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Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences, 2022, 5(14); doi: 10.25236/AJHSS.2022.051402.

Research on the Meaning Generation Mechanism of Chinese Rhetoric Huwen under the View of Conceptual Blending: the Case of Classic Poetry

Author(s)

Yu Hang, Liu Wangrou

Corresponding Author:
Yu Hang
Affiliation(s)

School of Foreign Studies, Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi’an, China

Abstract

Previous research on the rhetoric huwen in Chinese focused on the exploration of its origin and revelation of its application in Chinese classics, leaving the generation of its meaning barely touched. Taking classic poetry in Chinese, the study firstly analyzed the common types and basic features of huwen, based on which the meaning generation process was revealed under the guidance of the revised Conceptual Blending Theory. Results show that featuring the structural symmetry and semantic complementarity makes conceptual blending of the rhetorical device huwen happen on two levels, that is, inside the two units forming huwen and between them. In particular, conceptual blending happening between two units includes three orders: the blending of fragmented perceptual stimuli, the grammatical construction and the cognitive elaboration. The form and meaning have played both separate and interactive roles in the three orders. This research helps people understand the inherent pattern of huwen and use it appropriately.

Keywords

the rhetorical device huwen; conceptual blending; successive blending; three-order blends

Cite This Paper

Yu Hang, Liu Wangrou. Research on the Meaning Generation Mechanism of Chinese Rhetoric Huwen under the View of Conceptual Blending: the Case of Classic Poetry. Academic Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences (2022) Vol. 5, Issue 14: 6-11. https://doi.org/10.25236/AJHSS.2022.051402.

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