A Metaphorical Analysis Of China’s National Image From The Perspective Of Conceptual Blending Theory Exemplified By The Governance Of China Ⅲ

The representative figures of the study on the conceptual metaphor are Lakoff and George,whose representative work Metaphors We Live By is regarded as the first work of cognitive linguistics.Based on their research,Turner proposed the concept of mental space.Later,Fauconnier further put forward the theory of conceptual integration,which provides a powerful explanation for the generation of new concepts.Metaphorical expressions exists in political texts.The application of conceptual blending theory to political texts can effectively explain the meaning construction process of the political metaphors and enable readers to fully understand the profound meaning of these metaphors.Currently,the study of The Governance of China is primarily concerned with the first and second volumes,and the systematic study of the third volume is relatively few.In view of this,this study combines conceptual metaphor theory and conceptual metaphor theory to study the national image in the third volume of Governance,which is conducive to telling Chinese stories well and delivering Chinese voices.In this study,the English version of The Governance of China III was selected as the corpus.The book covers 92 speeches made by the general secretary from 2017 to 2020.The thesis is based on the conceptual blending theory of Fauconnier & Turner and the conceptual metaphor theory of Lakoff & Johnson.With the corpus tool Wmatrix and the metaphor recognition program MIPVU,to identify and classify the types of metaphors in The Governance of China III.It aims to answer the following research questions:1.What are the types of metaphors in The Governance of China Ⅲ and which are most frequently used in this book ?2.How does the conceptual blending theory effectively explain the cognitive mechanism of conceptual metaphors in The Governance of China Ⅲ ?3.What kind of national images are shaped by different types of conceptual metaphors in The Governance of China Ⅲ ?By qualitative and quantitative research,the study made the following speculative conclusions: firstly,a great deal of metaphors existed in The Governance of China III,the 10 types of metaphors are mainly used,including: BUILDING METAPHOR,WAR METAPHOR,JOURNEY METAPHOR,DISEASE METAPHOR,NATURAL METAPHOR,ORGANISM METAPHOR,FAMILY METAPHOR,TOOL METAPHOR,MACHINE METAPHOR SPORT METAPHOR.The result shows that the war metaphor,building metaphor and journey metaphor are used more frequently.Secondly,the cognitive mechanism of conceptual metaphors in Xi Jinping The Governance of China Ⅲ is reflected by the conceptual blending theory,which effectively explains the deeper meanings behind these political metaphors.Thirdly,through in-depth analysis of the different kinds of metaphors,the author discovers that China’s national image in The Governance of China Ⅲ is mainly that is,the National Image of Law-based Governance,the National Image of Strictly Governing the Party,the Nation Image of Good Neighborliness.This research has theoretical and practical significance.Theoretically,the conceptual blending theory is used to analyze the meaning construction process of conceptual metaphor,which offers a fresh viewpoint for interpreting the meaning of political discourse;practically,it is benefit for readers to better understand Chinese political thought,which is conducive to the dissemination of national image and enhancing the international voice.