perspective" The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China no.78(2025) : 191-211.doi: 10.16874/jslckc.2025..78.007

Zhang Liang. An Analysis of Non-Four-Character Chengyu in the Xiandai Hanyu Cidian from a Morphophonological Perspective. The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China, 78, 191-211. doi: 10.16874/jslckc.2025..78.007

Zhang Liang. An Analysis of Non-Four-Character Chengyu in the Xiandai Hanyu Cidian from a Morphophonological Perspective. The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China. 2025; 78 191-211. doi: 10.16874/jslckc.2025..78.007

Zhang Liang. An Analysis of Non-Four-Character Chengyu in the Xiandai Hanyu Cidian from a Morphophonological Perspective. 2025; 78 : 191-211. Available from: doi:10.16874/jslckc.2025..78.007

Zhang Liang. "An Analysis of Non-Four-Character Chengyu in the Xiandai Hanyu Cidian from a Morphophonological Perspective" The Journal of Study on Language and Culture of Korea and China no.78(2025) : 191-211.doi: 10.16874/jslckc.2025..78.007