On "Zai X Shang/Xia"

Through the analysis of the spatiality of the construction-"zai X shang\xia", constructed by the nouns of locality "shang" and "xia", as well as the analysis of the temporality, scope and subjectivity derived from temporality, this paper probes into the differences in its semantics and pragmatics, and its functions in text in particular.Chapter one gives a semantic analysis to the construction "zai X shang\xia", as well as the nouns of locality "shang" and "xia". Spatial meaning of the construction is analyzed first, followed by the analysis of its derived meanings:time, scope, aspect and subjectivity. The meaning of the construction has envolved from the concrete spatiality to the abstract spatiality, which is closely related to its metaphorical evolution mechanism.The two constructions "zai X shang" and "zai X xia" are compared in chapter two. They two bear some differences in meanings and grammatical functions. As far as these two constructions' semantic expressions are concerned, under the influence of the basic and derived meanings of "shang" and "xia", there exist both similarity and difference, semantic symmetry and semantic asymmetry respectively. The differences reflecting their grammatical functions are under the effect the "X" element. The "X" element in the construction can be substantive or predicative.Chapter three deals with the implicitness of the element "zai" in the construction. The explicitness and implicitness of "zai" is rather complex, which poses a great effect on the semantics and syntax. Semantically, "zai" can be explicit or implicit in its occurrence when substantial spatiality in meaning is given to the construction, whereas, "zai" is always explicit in occurrence when the construction is understood in its extended meaning. Syntactically, when the constructions of "zai X shang\xia" combined as a parallel structure serve as adverbial in sentences, "zai" in the latter construction can be explicit or implicit freely. In conclusion, owe to the differences of the construction "zai X shang\xia" in its semantic expressions and its syntactic elements on different syntactic positions, the occurrence of the element "zai" is also different in explicitness, which is closely related to the nouns of locality "shang", "xia" and the seature "X". Chapter four conducts the functional analysis of the construction "zai X shang\xia". A detailed study has been done on the construction with regards to its different modes of appearance in discourse, its discourse functions, and its usages in different styles. The modes of appearance in discourse can be divided into three types:preposition, mid-position and postposition. And it functions constituting sentences internally, and the distribution varies with the different styles.As a conclusion, the last part gives a summary of the features of the construction "zai X shang\xia" from the perspectives of syntax, semantics, cognition and pragmatics. And also, it is our further aim to probe into how these research results on the construction "zai X shang\xia" are applied into the actual teaching and other relevant researches.