A Comparison of the Road Metaphor in Pre-Qin Chinese Literature and the Hebrew Bible: From Semantics to Concepts

PENG Yinglong

doi:10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20236105

Volume 6 Issue 1

Mar. 2023

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PENG Yinglong. A Comparison of the Road Metaphor in Pre-Qin Chinese Literature and the Hebrew Bible: From Semantics to Concepts[J]. International Comparative Literature, 2023, 6(1): 88-110. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20236105

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PENG Yinglong. A Comparison of the Road Metaphor in Pre-Qin Chinese Literature and the Hebrew Bible: From Semantics to Concepts[J]. International Comparative Literature, 2023, 6(1): 88-110. doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20236105

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A Comparison of the Road Metaphor in Pre-Qin Chinese Literature and the Hebrew Bible: From Semantics to Concepts

doi: 10.19857/j.cnki.ICL.20236105

PENG Yinglong^,

Ji'nan University

Received Date: 2022-10-25
Accepted Date: 2023-02-08

Abstract

Abstract

German scholar Markus Philipp Zehnder conducted a thorough investigation of the Wegmetaphorik(road metaphor) of the Hebrew Bible(the so-called "Old Testament"),and his research is instructive for reexamining the "Tao" (道) of Chinese culture. By adopting a similar research method,it can be found that the road metaphor in Chinese not only manifests in the word "Tao," but also in all kinds of expressions involving the whole semantic field. A semantic examination will reveal the striking similarity between the road metaphor in pre-Qin literature and the Wegmetaphorik in the Hebrew Bible. The two main types of road metaphor can be named "doing things is going along the way" and "life is a journey,fate is what you encounter," both of which are widely and richly presented in pre-Qin Chinese literature and the Hebrew Bible. The ultimate goal of semantic investigation is to reveal the cultural concept behind it. The road metaphor in pre-Qin Chinese literature and the Hebrew Bible often carries the meaning of value norms,and its two main types can be combined to convey the ideal of "the unity of virtue and happiness." In both pre-Qin Chinese literature and the Hebrew Bible,the sub-metaphor of "doing things is going along the way" involving moral evaluation/ethical norms is the core type. However, the early secularization of Chinese culture and the theistic culture of the Jewish people have led to some differences in the road metaphors,such as the Hebrew Bible's view of the fate of the Israelites as a journey, which has no counterpart in pre-Qin literature. Li Chichang once advocated that Chinese researchers should use cross-text reading of the Bible to their advantage. A cross-text study of the road metaphor in pre-Qin literature and the Hebrew version of Old Testament based on semantic investigation will deepen our understanding of the commonalities and particularities of cultures.
- Tao,
- Metaphor,
- Hebrew Bible,
- Pre-Qin Literature,
- Semantics,
- Concept

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References(37)

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